If you’re looking for instructions on how to successfully make homemade ravioli, you’ve come to the wrong place. I tried to make homemade ravioli for the first time today, and… well, let’s just say that I did not serve ravioli for supper this evening.
The process of making ravioli started out well. Using this recipe for three-cheese ravioli as my guide, I started by mixed up the filling. Here’s what I included:
1 c. ricotta cheese
1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 c. parmesan cheese
2 beaten eggs
1/2 t. salt
dash of black pepper
1 T. fresh parsley, chopped
So far, so good.
Next I needed to make the pasta dough, which is when things started going downhill. I used the dough hook on my KitchenAid mixer for the first time as I combined the ingredients. The dough was much too dry. In hindsight, I should have added more water while it was still in the mixer, but I wanted to stick to the recipe (courtesy of The Food Network) as much as possible. I did add a little water just to make it form a nice ball on the counter, but it was too stiff to really knead, which is when I started feeling frustrated.
After letting the dough “relax” for half an hour, I tried to roll it out. I don’t know why I bothered to exercise on the treadmill this morning, because rolling out the dough sure felt like a workout! Seriously, it was hard work. I never really got the dough thin enough, but I finally decided that it was good enough and stopped. My dough was supposed to be a rectangle, but ended up looking like Australia.
Note to self: borrow or buy a pasta machine!
I straightened things up with a knife, plopped little dollops of filling on the dough, and then brushed the edges with egg before I laid another piece of dough on top. Sealing it up was not pretty. My dough was too thick and I used too much filling, which was oozing out the sides.
I made exactly nine ravioli before I gave up. I decided to cook one for a little afternoon snack, and in spite of the fact that it looked a mess before I cooked it, it actually tasted pretty good.
Of course, nine ravioli (actually, eight since I ate one) wasn’t enough to feed a family of four for dinner. Also, I didn’t want my kids to eat these inferior ravioli and then decide that they will never again eat my ravioli. So instead, I served ham, green beans, homemade macaroni and cheese, and french bread that I just baked this afternoon, and my culinary reputation remained intact.
I don’t think there’s much hope for the pasta dough I made, but the three-cheese filling was great, so it will probably end up in stuffed shells in a day or so.
I’d like to try making homemade ravioli again, but not until I have a pasta machine that can roll out the dough for me. Meanwhile, if any of you have made homemade ravioli and have any advice for me, I’d love to hear it!