Homemade Ravioli Pasta

Our latest from This Week at The International Kitchen? Learn how to make homemade ravioli pasta stuffed with ricotta and spinach! Our culinary travelers are making it this week at one of our favorite cooking vacations in Tuscany, Cook in the Heart of Chianti.

We love pasta of any type, from tortellini to spaghetti. But ravioli definitely have a special place in our hearts and appetites!

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Homemade Ravioli Pasta

Serves: 4
Prep time: 90 minutes
Cook time: 3 minutes
Cook method: Boil

Ingredients

• 200 g flour (preferably Italian “00”)
• 200 g semolina flour
• 4 eggs
• salt to taste
• extra virgin olive oil
• 200 g fresh ricotta cheese
• 100 g spinach (cooked and excess liquid wrung out)
• Nutmeg to taste
• Parmigiano Reggiano, grated

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Instructions for the filling:
1. Add the ricotta and spinach and parmesan cheese (to taste, but probably a couple tablespoons). Add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste and set aside in the refrigerator for at least half an hour.

Instructions for the dough:
2. Mix the flours together and place in a mound directly on the work surface. Make a well in the center and add the 4 eggs and a generous pinch of salt. Using a fork, beat the eggs inside the well.
3. Next, incorporate a bit of the flour into the egg mixture to thicken it, then gradually work in the rest of the flour with your fingers. Using your hands, mix and knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic (around 10-15 minutes).
4. Next, divide the dough in two and run the dough through your pasta maker a few times, starting with the widest setting and working your way to the thinnest setting. If you do not have a pasta maker, roll the dough with a rolling pin until it is about the thinness of a dime.

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Filling the pasta:
5. Trim the edges of the pasta sheets to form a nice rectangle. Drop spoonfuls of the filling onto the pasta about 1/2 inch from the edge and about 1 1/2 inches from each other.
6. Fold the pasta over so it covers the ricotta. Using your fingers, seal the dough together around the edges, and then between the mounds of filling.
7. Use a pizza cutter, biscuit cutter, or knife to cut the ravioli into individual pieces. You can make them circles or squares! Use a fork to seal around the edges more thoroughly so they will not leak when cooking.

8. Place the Ravioli on a plate and dust with flour to prevent sticking. Drop the ravioli in salted boiling water, being careful not to overcrowd the pot. They will not take long to cook and are ready when they float to the top.

9. You can dress your ravioli however you like – with a bit of butter, sage and parmesan, or with a fresh “sugo al pomodoro” (tomato sauce). Buon appetito!

Learn about the traditional stuffed pasta from Lucca – tortelli lucchesi.

What are you making for dinner tonight? Don’t you wish you were making ravioli in Tuscany with Chefs Alessandro and Veronica?

Learn more about other types of stuffed pasta, or search the blog for more recipes!

Interested in more pasta recipes? Try these dishes from our cooking vacations in Italy:

• Pici Pasta from Cooking under the Tuscan Sun
• Umbricelli Pasta with Black Truffle” from A Food Lover’s Paradise in Norcia
• Pasta alla norma from our Sicily cooking vacations
• Ancient Grain Pasta with “Sugo Finto” from Living the Real Tuscan Dream

By Peg Kern

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