Charlie Gittos Toasted Ravioli Recipes

TOASTED RAVIOLI

Steps:

• For the filling: Combine the ricotta, butter, parsley flakes, Romano, salt, pepper and egg in a large bowl and mix well. Set aside.
• For the pasta dough: Fit a stand mixer with the dough hook, then generously oil the hook to prevent dough from sticking. Whisk the egg, milk, salt and 1 tablespoon water together in a mixing bowl. Pour egg and milk mixture into the stand mixer bowl and add half the flour. Beat the dough over medium-low speed until the flour begins to incorporate into the mixture. Gradually add the rest of the flour until the dough comes together and forms a ball. Once the dough is mixed, turn out onto a floured surface.
• Divide the dough into 2 portions. Using a pasta machine or pasta attachment for your stand mixer, sheet the dough: Begin with the machine on the thickest setting and run one of the dough pieces through. Gradually reduce the setting number until the dough has been sheeted through the lowest number.
• Scoop roughly 1/2-tablespoon dollops of filling on the pasta layer, leaving 1 inch of space from the edge of the pasta and in between each. Lightly sprinkle water over the pasta. This will help the top layer adhere.
• Using the same process as before, run the second portion of dough through the pasta machine, gradually thinning it to match the same thinness as the bottom layer. Carefully lay the top layer over the pasta and filling. Gently press the dough around the scoops of filling to seal the ravioli.
• Using a pasta cutter, cut the ravioli into 2-inch squares. Place cut ravioli on a parchment-lined sheet pan and cover. Freeze until completely solid, at least 3 hours. (Make sure your raviolis are fully frozen before breading, as the dough has a tendency to thaw quickly. If the raviolis are soft during breading, they can become misshapen.)
• For the breading: Whisk the eggs and milk together in a medium bowl. Add the cracker meal to a second medium bowl. Working in batches, dip ravioli into the egg and milk mixture, then toss into the cracker meal, coating well. Put breaded ravioli back on the lined sheet pan, cover and freeze for another 3 hours.
• Fill a large, heavy-bottomed pan halfway with canola oil and heat oil to 350 degrees F. Cook the ravioli in batches, being sure not to overcrowd the pan, and flipping during cooking, until golden brown all over, about 5 minutes.

CHARLIE GITTOS TOASTED RAVIOLI

Steps:

• For the dough: In a large mixing bowl, add all of the ingredients, and mix until the ingredients come together to form a dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 to 15 minutes. Wrap in plastic wrap and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the meat filling: combine the beef, veal, onion, celery, carrots, salt, and pepper in a roasting pan and roast until cooked through, about 1 hour. Let cool.
• Add the spinach, then grind ingredients in a meat grinder with a fine grind. Add the eggs and cheese, and mix well, to create a paste-like texture.
• Roll out the dough on a floured surface using a rolling pin. Make a large, very thin layer of dough. Spread out a thin layer of filling on half of one side of the dough, using a spatula. Fold the dough end over the filling side of the dough. Mark the filled dough with a ravioli marker (ravioli rolling pin). Cut ravioli out using a ravioli cutter. Freeze until hard.
• To bread the ravioli: Make an egg wash by mixing together the eggs and the milk. Add the ravioli to the wash, then dip in the seasoned bread crumbs. Refreeze until ready to fry.
• Preheat a deep fryer to 350 degrees F.
• Fry the ravioli until golden brown. Serve hot on a plate sprinkled with freshly grated Parmesan on top and tomato sauce on the side.