You can only convince me to prepare ravioli when I know the person enjoying the meal will be suitably impressed by the finesse and effort put into this particular pasta. Between us, that person is normally myself J! I secretly savor the silken feel of freshly rolled out pasta… straight out of the hot water and just before it hits the sauce! This recipe was inspired by the colorful, sweet and seasonal peppers – hence ravioli stuffed with ricotta and caramelized red onions! Enjoy!
My favorite ‘pasta from scratch’ is a basic recipe for fresh egg pasta by Jamie Oliver. I use the estimate of 100 grams flour per person when making ravioli.
Weigh 200 grams of flour … okay maybe 199 if your kitchen scales are a tease...
Break two fresh eggs into a bowl and whisk until frothy. Add the flour. If you are not using fine flour then make sure that you run it through the sieve at least twice.
Work the flour into the eggs with your fingertips. Once the flour and eggs comes together kneed well. If you feel it need more moisture, add a tablespoon of cold water. If it’s a tad bit too wet, sprinkle some flour. This will really depend on how ‘large’ your large eggs are. Knead the dough, squish it, stretch it and work the gluten in the flour. Once you have a lovely smooth ball … you are good to go.
Wrap the dough ball in some cling film and let rest at room temperature. Meanwhile get the sauce and filling started.
Sauté the chopped garlic in the olive oil and add the sliced onions. And needless to say…. It’s really OKAY to be generous with olive oil – it always it. Once the onions turn color and start to caramelize add the herbs. You can really used any herb that you fancy… this is a mix of oregano, basil, thyme and dried garlic.
Add the precooked chicken to the pan and mix well before removing it to a bowl to cool. Ravioli is actually a fantastic way to utilize any leftover meat that you may have from roasts, steaks or even stock be it be chicken, beef or seafood!
Add the 2 generous tablespoons of ricotta to the caramelized onions and chicken.
Season with salt and mix well so that the cheese is evenly divided.
Say hello to this two gorgeous couple!!
You can roast the peppers in the oven but I prefer to do it on the hob over a low flame, it’s much faster and more fun! You can also use a heat diffuser instead of direct flame. Keep turning the peppers to make sure that the skin is charred evenly from all sides.
When the peppers are all black and smell gorgeous, remove from flame and cover with a upside bowl or place in a zip lock bag to allow the stream to soften the charred skin; it will make its super easy to remove.
Peel away the black skin to reveal the beauties who will now be ‘smokin’ hot! No seriously- they will smell delicious.
Rinse lightly under a stream of tap water. Slit open the peppers remove the seeds and slice into long strips. Dang! I should have gotten that orange bell pepper too! It was just one of those times I felt regrettable frugal!
Add the butter to the same frying pan along with the remaining garlic. When the garlic begins to turn brown, throw in the peppers and season with salt! Rich garlic infused butter and smokey sweets peppers …. Can’t you taste that already?
Add the flour and water mixture to the peppers to deglaze the pan and thicken very slightly so the flavors cling to the lovely ravioli.
With the filling ready and cool and the pepper sauce done we move back to the pasta and making ravioli.
I have sadly skipped the rolling out pasta pictures lest the post becomes super tedious. If you have done it before then you know how to … if not, take a small ball and pass it through the pasta machine on a thicker setting. Keep thinning out the settings and roll out the same piece at least 5-6 time till you have a nice thin and elastic pasta strip. (I promise a ‘pasta from scratch’ recipe soon)
I cheated and took a rolling pin to the dough but I would never recommend it if you haven’t make pasta from scratch before because uneven pasta or too thick a sheet or underdeveloped gluten can give you thick , rubbery and gummy results which I promise will be horridly disappointing!
Back to the pasta dough, you will need 6-8 ravioli pieces per person. I rolled out six 10 inch discs. Place 1 tablespoon of the chicken ricotta mix at least 2 inches apart. Cover as much area as you can. Dip your finger in water and trace a wet circle around each filling; this will help seal the ravioli.
Place the second strip/disc of pasta on top and press down gently on the filling to let any air bubbles escape. Then press down firmly around the filling where you traced with water to seal the ravioli. This is very important as any piece that is not sealed will split open when it hits hot water.
Using a pastry cutter (or pizza cutter) cut around the filling. Don’t make it too big and don’t end up cutting right into the filled pocket.
Dust the ravioli with flour and set out on a floured tray till ready to boil.
Bring to boil a pot of salted water. Make sure it’s a big enough and that there is enough water so that the ravioli isn’t overcrowded. Once the water is boiling, reduce to simmer so that the water is gentle and not harshly bubbling. Add the first batch (6-8 pieces) of ravioli one by one in a 2-3 second interval. The ravioli will sink to the bottom.
Within a minute or two the ravioli pieces will rise and float onto the surface. This is you cue that the pasta is cooked.
Count till 10 and start to lift out the ravioli with a slotted spoon and straight into the buttery bell pepper sauce. Continue cooking the next batch.
Once all the ravioli is cooked and in the delicious sauce, turn on the heat on low.
Add the black olives. Throw in the basil leaves and add another glug of olive oil if that pleases you! It always makes me happy!
And viola! Enjoy fabulous home cooked ravioli that will wow the family!
Ingredients
Ravioli Pasta
200 Grams Flour
2 Large Eggs
Ravioli Filling
1 ½ Teaspoon Olive oil
1 Teaspoon Garlic – Fine Chopped
3/4th Cup Red Onion – Sliced
1 Teaspoon Mixed Herbs or Any Herb
½ Cup Pre-Cooked Chicken/Beef/Fish/Shellfish
4- Tablespoons Ricotta
Bell Pepper Sauce
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 Teaspoon Garlic – Chopped finely
1 Large Red Bell Pepper
1 Large Yellow Bell Pepper
2 Teaspoons Flour MIXED in ¼ Cup Water
2 Tablespoons Olives- Sliced
6-8 Basil Leaves and more to garnish
The pasta will me made in two steps.
Step 1 Pasta
Whisk both eggs till frothy.
Add the flour and incoperate with fingers to bring it together as a dough
Kneed and work the dough. When smooth, wrap in cling film and let rest.
Filling
Heat 1 tablespoon Olive oil and add garlic and onions.
Stirfry till the onion starts to caramalise.
Add preferred herbs, meat and season with salt.
Remove to a bowl and cool.
Once cool add the 3 Tablespoons of Ricotta cheese and mix well.
Pepper Sauce
Roast and char the peppers on direct but low flame. You can also use a heat diffuser.
When peppers are completely charred, remove from flame and keep covered trapping their steam for 5 minutes.
Peel away the black skin off the peppers.
Rinse lightly, remove hull, deseed and cut into strips.
Reusing the skillet used for filling; add the 2 Tablespoons butter and 1 teaspoon garlic.
When the garlic begins to turn brown add the bell peppers and season with salt.
Mix the flour with water and pour into the skilled to deglaze the pan and thicken the sauce.
Step 2 Ravioli from pasta Dough
Make 6 portions from the dough. Keep the dough balls covered with cling film to prevent from drying.
Pass each small dough ball through the pasta machine from the thicker setting to the thinnest.
This will work the gluten in the flour and make the strips smooth and elastic.
Take one pasta strip ans spoon 1 tablespoon of the filling all over the sheet keeping them 2 inches apart.
Dip finger in water and trace a wet line close around each filling.
Place the second sheet of pasta on top.
Press lightly on the filling to remove trapped air.
Press firmly along the line where you traced water to seal each ravioli piece.
Using a pasty cutter, cut the ravioli pieces in circles.
Meanwhile bring to boil a pot of salted water.
When boiling reduce the flame so that water is calm and drop the first batch of 6 ravioli pieces into the hot water.
The ravioli will sink to the bottom and then rise up after 2-3 minutes.
Once it floats to the top, give it another 10-15 seconds and remove with a slotted spoon straight into the skillet with the bell pepper sauce.
Boil the remaining pasta in 2 batches.
Once all the ravioli is in the skillet, bring to low head and add the black olives, basil leaves and some more olive oil and serve immediately.
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