This recipe took a part of one recipe from Giada de Laurentiis called Lasagna Rolls. I used the filling from this recipe, instead of smearing the filling on lasagna noodles, used it inside fresh homemade ravioli! I had never made fresh pasta before but fortunately my hubby had so he was in charge of rolling out the dough. And kneading when I could not move my arm any more. It took some time to make it but it was a fun way to spend some time in the kitchen with him and it was done faster than if I had been by myself.
I used the recipe from Allrecipes.com for Fresh Semolina and Eggs Pasta:
2 c. all-purpose flour
2 c. semolina flour
6 large eggs
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 pinch salt
Yield: 2 lb. dough
Sift the flours and salt together, make a mountain out of the flour and create a well for the eggs. I did mine inside a bowl but some prefer right on the counter. Put the eggs and oil in the well, break the eggs and gently beat with a fork and start incorporating the flour from the sides of the well. When it gets too thick to mix the dough with the fork, use your hands and start kneading. I did the kneading by hand but I will try my KitchenAid mixer dough hook next time!
Knead the dough for 8-12 minutes until it becomes "smooth and supple". You may need to add a tsp. or two of water to moisten it if it looks dry. Some reviewers said they had to add a whole egg and some additonal oil or water to get the right consistency. Add more semolina if it becomes too sticky. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 min at room temperature.
Roll out the dough (pasta machine works great!) to your desired thickness. We rolled it to #4 out of 7 but I would suggest to make it even thinner for ravioli.
Filling: Mix together thoroughly:
1 15-oz container of ricotta cheese
1 10-oz box of frozen spinach, thawed and drained very thoroughly of water (I chop it up too just so it'll disperse through the mixture better)
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
8 slices of proscuitto chopped
1 egg
salt and pepper
Lay out the sheets of dough onto a flat surface; using a tablespoon or an ice cream scoop that size, dollop the filling onto the sheets spread 1 1/2"-2" apart. Take a pastry brush and brush water around the filling to act as your glue for the other sheet of dough.
Place another sheet on top of the filling, and mold the dough around the filling balls to remove any air bubbles. I used a scalloped cookie cutter about 2 1/2" in diameter to cut the dough. Lay on a cookie sheet, sprayed with Pam, until ready to cook.
Bring a large pot of water up to a boil and salt it. Add the raviolis, about 5 at a time so as to not drop the temperature of the water down. Cook for about 7 minutes and remove them with a mesh spider or slotted spoon. Continue boiling in batches until complete. Add your favorite tomato sauce on top with a sprinkle of additional parmesan cheese and serve, or put in a casserole, add tomato sauce and lots of mozzarella and parmesan and bake until bubbly and cheese is golden brown!
This recipe yielded about 36 raviolis. I cooked half and froze half on a cookie sheet then put in plastic bag for another meal. 4 raviolis per person was our serving size.
