RAVIOLO RECIPES RECIPES

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, Parm, parsley and 2 whole eggs; mix well and season with salt.
• Dust a clean work surface lightly with all-purpose flour and lay out two sheets of pasta about 12 inches long; brush them lightly with water. Equally space 4 dollops of the ricotta mixture on each pasta sheet; then use a spoon to make a "nest" or small hole in the center of each dollop. Carefully separate the remaining eggs (reserve the whites for another purpose) and put a yolk in each ricotta "nest"--the ricotta should lovingly nestle each yolk (if a yolk breaks, scoop it out with a spoon and don't use it).
• Cover the ricotta nests and egg yolk with another sheet of pasta. Use your index fingers to press around each ricotta nest to seal the edges, then use a fluted ring cutter or dough roller to cut around each ravioli (they should be 3 to 4 inches in diameter). Reserve the ravioli on a tray generously dusted with semolina.
• Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. In a large saute pan, melt half the butter and add half of the chicken stock (you're going to use the remainder for your next batch); season with salt and toss in half the sage. Bring this to a boil (BTB) and reduce to simmer (RTS).
• Add 4 of the ravioli to the boiling water and cook for 3 minutes. Using a spider or slotted spoon, carefully transfer the ravioli from the water to the pan with butter and chicken stock and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. If the sauce reduces too much, add a few drops of the pasta cooking water. The sauce should cling to the ravioli in a buttery hug.
• Transfer the ravioli to serving plates, spoon a little extra sauce over each one, and finish with a sprinkey-dink of grated Parm. Repeat with the remaining ravioli.
• Mound the flour on a clean, dry work surface. Make a big hole (called a well) in the center of the flour pile--bigger is definitely better here. Crack the eggs into the hole along with the extra yolk, olive oil, and 2 tablespoons water; season with salt. Using a fork, beat the eggs together with the olive oil, water, and salt and begin to incorporate the flour into the egg mixture. Be careful not to break the well or the egg mixture will run everywhere and you'll have a big fat mess on your hands (and your board). When enough flour is incorporated that you can handle the dough, use your hands to combine everything really well. If the mixture is tight and dry, wet your hands a bit. When the mixture is homogeneous, start kneading...
• To knead the dough, it's VERY important to put your body weight into it, to get on top of the dough, and really stretch it. Be careful not to tear it--the idea is that you stretch the dough, not rip it. Use the heels of your palms and roll the mixture over itself. When it's done it should be smooth, supple, and velvety and look like the head of a preemie Cabbage Patch Doll. Kneading will take anywhere from 8 to 15 minutes, depending on how experienced you are. (Don't hold back: This is where the perfect, toothsome texture of your pasta is formed. Get in there and work it!)
• When the pasta is ready, wrap it in plastic and let rest for at least an hour at room temperature before rolling. If you're making the dough ahead of time, wrap, refrigerate, and bring to room temperature before using.
• To roll out the pasta, you need to run the dough through the pasta roller a bunch of times to get it long and thin. To start, cut off about a quarter of the dough (remember, the bigger the piece you start with, the longer your dough is going to get), keeping the rest wrapped up so it doesn't dry out. Squish the dough to flatten it--this will help it run through the pasta roller more easily. Where do we start? We start at the beginning! Run the dough through the pasta roller starting on the widest setting, number 1. Then dust the dough with flour, fold it into thirds, and put the dough through this setting two more times. If the dough ever feels sticky or tacky, give it a little dusting of flour. Now adjust the setting to number 2 and repeat the process again--changing the setting each time until your dough is the desired thickness. Once the dough is rolled out, be sure to keep the pasta sheets covered so they don't dry out. Depending on what I want to use the pasta for, I usually stop around number 5 or 6. For long noodles, I keep it thicker, and for ravioli or stuffed pasta, I keep it thinner. All pasta machines are different, so you need to judge how your pasta machine works and adjust your rolling accordingly. Once you get the thickness you want, repeat this process with the remaining pieces of dough.

Steps:

• Place 4 cups all-purpose or ‘00’ flour and 1 teaspoon kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. (If you’d like to make the dough by hand, follow the directions here.) Mix on low speed for a few seconds to combine.
• Add 4 large eggs, 4 large egg yolks, and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Mix on medium-low speed until the dough starts to form a ball and pull away from the sides of the bowl, scraping down the sides of the bowl and the dough from the dough hook once or twice, about 5 minutes. If after 1 to 2 minutes your dough still looks crumbly and dry, gradually add up to 4 tablespoons of cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it comes together.
• Dust a work surface lightly with all-purpose or ‘00’ flour. Scrape the dough onto the flour and knead until the dough is smoother, less sticky, and more elastic, 5 minutes. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes and up to 24 hours. If the dough is very cold, let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before rolling it out.
• Drain and cut 4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese into small cubes; add to a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Grate 1 ounce Pecorino Romano cheese and 1/2 ounce Parmesan cheese on the small holes of a box grater (1/4 cup each), and add to the food processor.
• Add 1 container ricotta cheese, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg if desired. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed, about 1 minute.
• Transfer the filling to a piping bag fitted with a wide, round tip. Alternatively, transfer the filling into a large resealable plastic bag and push into one bottom corner; cut the corner of the bag when you’re ready to fill the ravioli. Refrigerate the filling while you roll out the pasta dough.
• Unwrap the dough and cut into 3 pieces (about 12 ounces each). Rewrap 2 pieces of the dough in the plastic wrap to keep them from drying out.
• Roll out each piece of dough: Set a pasta roller to the thickest setting. Flatten the piece of dough into a thick disk between your hands, dusting with semolina flour if it feels sticky. Feed it through the pasta roller. Repeat once or twice. Fold this piece of dough into thirds, like a letter, and press it between your hands again.
• With the pasta roller still on the widest setting, feed the pasta crosswise (folded-side in first) between the rollers. Feed it through once or twice more, until smooth. If desired, repeat this folding step. This helps to strengthen the gluten in the flour, giving it a chewier texture when cooked.
• Begin changing the settings on the roller to roll the pasta thinner and thinner. Roll the pasta 2 or 3 times at each setting (no need to fold anymore), and don't skip settings (the pasta tends to snag and warp if you do). If the pasta gets too long to be manageable, lay it on a cutting board and cut it in half crosswise before you continue rolling.
• Roll the pasta as thin as you can get it, then sprinkle generously with semolina and lay flat on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet with sheets of parchment in between each pasta sheet. Repeat until all the dough is rolled out.
• Line a second baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle with semolina flour. Sprinkle a work surface with semolina flour and arrange a pasta sheet on top with a long side closer to you.
• If the pasta sheet is at least 4 inches wide from top to bottom, pipe 1 -teaspoon portions of the filling onto the bottom half of the pasta sheet about 1-inch apart. Gently brush a little water on the top half of the pasta sheet, then gently fold the top half over the bottom half.
• If the pasta sheet is less than 4 inches wide, pipe 1 -teaspoon portions of the filling down the center of the sheet about 1-inch apart. Gently brush a little water around the border of the sheet. Gently top with a second sheet of pasta.
• Use your fingers to press out any air bubbles and seal the dough all the way around each portion of filling. Using a pasta cutter or sharp knife, cut around each portion of filling to form individual raviolo. Don’t worry if they are not perfect — they will still taste great.
• Transfer the ravioli to the baking sheet and repeat filling all the pasta sheets. You can cut up any pasta scraps and cook them up for a snack. If you don’t plan to cook the ravioli right away, refrigerate uncovered for up to 4 hours. (See Recipe Notes for freezing instructions.)
• Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Working in batches of about 20 ravioli, add the ravioli and cook until the pasta is cooked through and al dente, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the ravioli with a large slotted spoon or spider and toss with desired sauce.