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Receta Homemade Ravioli and Toasted Ravioli...
by Nan Slaughter

They say the quake in Chile caused the Earth to move off it's axis...and I do believe it also caused me to shift from mine. Homemade pasta is something I've never dared to do...after all, I've been quite satisfied with dried pasta for my entire life (I only know what I know and did not know there was something better!)...and then I tasted fresh pasta from the store...and then came the earthquake and I found myself thinking about making my own pasta and not just pasta but ravioli. Crazy, I know, even for a crazy person, but I couldn't stop myself.

After doing some reading about pasta, and watching countless You Tube videos, I decided the time was right...so I enlisted some help by asking my 12 year old neighbor of Italian descent to join me in the kitchen. We started with a Jamie Oliver pasta recipe...he made it look so simple on his video and only two ingredients - eggs and flour! However, we ended up with dough so tough it could only be used for a door stop. Sorry Jamie, I'd love you wrapped with a bow under my Christmas tree but your pasta recipe was a disaster! (Yes, I'm blaming Jamie as I'm quite certain me and my little sous chef did not screw up!) Jamie also used a pasta machine, which I don't have...yet.

With the first batch tossed into the trash, along with the recipe, we switched recipes and made batch #2...still stiff but better, and with the addition of water it was workable. Ignore those creepy finger shots! I used half all-purpose flour and half semolina and by batch #3 and #4 we finally got our groove on.

The square shaped ravioli cutter ($4.95) was great - it cut and sealed at the same time. And don't they look perfect?!? We made two different fillings...a ricotta, basil, Romano cheese filling and a sausage, Parmesan cheese filling. TO DIE FOR. And then...THEN...we toasted them! If you've never had toasted ravioli you haven't lived...it's usually served as an appetizer in Italian restaurants and it's BIG in the Midwest - go figure?!? When we lived in Memphis a friend of mine, Johnny Greganti, would bring in brown paper, greased-soaked sacks filled with his wife's homemade toasted ravioli and sell them to us for $5 a bag...what a STEAL! Toasted ravioli dipped into marinara sauce is like having Pavarotti sing O Sole Mio right into your face...unbelievably good.

Katie and I made about 72 ravioli...we delivered some to a friend, she took home 2 dozen for her family, I set aside some for our dinner and I froze the rest...and now I just love going out to my freezer, opening the door and seeing those perfect little bundles of yum stacked up so nice and neat...pure joy!

Don't let the length of this recipe scare you away...making pasta truly is EASY and FAST and the taste makes it worth the effort...oh, you don't need to make 72 ravioli either...the recipe below will make about 16 to 20, depending on the size you cut them.

Dough Recipe and Fillings Adapted from several recipes, including Recipe Zaar #59359

You will need a ravioli cutter (there are many to choose from) or a ravioli wheel to make these

To make dough:

Make dough: (If you're not using a food processor, read next paragraph.) In a large bowl, sift flour and semolina together and mix with a whisk to combine. In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, eggs and about half of the water. Process, adding water slowly. After all water is added, feel the dough. It should appear crumbly, but should hold together when pushed. If it's too dry, add more water. Process until dough makes a "thumping" noise as it moves around the bowl...and is almost all combined into one big mass. Dump onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 2 minutes, incorporating flour if dough is too sticky. Dough should be soft but not sticky at this point. Cover the dough with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 15 minutes.

To make dough without a food processor, mix flour and salt together with a whisk in a large bowl. Pour out onto a work surface into a big pile and make a well in the center. In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Pour beaten eggs into the center of the well with a bit of the water. Using your fingers, incorporate the flour into the eggs, adding more water as your are able. Dough should be pliable and soft but not sticky. Knead until smooth. If it's sticky add more flour. If it's too stiff add more water. Cover dough with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 15 minutes.

Make Ricotta Cheese filling: Mix all ingredients into a bowl and stir well to combine. Set aside until time to make ravioli.

Make Sausage Parmesan filling: In a large skillet, cook sausage, according to package directions, until done, breaking into very small pieces. Drain and allow to cool slightly. In a large bowl combine sausage with the remaining ingredients and mix well. Set aside until time to make ravioli.

After dough has rested, cut in half and roll out each half on a lightly floured surface. Roll dough until it is very thin (about 1/8-inch thick). Drop about 1 1/2 teaspoons of filling about 2-inches apart onto one of the dough sheets. When sheet is covered with filling, cover with second sheet of dough. Using your fingers, gently press dough between the fillings. Using a ravioli cutter or a ravioli wheel, cut out the ravioli. Place ravioli onto wire racks and allow to dry for one hour before cooking. (This is crucial or the dough will not hold together and if freezing the ravioli, you still need to allow to dry first!)

To cook the ravioli: You can cook the ravioli two ways...by dropping it into 6 to 8 quarts of boiling, salted water and cooking for about 10 to 15 minutes or...you can toast it.

Toasted Ravioli:

2 eggs

splash of buttermilk or whole milk

salt and pepper

1/2 cup dry bread crumbs, seasoned with salt and pepper

1/2 cup vegetable oil

12 fresh homemade ravioli

Marinara sauce (At this point I was about all cooked out so I used a store bought sauce and doctored it up with extra Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.)

Beat eggs and splash of buttermilk together in a shallow bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Combine bread crumbs in a second shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper. (If your bread crumbs are fresh and not crisp, spread them on a cookie sheet and put under the broiler for about a minute or two until they are toasted but watch carefully so they don't burn!)

Heat sauce in a small pan and keep warm. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Coat the fresh ravioli in the egg mixture and then bread crumbs. Gently drop ravioli into the hot oil and cook until deep golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Using a slotted spoon, transfer ravioli to a wire rack (put paper toweling underneath to catch any drips.) When ready to serve, transfer marinara sauce to a small bowl and dip the toasted ravioli into sauce...and then count out the dangs...FIVE of them...and after each one say God Bless America!

They don't look so pretty...I had trouble keeping the breading on...and the ones I have eaten in restaurants always look pretty...so I'm going to have to try this again and again (yeah!) until I get it right...they are delicious though - down to the last crumb and definitely worth the effort!!