Ravioli

 Hello everyone here i am back with my new series of blog and today i am going to write about Ravioli Ravioli, a dish of stuffed pasta, is a humble but important dish in Italian cooking traditions. Humble in its ingredients of cheese and meat or vegetables found in a particular region, and special in that it is often prepared with loved ones for the feast table at Christmastime or for a family celebration.

Italian food historian Oretta Zanini De Vita writes in her 2009 book, Encyclopedia of Pasta, that what was first a dish enjoyed by high society soon become a favourite of farmworkers. “Stuffed pasta first appears in Italian gastronomy in the 1500s, especially in the north, in Lombardy at the courts of aristocrats in Milan and Mantua. Over time, certain preparations became popular and trickled down to humbler classes who served them on feast days. Thus, stuffed pastas passed from the Italian court to the Italian regional kitchen.”

Ravioli from the 16th century

For special occasions, Italians in the north still turn back to traditional fillings for ravioli, such as pumpkin and almond biscuits, ravioli di zucca e amaretti. Personal chef Giulia Ridolfi first remembers tasting this dish on a family trip in Modena 20 years ago. “It evolved into a typical Christmas Eve dish, as the consumption of meat was not traditionally allowed on the day before Christmas (in Italy, we call this mangiare di magro).

Today, Giulia teaches students how to make it as part of a pasta-making class in her home in a leafy suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa. “I decided to include this dish, because I love it and it reminds me of my homeland and my childhood.”

New interpretations of ravioli

Today, Italians around the world still practise the tradition of making ravioli for a feast, but there is flexibility in terms of creativity, with the ingredients used for the filling often depending on what’s available locally. For American chef Marc Vetri, who trained in Italy, the tradition of making pasta is one of innovation. “The union of flour and water has taken on hundreds of forms out of necessity, creativity and, in some cases, pure whimsy. To this day, the history of Italian pasta-making has been a never-ending quest to fully realise what can be achieved in a plate of pasta,” he writes in his 2015 book, Mastering Pasta: The Art and Practice of Handmade Pasta, Gnocchi and Risotto, with David Joachim.

Contemporary traditions of ravioli-making around the world are not about replicating the exact recipe from back home, but being inspired by the regional flavour combinations and using ingredients found locally.

Ingredients

Pasta

• 1¾ cups flour , sifted
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons water , at room temperature
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Filling

• 1 cup Ricotta
• 3½ oz Gorgonzola , finely crumbled
• 5¼ oz Mozzarella , grated
• 2 egg yolks
• ¾ cup Parmesan , freshly grated
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• Salt
• Black pepper , freshly ground
• Flour (for the worktop)

  Instructions

  Filling

  • Mash the ricotta with a fork, add the other ingredients, and mix well.
  • Set aside in the fridge.

  Pasta

  • Place the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl, and make a well in the center.
  • In another bowl, whisk the eggs, water and olive oil, then pour into the well.
  • Slowly mix everything together with your fingers to gradually incorporate the beaten eggs into the flour, and form a homogeneous ball. Continue to knead the pasta slowly until it is smooth and very supple.
  • Roll into a ball, cover with cling film, and set aside in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
  • Roll out the pasta using a machine
  • Sprinkle a little flour on the pasta, and flatten it lightly with the palm of your hand.
  • Place it in the pasta machine, on a medium setting, and roll it through 4 times, folding it in half each time.
  • Continue to roll out the pasta, gradually taking it down one setting each time until it is about ¹⁄₁₆ inch (1,5 mm) thick.
  • The pasta should be perfectly smooth, and without any creases.
  • Do flour the dough as much as necessary, otherwise it may become sticky and / or tear.
  • To roll the pasta by hand
  • Proceed in the same way as with the pasta machine but using a heavy rolling pin instead.

  Assembly

  • Two techniques are possible:

  Technique 1

  • Cut a strip of pasta, place it on a well-floured work surface, and lightly moisten the surface with water.
  • Place 1 teaspoon of the filling on top at regular intervals, then cover with another strip of pasta of the same size, and gently press down around each ball of filling to expel any air bubbles.
  • Cut into approximately 1½ inch (4 cm) squares using a fluted pastry wheel.
  • Repeat until the pasta is used up.

    Technique 2

    • Use a well-floured ravioli mold, place the first strip of dough, then a teaspoon of filling in each indentation.
    • Place the second strip of pasta on top, then use a rolling pin to roll over the top to cut each piece. Press down firmly with the rolling pin to ensure a smooth cut.

    Cooking

    • Bring a large amount of salted boiling water to the boil in a large saucepan, and cook the ravioli over high heat for 4 minutes.

    To serve.

    • Drain, and drizzle with melted butter and a sprinkling of grated Parmesan.