Soft Egg Ravioli Recipes

RAVIOLI DOUGH

Steps:

• In an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine flour and salt. Add eggs 1 at a time and continue to mix. Drizzle in oil and continue to incorporate all the flour until it forms a ball. Sprinkle some flour on work surface, knead the dough until elastic and smooth. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest for about 30 minutes to allow the gluten to relax.
• Cut the ball of dough in half, cover and reserve the dough you are not immediately using to prevent it from drying out. Dust the counter and dough with flour. Form the dough into a rectangle and roll it through the pasta machine, 2 or 3 times, at its widest setting. Guide the sheet of dough with the palm of your hand as it emerges from the rollers. *Reduce the setting and crank the dough through again, 2 or 3 times. Continue until the machine is at its narrowest setting. The dough should be paper-thin, about 1/8-inch thick.
• Dust the counter and dough with flour, lay out the long sheet of pasta. Brush the top surface of dough with egg wash. Drop 1 tablespoon of cooled filling about 2-inches apart on half the sheet of pasta. Fold the unfilled half over the filling. With an espresso cup or fingers, gently press out air pockets around each mound of filling and form a seal. Use a crimper to cut each pillow into squares. Check to make sure the crimped edges are well sealed before cooking. If making ravioli in advance, dust with cornmeal to prevent them from sticking.
• Cook the ravioli in plenty of boiling salted water for 10 to15 minutes. Ravioli will float to the top when cooked so be careful not to overcrowd the pot. Lift the ravioli from water with a large strainer or slotted spoon. Plate the pasta, top with sauce and grated cheese before serving. Garnish plate with chopped herbs and toasted pine nuts.
• *For Herb-Patterned Pasta: Follow the standard recipe given above and roll it out to a medium-thick sheet. Next, take well-washed leafy herbs such as, basil, flat-leaf parsley and tarragon, pinch away the stems so only the leaves remain. Hand press the fresh herbs on the dough's surface at 1-inch intervals. Fold the dough over itself and run the "sandwich" through the pasta machine at a thin setting. The leaves will stretch and pattern the pasta. Continue making ravioli as indicated in the procedure.

RAVIOLO AL' UOVO

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, Parm, parsley and 2 whole eggs; mix well and season with salt.
• Dust a clean work surface lightly with all-purpose flour and lay out two sheets of pasta about 12 inches long; brush them lightly with water. Equally space 4 dollops of the ricotta mixture on each pasta sheet; then use a spoon to make a "nest" or small hole in the center of each dollop. Carefully separate the remaining eggs (reserve the whites for another purpose) and put a yolk in each ricotta "nest"--the ricotta should lovingly nestle each yolk (if a yolk breaks, scoop it out with a spoon and don't use it).
• Cover the ricotta nests and egg yolk with another sheet of pasta. Use your index fingers to press around each ricotta nest to seal the edges, then use a fluted ring cutter or dough roller to cut around each ravioli (they should be 3 to 4 inches in diameter). Reserve the ravioli on a tray generously dusted with semolina.
• Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. In a large saute pan, melt half the butter and add half of the chicken stock (you're going to use the remainder for your next batch); season with salt and toss in half the sage. Bring this to a boil (BTB) and reduce to simmer (RTS).
• Add 4 of the ravioli to the boiling water and cook for 3 minutes. Using a spider or slotted spoon, carefully transfer the ravioli from the water to the pan with butter and chicken stock and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. If the sauce reduces too much, add a few drops of the pasta cooking water. The sauce should cling to the ravioli in a buttery hug.
• Transfer the ravioli to serving plates, spoon a little extra sauce over each one, and finish with a sprinkey-dink of grated Parm. Repeat with the remaining ravioli.
• Mound the flour on a clean, dry work surface. Make a big hole (called a well) in the center of the flour pile--bigger is definitely better here. Crack the eggs into the hole along with the extra yolk, olive oil, and 2 tablespoons water; season with salt. Using a fork, beat the eggs together with the olive oil, water, and salt and begin to incorporate the flour into the egg mixture. Be careful not to break the well or the egg mixture will run everywhere and you'll have a big fat mess on your hands (and your board). When enough flour is incorporated that you can handle the dough, use your hands to combine everything really well. If the mixture is tight and dry, wet your hands a bit. When the mixture is homogeneous, start kneading...
• To knead the dough, it's VERY important to put your body weight into it, to get on top of the dough, and really stretch it. Be careful not to tear it--the idea is that you stretch the dough, not rip it. Use the heels of your palms and roll the mixture over itself. When it's done it should be smooth, supple, and velvety and look like the head of a preemie Cabbage Patch Doll. Kneading will take anywhere from 8 to 15 minutes, depending on how experienced you are. (Don't hold back: This is where the perfect, toothsome texture of your pasta is formed. Get in there and work it!)
• When the pasta is ready, wrap it in plastic and let rest for at least an hour at room temperature before rolling. If you're making the dough ahead of time, wrap, refrigerate, and bring to room temperature before using.
• To roll out the pasta, you need to run the dough through the pasta roller a bunch of times to get it long and thin. To start, cut off about a quarter of the dough (remember, the bigger the piece you start with, the longer your dough is going to get), keeping the rest wrapped up so it doesn't dry out. Squish the dough to flatten it--this will help it run through the pasta roller more easily. Where do we start? We start at the beginning! Run the dough through the pasta roller starting on the widest setting, number 1. Then dust the dough with flour, fold it into thirds, and put the dough through this setting two more times. If the dough ever feels sticky or tacky, give it a little dusting of flour. Now adjust the setting to number 2 and repeat the process again--changing the setting each time until your dough is the desired thickness. Once the dough is rolled out, be sure to keep the pasta sheets covered so they don't dry out. Depending on what I want to use the pasta for, I usually stop around number 5 or 6. For long noodles, I keep it thicker, and for ravioli or stuffed pasta, I keep it thinner. All pasta machines are different, so you need to judge how your pasta machine works and adjust your rolling accordingly. Once you get the thickness you want, repeat this process with the remaining pieces of dough.

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.

PASTA DOUGH FOR RAVIOLI

Steps:

• Combine flour and salt in a large bowl, making a well in the middle. In a small bowl, beat together the eggs, egg yolks and olive oil, then pour into the well in the flour. Mix with the fork until the flour begins to clump together. When the mixture becomes too hard to stir with a fork, use your hands. Knead dough in the bowl or on a lightly floured board until it is quite stiff and no longer sticky. Sprinkle with a little flour. Cover with plastic or a cloth, and let it rest for about 30 minutes.
• Lightly sprinkle a wooden board with flour. Cut off one-third of the dough; keep the rest covered while you work. Roll the dough lightly in flour, then flatten it into a rectangle about the width of your hand. Roll a rolling pin over the dough up and down, left and right. Flip the dough over about every two dozen rolls. If the dough sticks, dust with more flour. Repeat until the pasta is roughly 24 inches in length and 8 inches wide. Dust with flour and set aside; repeat with remaining dough.
• To form jackets for ravioli, cut each sheet of dough into rectangles about 24 inches long and 4 inches wide, trimming edges neatly.

EGG YOLK- AND RICOTTA-FILLED RAVIOLI RECIPE

Steps:

• Make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment, combine all the dough ingredients and mix until the dough comes together, then transfer to a clean work surface and knead, 3 to 5 minutes. Divide into 2 pieces and shape each into a disk. Wrap in plastic and let rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
• Make the sauce: In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook until golden and fat has rendered, 6 minutes. Add the chile paste and garlic, and cook until caramelized and fragrant, 2 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes and sugar, and bring to a light simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 20 minutes. Season with salt, then set aside.
• While the sauce simmers, make the filling: In a food processor, combine all the filling ingredients, except for the 8 egg yolks, and purée until smooth. Transfer to a piping bag and chill until ready to use.
• Using a pasta roller, roll out half of the dough, using flour as needed, into a ⅙-inch-thick sheet. Repeat with the other half of dough. Cut each sheet in half, crosswise.
• Lay 1 sheet of dough on a lightly floured work surface. With 5 inches in between, pipe four 3-inch circles of filling, leaving a ½-inch hole in the center. Nestle an egg yolk in each circle of filling. Using a small bowl of water and a pastry brush, brush a little water on the dough around each circle of filling.
• Place another sheet of dough over this one and, using your fingers, press the dough to seal the ricotta and egg yolk inside. Once the 4 pockets of filling are sealed, use a 4⅛-inch round cutter to cut out each raviolo. Place on a lightly floured tray.
• Repeat this process with the remaining 2 sheets of dough.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Drop the ravioli in and cook until the pasta is tender but the yolks are still runny, 4 to 5 minutes. Meanwhile, reheat the tomato sauce over medium heat.
• To plate, spoon the sauce across a platter. Place the cooked ravioli on top. Garnish with a drizzle of oil, freshly grated Parmesan and basil, then serve.

EGG-STUFFED RAVIOLI

Steps:

• Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a medium skillet over medium heat until foamy. Add the garlic and cook until it starts to become golden, about 2 minutes. Stir in the spinach and 1/4 cup water. Cook, stirring often, until the spinach is tender and the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a food processor and add the ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Puree until smooth and bright green. Spoon into a plastic pastry bag or large resealable plastic bag, snip the tip to 1/4 inch wide and set aside.
• Put 8 pieces of pasta on a clean work surface and pipe a circle of the spinach mixture in the middle of each square, making sure to leave about a 1-inch border all around. Using the back of a spoon, make a well in the middle deep enough to hold an egg yolk. One by one, separate 8 eggs and put a yolk in each well. (Reserve the whites for another use.)
• Crack the remaining egg into a small bowl and beat lightly with a fork. Brush the edges of the pasta pieces with the egg, and then top with the remaining squares of pasta. Working from the edge of the filling outward, firmly press the dough together, making sure there are no air bubbles. Trim the edges of each ravioli with a sharp knife or a fluted pasta cutter.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Melt the remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a small skillet with the sage leaves over medium heat and cook, swirling often, until the butter is golden brown and the sage is fried and crisp, about 3 minutes. Set aside. Gently drop the ravioli into the water and cook until the pasta is tender and the egg is still runny, about 6 minutes.
• Remove from the water with a slotted spoon or handheld strainer and place each ravioli in an individual bowl. Top each with a sage leaf and evenly spoon the butter over. Serve immediately.

SOFT FARM-EGG RAVIOLI

Steps:

• Make the spinach filling: In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic; season with salt, and cook, stirring, until translucent, about 2 minutes.
• Add spinach and season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until moisture has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Add wine and cook until wine has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add cream and cook until reduced, about 2 minutes.
• Add cheese and nutmeg; season with salt and pepper. Prepare an ice-water bath. Place a bowl in ice-water bath and set aside. Transfer mixture to the bowl of a food processor and blend until smooth. Transfer spinach mixture to bowl set in ice-water bath and let cool. Transfer spinach puree to a disposable pastry bag with a 1/2-inch opening; keep refrigerated until ready to use.
• Make the ricotta filling: Place ricotta in a colander set over a medium bowl and let drain for 15 minutes to remove excess moisture. Transfer ricotta to a large bowl along with mint, olive oil, and lemon zest; season with salt and pepper and stir until well combined. Transfer mixture to a large disposable pastry bag with a 1/2-inch opening; keep refrigerated until ready to use.
• Make the ravioli: Mound both flours in the center of a large work surface and make a well. In a large bowl, mix together olive oil, milk, 7 egg yolks, and a whole egg. Slowly add oil mixture to well and, using your fingers, begin working the flour mixture into the oil mixture until it becomes a sticky mass. Begin kneading dough with the palms of your hands. Once dough comes together, scrape up any dried bits of dough and discard.
• Lightly flour work surface; knead dough until smooth and elastic, 7 to 8 minutes. Wrap dough in plastic wrap; let stand for one hour before rolling.
• Set the rollers of a hand-crank or electric pasta machine at their widest opening. Unwrap one piece of dough; using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll to flatten dough slightly.
• Roll dough twice through the pasta machine. Now change the rollers of the pasta machine to the next lowest setting, and roll out the dough twice. Keep rolling the sheet through the machine on decreasing settings until you have rolled it through every setting down to No. 3. The dough may be cut in half for easier rolling, if necessary.
• Cut dough crosswise into 7-inch lengths. Place one 7-inch length of pasta dough on a lightly floured work surface. In the center of the dough, place an egg yolk. Then pipe one tablespoon spinach filling 1 inch from the egg yolk. On the opposite side of the egg yolk, pipe 1 tablespoon ricotta filling about 1 inch from the egg yolk. Repeat process 11 times with pasta dough, egg yolks, and both fillings.
• Working with one ravioli at a time, spray one side of one of the remaining twelve 7-inch lengths of pasta dough with water. Place damp-side down over filling. Using an inverted 2-inch biscuit cutter, place around each mound to shape and seal and remove any air from ravioli. Using a fluted pastry wheel, trim ravioli to 3 inches across; set aside. Repeat process for remaining ravioli.
• Make the sage brown butter: Place butter in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan and melt over medium heat. When butter begins to foam, add sage and cook, stirring constantly until butter solids have taken on a nutty fragrance, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
• In a medium skillet, over low heat, melt butter. Add breadcrumbs and cook, stirring, until lightly browned. Stir in sage and rosemary and continue to cook until dark golden brown, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and season lightly with salt. Set aside.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add ravioli and cook for 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer one ravioli to each of 12 serving plates. Drizzle with sage brown butter and sprinkle with breadcrumbs and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.