Homemade Ravioli: Two Ways

November 14, 2020

Homemade Ravioli: Two Ways

Hello there!

With the UK going into another lockdown, I have started to try and use my weekends to make and bake some recipes that I have never tried before. I spent most of the first lockdown baking and cooking which I loved but I found I didn't have as much time for it when everything started to open again. I decided to make lockdown 2.0 my time to try new recipes again. I have never made pasta before so thought it would be fun to try. I ended up making two different types, a mushroom version and a pumpkin version and this is the result. Enjoy!

The Recipe: Basic Ravioli Dough

Serves 2

200g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
2 eggs
Drizzle olive oil

For the dough, weigh your flour into a bowl and make a well in the middle. Crack your eggs into the middle and beat together, gradually adding flour from around the edge in to the mixture. Add a drizzle of olive oil and combine with a fork. Once your dough is nearly combined, use your hands to bring the dough together and knead on a lightly floured work surface until smooth.

Wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Once chilled, cut the dough in half and roll out into rectangles as thin as you can. One will form the top of the ravioli and one will form the base. As the ravioli is two layers of pasta, it is important to make the dough as thin as possible using a rolling pin or pasta machine.

Once you have roll it as thin as possible, you can add your filling of choice from the recipes below.

To fill your pasta, place a tablespoon amount of cold filling onto one rectangle of dough. Place the mounds of filling about 5-8cm apart. Wet around each one with a little water and place the other rectangle of dough on top. Gently press around the filling to make sure the top and bottom layers of pasta are stuck together. Cut apart using a sharp knife or pizza wheel and press the edges with a knife.

Bring a saucepan of water to a rolling boil and place your fresh pasta in. Boil for 2-3 minutes, then remove from the water and serve with a little olive oil and grated Parmesan.

Fillings

Version 1: Garlicky Mushroom

Drizzle olive oil
160g chestnut mushrooms, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
4g chopped basil
50g cream cheese
10g grated Parmesan/vegetarian hard cheese
Seasoning

In a saucepan, fry your finely chopped mushrooms in a little olive oil. Once the mushrooms start to soften, add your garlic and fry with the mushrooms. Keep cooking the mixture until all the water from the mushrooms has evaporated.

Remove from the heat and place in a bowl. Stir in the chopped basil, cream cheese, grated cheese and season to taste. Leave the filling mixture to cool in the fridge until you need it to fill your pasta.

Version 2: Leftover Pumpkin/Squash

150g pumpkin/squash, cut into 2cm chunks
Drizzle olive oil
4 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
4g chopped basil
50g cream cheese
10g Parmesan/vegetarian hard cheese
Seasoning

In a saucepan, boil the pumpkin/squash in water for 8-10 minutes until softened. Alternatively, you can steam it. Once soft, drain and mash with a potato masher until smooth. Return the saucepan to the stove and add a drizzle of olive oil and garlic, fry until all the water from the squash has evaporated and the garlic is soft.

Place the squash mixture in a bowl and add basil, cream cheese and grated cheese then season to taste. Place in the fridge to cool until needed to fill the pasta.

Hopefully this blog post has shown you how simple it can be to make homemade ravioli and given you inspiration for different fillings you can make!