Homemade Ravioli and the New Pasta Machine

I've wanted a pasta machine for a while now.  I don't really know why, I don't eat much pasta.  But I did see a recipe for crackers that you roll out in your pasta machine and last month's Daring Bakers challenge was a pastry you roll out in the pasta machine and fold to make hundreds of flaky layers, I did not make those because I didn't have a pasta machine (I'm not going to mention those adventurous and ambitious bakers that made it without a pasta machine!).  But now I can go back and complete that challenge.

I received a gift card for my favorite cooking store when I retired from my school district.  It was a wonderful gift and I've been stopping at the store often, looking for the perfect thing to buy with it (we won't tell Dave about all the "little" things I bought that just weren't right for the gift card!)  I saw these pasta machines and knew it was the thing.  I brought it home, washed it off and it was ready for me to go.

So forgive me if the next couple weeks include a lot of recipes that use a pasta machine.  If you don't have one, I suggest you get one.  They are a lot of fun but they don't do much for the "no gain holiday challenge" I'm in.  I don't usually eat pasta, but you have to try what you make!

I thought I'd start with an easy ravioli.  A sheet of pasta, mounds of seasoned moose sausage, the pasta folded in half and then sealed, boiled for a couple of minutes and a quick sauce with my home canned tomatoes.  We were set!

Basic Pasta Sheets

5 whole eggs, room temperature
3 1/2 to 4 cups of flour, plus more for dusting

Place flour in bowl of mixer, make a well in the center (you can do this by hand).  Add eggs and mix until fully incorporated and kneed for about 5-8 minutes.  Take dough out of mixer, cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30-60 minutes.

Cut dough into 4ths.  Using 1/4 of the dough at a time, run it through the pasta machine at the widest level 3-4 times (for my machine that is 1).  Lightly dust with flour.  Then pass the pasta through the machine at the next smallest number (for mine that is 2), pass it through, lightly dust with flour, and go down again.  Repeat this until you have your pasta the desired thickness.  I stopped at 6 for the ravioli.

To make the ravioli

Lay down a sheet of pasta. Spacing down the pasta sheet, lay down your filling.  I used meatballs I baked and squished down to make them a little flatter.

I lightly pressed my cutter down the length of the pasta to mark the ravioli spaces

Lightly brush water around the edges of the pasta for each ravioli.  Fold the pasta sheet over the filling and, pressing out any air bubbles, seal the edges.  Using a cutter (cookie cutter or glass), cut the ravioli out of the pasta sheet, sealing tightly.  You can reroll the left over pasta dough with the next piece of dough.

Lay the pasta on a parchment lined baking sheet while you finish the other raviolis.

Bring a large pot of water to boil, generously salting the water.  Drop ravioli into the water and let boil for 3-5 minutes, until pasta is done.

Remove from the water and drain.  Top with your favorite sauce and grated Parmesan cheese.

I have a feeling we are going to be eating a lot of pasta from now on!

1 year ago:   White Chocolate Peppermint Popcorn
2 years ago:  Chocolate Crinkle Cookies and Christmas Traditions

December 20, 2013   Daylight 3 hrs, 41 min, 35 sec.  Temp H -1/ L -2