Faux Babbo Ravioli Recipes

FAUX BABBO RAVIOLI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place a large, ovenproof skillet over medium heat and add the oil. Add onion and celery and sauté until softened, about 10 minutes. Increase heat to high and (working in batches, if necessary) brown beef on all sides. Add the wine and deglaze the pan. Add tomatoes and rosemary. Season with salt and pepper. When the mixture returns to a boil, cover and place in oven until meat is fork-tender, 45 minutes.
• Remove pot from oven and allow to cool. Skim off excess fat, transfer to a food processor, and pulse until smooth. If the mixture seems dry, add a tablespoon of wine or 1 or 2 tablespoons of tomatoes. Taste and adjust seasoning.
• Cut sheets of pasta into 4-inch squares. Place 1 tablespoon beef filling into the center of each square. Wet edges of pasta with warm water, and bring two opposite corners of each square together to form a triangle. Press edges to seal. Put finished ravioli on a cookie sheet, cover with plastic and place in freezer until needed.
• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Heat butter in a large sauté pan until it browns but does not burn. Add about half the chicken livers Toscani and sauté for 1 minute. Add 3 tablespoons of the salted water to loosen the sauce. Reduce heat to low and keep warm.
• Add the ravioli to the boiling water and cook until they float to the surface, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer ravioli to pan of chicken liver sauce. Add parsley and 1/4 cup grated pecorino. Toss lightly. Divide ravioli on four warm plates. Spoon extra sauce over each serving and top with cheese. Serve immediately.

FAUX PIEROGI OVER CABBAGE AND POTATOES O'BRIEN

Steps:

• Bring a pot of water to boil for the potatoes and boil until tender. Drain well, cover and set aside.
• Bring a separate pot of water to boil for each of the types of ravioli since their cooking times will vary. Boil the ravioli until they rise to the top and using a slotted spoon remove to drain. Toss with 1 to 3 tablespoons of the grapeseed oil as needed, to keep them from sticking, (reserving the other tablespoon). Cover and set aside.
• To saute the cabbage and pierogi, heat 1 of the remaining tablespoons of grapeseed oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the white cabbage and season with salt and pepper. If using red cabbage also, heat another of the remaining tablespoons of grapeseed oil in a separate large saute pan over medium heat, add the red cabbage, season with salt and pepper. Let the cabbage cook until very tender and until it begins to "sweeten." When the cabbage is tender, remove the cabbage to a bowl, add the ravioli to the same pan and saute very briefly.
• To finish the Potatoes O'Brien, while the cabbage is sauteing, heat the oil in a large saute pan and saute the bell peppers and onion until the onion turns translucent. Stir in the par-boiled drained potatoes and season with salt and pepper.
• Place some Potatoes O'Brien in the middle of a serving plate and spoon alternate portions of green cabbage and red cabbage around the potatoes. Top with pierogi.

HOMEMADE RAVIOLI

Steps:

• Place 5 cups flour in a large bowl. Make a well in the center. Beat the eggs, water and oil; pour into well. Stir together, forming a ball. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 4-6 minutes, adding remaining flour if necessary to keep dough from sticking. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes., Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, combine sauce ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally., In a large bowl, combine filling ingredients. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use., Divide pasta dough into fourths; roll 1 portion to 1/16-in. thickness. (Keep pasta covered until ready to use.) Working quickly, place rounded teaspoonfuls of filling 1 in. apart over half of pasta sheet. Fold sheet over; press down to seal. Cut into squares with a pastry wheel. Repeat with remaining dough and filling., Bring a soup kettle of salted water to a boil. Add ravioli. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer; cook until ravioli float to the top and are tender, 1-2 minutes. Drain. Spoon sauce over ravioli.