I really knocked one out of the park with this dish . . .
It all started with a post by Lisetta on her superb blog, Mangiare Bene. She was describing the flour used to make perfect pasta and I sighed, knowing I probably wouldn’t be able to find Italian flour around here. However a quick search on the web turned up all kinds of fun stuff at King Arthur’s Flour. These are the two I selected for starters.
Once I got my fancy new flour, I started looking for a great dish so I could try them out. I found a couple of old pasta cookbooks and leafed through them, reading all the delicious recipes and pointers. I decided to start with ravioli. I made my pasta dough with the Perfect Pasta Blend using the directions on the bag, then wrapped it in plastic wrap and put it aside to allow the “gluten to relax” -whatever that means.
The ravioli recipe that seduced me had a filling of bacon, kale, onion and cheese topped with a simple tomato sauce. No kale available without a 30 minute drive to the “city,” so I used baby spinach, pre-cooked bacon pieces, half of a large onion and two kinds of cheese – fontina and aged parmesan. I planned on making the light tomato sauce, really I did, but secretly I was yearning for Alfredo. I grabbed a little carton of cream at the local grocery . . . you know, just in case. 😛
I chopped a large handful of bacon pieces into smaller bits and sautéed them in EVO oil with chopped onion until the onion was tender. Then I added the chopped spinach and cooked the mixture a few more minutes. I removed it from the heat and set it aside to cool. The cheese was added right before assembling.
While my filling was cooling, I rolled the pasta.
You have to roll it very thin for ravioli, so this went through the rollers several more times, reducing the gap between the rollers every couple of passes. I felt satisfied with the thin-ness when I could see light through the dough – I should have photographed it at this point, but my hands were full. A very important tip – divide your dough before rolling or you’ll have a 6 foot sheet of pasta that keeps growing!
The Assembly
I felt okay about learning this as I went and had fun learning on the fly. I had a lot of flour strewn about and too many vessels tossed in the sink, but it was pasta school 101 and I was having a blast. With ravioli the main thing is to press out all the air and make sure the pasta is sealed well around the filling. I laid out my little piles of filling and pressed the top dough down firmly before cutting. I tried two different shapes and cut both out with my fluted rolling cutter. I think the half moons aren’t technically ravioli, but I don’t recall what they’re called.
Once I had used up all the filling, I set the flour dusted ravioli aside to dry a couple of hours until dinner. I used the scraps to practice making little orrechiette – which are supposed to be rustic but they turned out too rustic to photograph. Hey, I’m learning and they were still tasty for lunch the next day.
When the time came to make dinner, I made a simple Alfredo sauce with parmesan, butter, cream and a dash of freshly ground nutmeg. I thickened it a little with a roux, but that’s my preference. Once it was done, I added a couple of tablespoons chopped tomato and set it aside until show time. The ravioli only needed to boil gently for 7 minutes, and I sizzled up a little fresh asparagus while it was cooking. When it was done, I divided the ravioli on warmed plates, sauced it and added the asparagus. My pictures aren’t that great, but we were dying to eat . . .
When Mr. H took his first bite and got that dreamy look in his eyes, I knew I’d hit a home run!
doggybloggy said:
this is a three run homer – all way out of the park!
Vickie said:
Thanks Christo! I love the great pasta flour and plan to make a few more dishes – this one was fun and sooo good.
Larry said:
Way to go, they look excellent. We keep talking about making pasta, but never seem to get there. Bev is a big fan of King Arthur products.
Vickie said:
You make bread, though, and that’s something I just can’t seem to master. Thanks for stopping by, Larry.
buffalo dick said:
That is a grand slam home run! Love your pasta maker..is it a KitchenAid mixer attachment?
Vickie said:
No, this is just my little Atlas manual, clamp-on pasta roller. I have a few cutter attachments I’ve collected over the years, but mainly I just use the roller. However, now that I have some fancy flour, I may try some new stuff.
Russ said:
I think everyone reading this and looking at the photos got that same dreamy eye thing going!
Vickie said:
LOL – thanks! You know what they say . . . flattery will get you fed. 😉
Martha said:
I agree with Russ. I know I certainly had the dreamy eye thing going on just reading this entry. Magnificent my dear! Now if you’ll excuse me I have to go clean the drool off my keyboard 😉
Vickie said:
LOL – I’m glad I could convey the fabulous-ness of this dish. Thanks!
Chris said:
Mr. H is one heck of a lucky husband for many reasons and I am sure he knows it. Spectacular dish, Vickie. Just amazing.
Vickie said:
Thanks, Chris, but I have to give Mr. his due . . . he does the dishes when I cook. Teamwork, right?
Lea Ann said:
Hey big league-er! I’m in Kansas and trying to read this on my Blackberry. More when I return to civilization and wifi
Vickie said:
LOL . . . was wondering where you were. I’ve missed your blog! Thanks for checking in.
lisetta said:
Great job!! These ravioli look fabulous!!! I really like the idea to put a bit of bacon in with the greens and cheese in the filling. I’m glad the King Arthur flour worked out for you. I’ve settled on extra fancy durum flour, but I bought the Italian flour (tipo 00) to try next. I have buckwheat and farro flour as well. (Am getting a bit obsessed.) Thanks for the call out on my blog, and for your comments/votes of confidence. 🙂
Vickie said:
Your blog is inspirational to me! I’m flattered that you gave me the thumbs up! I still don’t fully understand all the flour choices, but plan to have some fun figuring it out. Thanks for stopping by – really, I’m flattered.
Heather(eatwell.eatgreen) said:
You are brave making your own pasta. It always seems like so much work when it gets eaten so quickly. But this recipe sounds like such a great combination that I just may have to try it.
Vickie said:
LOL Heather, I used to feel the same way when I was a busy mom. These days, I love the creating process as much as the eating. My favorite part of the day is when I get home in the evening and prepare food. Seriously, I put on some great music, pour some wine and start crafting a meal. I’ll admit this preparation was a bit long winded, but next time it will be easier and I’ll make enough to freeze some for later. 😉
leaannbrown said:
clap…clap…clap…clap……..followed by the “I’m not worthy” bow. This is fabulous Vickie! I bought a little ravioli cutter around Christmas-time and still haven’t ventured into the world of pasta. Would love to try. I bought some flour in Kansas that I’m all excited to use. Stafford Flour Mills. It’s about 30 miles west of Hutch and is very well thought of. You’ll be reading all about it as soon as I have time to type. I need to learn more about flour, I’m ignorant on the topic. Hudson Cream Flour (from Stafford Flour Mill) claims to be Short Patent Flour. Meaning it sifts away more of the by-product making for a creamier flour. Greek to me and challenge to me. I will be learning more. For now you can Google it if you want.
Vickie said:
You have GOT to try it – it’s as fun as playing with play-dough, but it tastes better. 😀 I read about the flour and am intrigued. I’m pretty sold on the King Arther Pasta Blend for pasta because it has semolina added; but I’m very interested in the Hudson Cream Flour. All these flour varieties – where do we start??
Karen said:
King Arthur flour is just the bees knees. They also have an entire gadget section. My favorite has to be the half-sheet pre-cut parchment paper. Such a silly little thing that makes me oh so very happy 😀
The ravioli looks great 🙂 Traditional shape or not, I be it tastes wonderful.
Vickie said:
I got a catalog with my order and have had my nose in it ever since. 🙂 I love the idea of precut parchment sheets – I’m going to be placing another order, for sure. Great tip – thanks for stopping by, Karen!
Oh, and the ravioli were amazingly good!
Elizabeth said:
This looks so comforting. and made from scratch! well done.
Vickie said:
I love Sunday afternoon cooking adventures like this. Getting to eat it afterward was a tasty bonus. Thanks for stopping by!
milcarnivore said:
That looks delicious. I especially like the way the tomato looks in the alfredo sauce—nice touch!
A ravioli rolling pin really works well: http://www.amazon.com/Ravioli-Rolling-Pin-Overall-16-75/dp/B0000DDVTI It looks a little strange, but it works like a charm! I highly recommend it.
You can call the half moons “mezzelune”, if you want to make them sound fancy.
Vickie said:
Well, we all like to be fancy now and then, right? So thanks for the name of that pasta . . . they are much easier to construct, but rather large. I will look at the ravioli pin and may just give it a try. Thanks for the tip.
Thanks too for the comment about the tomato in the Alfredo. The taste was complementary to the creamy sauce, too.
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. I’ll check out the rolling pin and read your blog, too!
Lea Ann said:
I’m going to use my new pasta roller for the first time tonight..for ravioli, so referenced this post. Glad I did, because of the “divide dough” tip. I don’t want 6 feet of pasta. 🙂
Vickie said:
LOL – can’t WAIT to hear all about your experience.