Caprese Style Ravioli: Italy Culinary Trips

 If Italian food is associated with anything, it’s pasta! When taking a culinary course and dining in Italy during one of many fine cooking vacations, the pasta dish often arrives in the first course (called a “primo”). But in your own kitchen, feel free to eat your Caprese-Style Ravioli in whichever course you choose.

This exquisite dish, that showcases a variety of cheeses stuffed in ravioli, hails from our popular Mediterranean Cooking Experience. This program on the Amalfi Coast features all sorts of dishes particular to the region, and a large part of that is both pasta and cheese, both of which are showcased in this recipe that you can now make at home.

Please contact us for details on this or any of our amazing culinary vacations in Italy.

Caprese Style Ravioli

Serves: 1
Prep time: 80 minutes
Cook time: 3 minutes
Cook method: Boil

Ingredients:

For the filling: 

• 1/3 cup of ricotta cheese
• 1 slice of mozzarella cheese
• Grated parmesan cheese
• Basil

For the pasta: 

• 1 cup of regular white flour
• 1/4 cup of water
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• Italian pinch of sea salt

Instructions:

1. At least one hour prior to making your ravioli, start creating the filling. Mix the filling ingredients —the ricotta cheese, mozzarella, basil, and a handful of grated parmesan cheese — in a food processor. Or, you can dice the mozzarella very finely and mix it with the other ingredients. Leave the mixture in the refrigerator while you make your dough.

2. To start the dough, place flour on your work surface, and add the olive oil, egg, and a pinch of salt. Use a fork to incorporate the flour while adding the water a little at a time.

3. Knead the mixture until the dough is smooth, and then divide the dough into two parts.

4. Take one-half of the dough, and roll it out until a thin base is obtained. Add flour to keep the dough from sticking to the surface and rolling pin, but do not over-work the dough.

5. Brush off excess flour from both sides of the base. Then brush on the beaten egg to the top of the base.

6. Place teaspoons of the filing at regular intervals, approximately two finger-widths apart, across the base dough.

7. Roll out the other half of the dough, and then place over the base. Cut the ravioli using ravioli cutters, including a small cutter to press, and a larger one to cut.

8. Once done cutting, place the ravioli in a pan of boiling salted water. After a few minutes, the ravioli will rise to the surface. Use a skimming ladle to remove the ravioli and add to a sauce of your choice, such as a previously prepared tomato sauce.

9. After the ravioli is cooked, sprinkle generously with grated Parmesan and fresh basil.

Make them on an unforgettable Amalfi Coast cooking vacation!

By Peg Kern

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