RAVIOLI

RAVIOLI

Ravioli are a type of pasta comprising a filling enveloped in thin pasta dough. Usually served in with a sauce, they originated as a traditional food in Italian cuisine. Making homemade ravioli is easier than you might think, and so much tastier than any you can buy in a store. Plus you don't even need a pasta. This classic recipe is a great introduction to making your own pasta. Here's how to make homemade ravioli without a pasta maker or stand mixer attachments. This is a recipe of ravioli with spinach and ricotta cheese filling, in tomato cream sauce – meatless, Italian style pasta dish, with everything made completely from scratch!

Ingredients:

3 cups all purpose flour

Lukewarm water

5 tbsp oil

3 tsp Salt

Stuffing Ingredients:

3-4 cups fresh baby spinach

1 small ricotta cheese/ paneer

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp crushed black pepper

1 tsp oil

Sauce Ingredients:

8-10 medium juicy tomatoes

1 onion, chopped

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp black pepper

5 cloves garlic

1 tbsp oil

Recipe:

1. Make dough with flour, salt, oil, adding the water little by little and knead for a few minutes until the dough is soft, and not sticky. Wrap in cling wrap and allow to rest for about 30 minutes.
2. While the dough is resting, make the stuffing. Heat oil in a pan, add minced garlic, chopped spinach and cook till softened. Add salt. Turn the heat off, mix in the cheeses, and set aside to cool. 
3. To prepare the sauce heat the oil in a pan, add in garlic and saute without burning it, add the chopped tomatoes, salt and pepper and cook on low to medium heat for a few minutes. You may add basil and other herbs if you'd like. The sauce is good to go.
4. To make the pasta, use a wood board or a chopping board or a flat surface such as a countertop. Divide the dough into 10 pieces. Cover the rest while working with one. 
5. Roll out the piece of dough as thin as possible, into a circle. Trim using a pizza cutter to get a circle. Place a tablespoon or teaspoon of filling along the long side, leaving gaps in between evenly.
6. Fold over one half of the sheet over the side where the filling is, and press down around each of the filling, removing as much as air as possible and sealing on 3 sides. Using a fork, make indents along 3 or all sides of the pockets. Using a pizza cutter, cut off each of the ravioli pockets, and place on a plate dusted with flour.
7. Now we are ready to cook them. Or at this point you can freeze them for later.
8. Boil water with a bit of salt to cook the ravioli.
9. Drop in 3-4 pieces at a time when the water is boiling. The pasta will initially sink, and when cooked, will float up. Using a spider ladle, take them out. This is the easy part - only takes about 2 minutes per batch and is very quick. 

Your lovely ravioli is ready to be enjoyed!

Enjoy and keep showering your love.