Ravioli is an Italian dish. Almost every part of Italy has its very own one or two stuffed Pasta form. Ravioli is a kind of stuffed pasta. There are several types of Ravioli. Some stuff meat, some make it from fresh vegetables while some make it with Italian cheese. Ravioli has a long history. It has been in documentation from early 14th Century. Francesco di Marco documented the Ravioli while in his Venice trading. It was even documented in England during that time, which makes it a popular dish in medieval period. Ravioli is very easy to cook and the vegan variety can be cooked within an hour. However, the meat variety needs a longer period. Here is the recipe for Vegetarian Ravioli.
1. Complexity Level:
Easy
2. Time taken:
30- 40 minutes
3. Ingredients
a. For the Dough
- Three cups of flour
- Salt according to use
- Two eggs
- 4tbsp oil
- Water
b. For the filling
- 400g of Ricotta Cheese
- 150g “3 Cheese Italian”
- 100 g cup cheddar cheese
- Two Eggs
- Salt and peppers
4. Process
Step 1: Preparing the filling
First, Mix the ingredients as the given proportion and refrigerate it to give a firmness and viscosity.
Step 2: Prepare the dough
Take a bowl, crack the eggs and beat it with eggbeater or spoons until the mix turns frothy or white in color. Add oil, salt and water and beat it again to prepare a white smooth mixture. Add a cup of flour to the mix and stir with a beater in a single direction. Follow the same protocol with the addition of next two cup of flour. Clean your cooking table, dust some flour and prepares the table for rolling of the dough. Take the dough and knead it properly to ensure the proper mixing of all the ingredients. Roll the dough to make a sheet of 3 mm thickness. A little more thickness than your home chapattis can work well. Take one glass and cut out the dough in round shapes. Minimize the wastage of flour by placing the circles close. Take the rest flour and ball up again and repeat the procedure until all the dough is converted in dough circles.
Step 3: Prepare Ravioli
Take out the filling from refrigeration and let it settle for 5 minutes in room temperature. Place one 1tbsp of filling and place in the centre of dough circles. Moisten the edge of the circles with water. Fold the circle in half shape and seal the dough with your finger to give semi circular shape. You can give designs to the edge by make spoon marks in the edge. This will ensure the sealing as well as give a beautiful design to your ravioli.
Step 4: Finishing ravioli
Ravioli needs steam cooking. For that, you need to boil some water in a large pot. Dust off the outer surface of Ravioli of any dry flour. Keep it in boiling water for 5 minutes. To know if it is properly cooked or not, you can see the change in texture or boil it until they start to float.
Step 5: Serve Ravioli
Take out the Ravioli with a large spoon and put it a plate. Heat some Marinara sauce, pour it over the Ravioli, and serve them hot with some black pepper and grated parmesan cheese garnishing.
5. Tips
1. Refrigerating the filling increases the viscosity of the mixture, otherwise it will have a runny characteristic that may trouble you while filling.
2. Do not roll the dough with oil, as it will make the dough elastic and make it more tedious.
3. Dust off all the flour before boiling to give a smooth Ravioli surface.
4. Boil the ravioli until they start floating. However, with two three runs you will get enough experience to know the exact time.
5. You can always replace cheese with meat fillings. However, then you have to use some boiled meat shredded into small pieces. Cooking the meat filling can also be a great option.
6. Do not cook the cheese filling as the cheese melts with heat and that will destroy the filling texture completely
7. Do not wash the boiled ravioli, as the cold water will block all the surface pores hindering the absorption of sauce.
8. You can serve it with Marinara sauce. However, the fish sauce or simple tomato ketchup can also serve the purpose. You can also add an eastern flavor by serving the ravioli with Yogurt paste and black pepper.
