Mushroom ravioli

Fun! Fun! Fun times it is to make your own ravioli! Mine are largely inspired from this original recipe.

INGREDIENTS (for the filling, 2-3 people)

- 1 pack dried porcini mushrooms (1/2 ounce)

- 4 oz fresh cremini mushrooms (portobello or ceps would work really well too), chopped finely

- 1 tbsp evoo

- 1 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

- 2 small cloves of garlic, chopped finely (if you don't like chunks of garlic, you can grate it)

- 1/4 tsp salt

- 1/8 tsp ground black pepper

- 1 egg yolk

- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese (whole milk will make a silkier, creamier filling than low-fat)

RECIPE:

- cover the dried porcini in boiling water and let soak until soft (about 10-15 minutes should be enough).

- drain the soaking liquid and either discard, or reserve (if you want to use it in a sauce for example).

- squeeze out any residual liquid from the mushrooms (otherwise the filling will be too moist and the resulting ravioli will be soggy and won't hold their shape).

- finely chop the reconstituted porcini and reserve.

- in a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high and saute the fresh cremini for a few minutes. They will release a lot of moisture.

- let the moisture evaporate, but keep an eye on the skillet so the mushrooms don't burn!

- add the porcini, parsley, garlicsalt and pepper and cook for another minute. Reserve in a bowl.

- when the mushroom mixture is cool, mix in the egg yolk and the ricotta. 

- Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

- for information on how to make and roll your fresh pasta dough, I refer you to my AP flour recipe or my semolina recipe :) a little self-promotion can't hurt ;)

MAKING THE RAVIOLI: 

- I use two different methods to make the ravioli: (1) with a ravioli tray and (2) with ravioli stamps. The ones I use are very similar to those here, here and here.

The ravioli tray: 

- Lay a sheet of pasta on the heavily (really heavily) floured tray, and lightly press in each well (be careful not to pierce the dough with sharp nails!).

- Scoop some filling into each well, about the size of a large pea. If you put too much, it will be a hot mess when you try to roll the top pasta sheet, believe me!

Note: I put WAY too much in this photo, but you get the idea.

- Lay another pasta sheet on top.

- Carefully seal the two pasta sheets together by applying pressure with a rolling pin.

- Ta-da!!!

The ravioli stamps:

- Lay a sheet of pasta on a floured flat surface.

- Put small spoonfuls of filling on the pasta sheet, leaving about an inch between each. 

- Wet the pasta sheet with your finger or a small brush and place a second sheet of pasta on top of the filling. Carefully press with your fingers and try to chase any air trapped inside the ravioli.

Note: if there is too much air inside a ravioli, it will explode when you cook it and the filling will just disperse in the water.

- Using a ravioli stamp, just cut out any shape you want. 

- You can either cook your fresh ravioli right away in a large pot of boiling water (about 2-3 minutes, or until they float back to the surface), or freeze the ravioli on a flat tray. When they are hardened enough, you can put the pasta in a container, or bag, and keep them in the freezer until ready to use :)

- Have fun!!!

Semolina pasta dough

There's nothing better than homemade fresh pasta.

You can use this recipe for any kind of pasta you want: long (spaghetti, tagliatelle), short (penne, macaroni), flat (lasagna) or even filled (ravioli, tortellini), you name it!

Very simple, two ingredients (three if you count the pinch of salt), 5 minutes mixing, 1 hour rest and however long it takes you to shape the pasta :D

INGREDIENTS:
- 5 eggs
- 500g semolina flour
- a pinch of salt


RECIPE:
- break your eggs in the center of the semolina and salt in a bowl.

- mix with a spoon to start and your fingers when it's not too tacky anymore.
- knead the dough for a few minutes and shape into a ball.
Note: if it's still too tacky, add a little semolina (or AP flour) to dry it.

- wrap the dough in film and cool in the fridge for 1 hour.

- shape the cold ball into a log and cut in smaller pieces (I cut a log that big into four equal pieces).

- roll the dough into a pasta machine until the sheet is the thickness you want.

- Have fun with your freshly pressed pasta! They will cook in merely a few minutes in salted boiling water.

Homemade spaghetti recipe

Dead simple!

After my last post, Malou asked for the recipe of my homemade spaghetti.

For all kinds of pasta: 1 egg/100g of regular flour.  

Note: you can also use semolina flour to have a little more of a coarse dough. Be careful, the dough may be a little dry then, so adjust the quantity of semolina flour to a little less than if you use regular flour

Just make a small well in the flour, and break the egg(s) into this well. Slightly whisk them and then incorporate them progressively into the flour with your hands. I find that just twirling my fingers in a clockwise manner in the egg mixture is enough to take some flour every time, until it becomes really tacky and gooey.

Note: counter-clockwise swirling works just fine ;)

Then I just go at it full throttle, and use both my hands as I knead the dough  on a clean surface until it is firm and springy. If it is too sticky, you can use a little more flour. Then I just wrap it in cling film, and let it rest for at least 45 minutes in the fridge. 

When the dough has rested a while, I usually cut it, and make small patties of it, before I stretch it in my pasta machine. I then use the tagliatelle/spaghetti blades of the machine if I want to make long pasta; if I stick to lasagna, then I just don't use those blades.

Attention: those pasta are fresh, and cook really quickly! I think 2 minutes in boiling salted water are enough. Tagliatelle are delicious fresh. Spaghetti however are a little too "floppy" if not dried before hand.

I dry my pasta in two different ways:

1- I make little nests, and let them dry as such

2- Clothes hangers work wonders, but I suggest a little safer setup...

(I find that 5 eggs and 500g of flour will be plenty enough for a big lasagna dish)