Below is my recipe for making fresh pasta ravioli, its easy (which I like) and tastes way better than the store bought ravioli!
INGREDIENTS:
Pasta:
440g Italian "00" Flour
2 eggs (at room temperature)
salt
Ricotta and Spinach filling:
200g ricotta
1 200g packet baby spinach leaves
salt
pepper
Other:
extra flour for coating
1 egg for egg wash
fork
TOOLS REQUIRED:
bowls
pasta machine (I bought my Jamie Oliver pasta machine for $35 AUD, best money I ever spent!)
3 inch round cutter
brush
pots
METHOD:
Take out the 2 eggs and leave to get to room temperature.
Sift the "00" flour onto a flat and open surface, and create a well in the centre and add a pinch of salt (if the salt is not fine I ground a small amount in a mortar and pestle).
Add the 2 eggs to the centre of the well, and slowly work the flour into the egg with a fork in a circular / figure 8 motion.
Knead the dough for approximately 5 minutes (and continue to provide a very light sprinkle of flour so the dough doesn't stick to the surface). You want it to get to a consistency where it has spring. To test, press gently into the dough, and if it springs back, it's ready. Put a light coating of flour around the dough and wrap in glad-wrap. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Boil water for 1 bowl, and have an ice bath in another. Submerge the baby spinach leaves for 1 minute in the boiling water until wilted and then place into the ice bath to stop the cooking process.
Finely cut the baby spinach leaves, and mix together with the ricotta. Add salt and pepper for taste.
Take the pasta out of the fridge and cut into 4 portions. Flour the working area, including a light coating on the pasta dough. Begin the feed the first portion through the pasta machine on its highest (thickest) setting (this will differ depending on which brand you buy). In the first two runs, fold the pasta and re-feed it through at 90 degrees to assist elasticity.
Begin to work your way through the settings until you reach the thinnest setting. As you go thinner and thinner, give the pasta a bit of pull, and you will end up with a long sheet as you will see in my photos.
Use the third egg and create an egg wash to help weld the pasta together for the next step.
Place a teaspoon of the ricotta mixture every 4 or so inches along 1 half of the sheet so you can fold it over and make the ravioli. Brush the egg wash around the ricotta balls and fold the sheet over.
Gently press out any air and cut your ravioli with the 3 inch round cutter. Gently press down the sides with a fork.
Repeat the process for the remaining 3 portions of the pasta dough.
COOKING:
Because this is fresh pasta, it will only take 3 minutes in boiling water!
TIPS:
keep on flouring your working surface area so the pasta doesn't stick to the surface. Also, I know people us machines these days to knead, but I like to use my hands as much as possible so you can feel it come together. I do a really simple sauce of fresh basil, garlic, salt, pepper, grated carrot, and passata, always works a treat!!
