I am not a Master Chef but I am a pretty good cook with plans to open a pizza/bakery/fresh pasta establishment in the near future. To that end, I set to a recipe for homemade ravioli. To maintain a purist bent I went with a seasonal buttternut squash filling. Roasted squash, maple syrup, fresh nutmeg, a touch of cream, salt, pepper and a splash of apple cider vinegar just because. Very tasty indeed.
Now for the fun part: Fresh Pasta!!
I broke out my handy, dandy Marcato Atlas pasta machine. In my opinion the optional motor drive is the way to go. Hand cranking . . . eh . . . motor drive . . . oh yeah!
You can see the package of Semolina Flour in the picture above. Semolina flour is ground from the endosperm of the hard durum wheat berry. It is the perfect flour for your pasta making due to its very high levels of protein and cellulose (the substance that helps keep the cooked pasta firm). I chose to follow the recipe on the package which called for equal parts AP flour and Semolina. The package called for 6 large eggs to be added. All I have are medium sized eggs and the dough was a little dry to start. (I’m okay. I have a healthy self image.)
I tried to mix the dough in my new Cuisinart food processor which sports a dough kneading feature. In Cuisinart’s DVD it works great with baguettes and soft doughs but not so much with this pasta recipe. So I took extra time and care running the dough through the pasta rollers, on the widest settings, until I got a smooth elastic sheet to make my raviolis. I would insert the dough into the rollers and collect it as it came out. After folding it into thirds I would would reintroduce the pasta to the rollers (Rollers – Pasta, Pasta – Rollers) at a 90° angle. I spent about half and hour running sheets through the rollers to get the right consistency. Next time I’ll use my mixer with a dough hook.
Lesson learned.
Filling these little beatsies took a gentle hand as too much filling spills on to the sealing edges and can cause a blow out when boiling.
After placing a sheet of pasta on the ravioli mold and making the depressions for the filling, egg wash is required. We applied this to the entire surface of the bottom and top sheet of pasta. This is literally the glue that binds the two together. A little gentle pressing with the hands then a roller to cut the edges and voila! Ravioli, Tom Fool Cookery style.
I cooked these little guys in gently boiling salted water until they float evenly on the surface. Using a small strainer I fished them gently from the water, tapped the strainer bottom on a towel to remove excess moisture then plated them up! Hmm, perhaps a little brown butter to top them off. What do you think?
Eat Well and Smile Often!!
tj
p.s. I suggest enjoying them with a little wine.
By now you know that this Man Can Cook . . . does yours??
The process of preparing food for another person, going to all that effort just for them, is very intimate. It also shows how much you care about them. The general consensus of opinion is that, “It makes me feel pampered.” And why wouldn’t you want to pamper someone you care about? (FYI: That was a rhetorical question.) Again, no reason comes to mind.
I live in a modest home. My great aunt bought this house in ’46 and my grandfather planted vegetables in the spacious yard in the years following his retirement. When I got here there were 5 fruit trees. The old apple I killed accidentally, the peach died from disease and the little plum was just too messy to keep around. The survivors? – the pear and the fig. Old trees the pair – fruitful, happy and healthy. The pears came in over a month ago and were sweet, ripe and delicious. The fig produces 2 crops each year, one early summer and one right . . . about . . . now!
Basil, (pronounced like Nasal) or Basil pronounced like . . . Fawlty Towers? I’m a Fawlty Towers anglophile Basil pronouncer myself. I had a dear friend once roll her eyes back in her head when instead of emphasizing the “O” in Innovative I emphasized a long flat “A” ala the English way. Drove her mad, it was so cute to watch.
I have neglected you my readers and I apologize. I was unexpectedly offered a ticket to Burning Man this year and jumped on it. It took me away from cooking and writing for too long.
Here’s where I have some fun. Take off the heat and ladle tomatoes into a blender and . . . well . . . blend. Return the tomatoes to the pot and repeat the process. This does not give you a perfectly smooth sauce but rather one with some lumps and character, like me. The last 2 blender cans full add the reserved raw onions and blend with the sauce. The raw onions add a sweet little bite that cooked onions don’t. Return to the heat and slowly bring to a boil. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Now here’s the secret sword thrust: Add some sugar. Tomatoes are acidic as you know and adding just a small amount of sweet balances out the flavors.
To finish I tossed in a few handfuls of freshly chopped basil and set to put my sauce up. In another pot I placed jars and lids in tap water then brought them to a boil together. With a large set of tongs I reached into each jar and gently tipped the hot water back into the pot. The jars steaming hot and my sauce taste tested and bubbling I sanitized my ladle in the boiling water and canned my latest pride and joy. As I said, early reports have come back favorable. Don’t forget to place the hot lids on top of the hot jars with the hot sauce. Make sure the top of the jar is wiped clean and no tomato bits are outside of the seal. This will cause your tomatoes to spoil and your guests to get sick. I let my jars cool on the counter and check to make sure that the dimple on the jar lid has sucked down indicating a good seal.