Traditional Meat Ravioli

Ravioli are brilliant. The different combinations that can be tucked between the dough of a single raviolo are endless. I had long since thought that only my Grandmother possessed the power to create ravioli that we had on special occasions and holidays. It wasn't until a couple years ago that the skill was passed down to me. Today I will be sharing with you my family's traditional meat ravioli.

Tools you'll need

Wooden cutting board

Pastry cutter

Knife for slicing dough

Kitchen towel

Mixing bowl

Ingredients

Pasta

3 Cups of unbleached all purpose flour.

4 Eggs

Filling

1 1/2 Cup ricotta cheese

1/2 lb ground beef

1 Small onion (optional)

2 Cloves of garlic (chopped or pressed)

4 Eggs (room temperature)

1/4 Cup breadcrumbs

1/4 Cup mozzarella or pecorino romano

3 Tbsp fresh basil

Dash of salt and pepper

First lets work with the dough. You have a few options here. You can use a food processor, a Kitchen Aid mixer, or your hands. Attach the appropriate tool (dough blade for food processor or dough hook for Kitchen Aid mixer) if using a machine. Add 4 cups of flour, and add one egg at a time. It is important to add the eggs slowly. Another important tip is to make sure the eggs are room temperature. Take them out of the frige an hour or two before you're ready to begin. Working with room temperature eggs is much easier, and provides a more desired texture to the dough.

As for the flour, my Grandmother swears by Gold Metal Flour. But you can use whatever your go-to flour may be.

If you would like to work the dough by hand place your flour on your wooden cutting board. Hollow out the center of the pile creating a crater like illusion (see photo below). Crack at least 2 of the eggs inside the crater you've created. Scramble them a bit with your finger or a fork. Begin to fold the flour into the dough.

No matter what method you are using you want to get the dough to a consistency where it is moist but not sticky. It should not stick to your hands. If it does, add a bit more flour. If it is flakey and falling apart, add a little more egg. (I always keep an egg to the side in a small bowl, pre scrambled.) It may take a moment to get the dough to the proper consistency, but once you do, you'll know.

Once your dough is ready shape it into a log like shape, place it to the side of your cutting board, and place a dry cotton kitchen towel over it. (The traditional Italian word for this shape of dough is sanya).

While dough is resting, prepare the ravioli filling. Cook the ground beef and let cool. I like to add an onion and garlic as meat is cooking. Add the filling ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix together.* I like to use my hands but you can use a spoon. Again with the filling you want it to be moist but not sticky. Because of this you may need to adjust the amount of eggs or breadcrumbs.

*If you use granulated garlic use about half of the required amount of fresh garlic. It is much stronger. Same goes with dried basil. If you want to make this recipe meatless, just use 1/4 cup of both mozzerella and pecorino romano cheeses.

Uncover your dough (sanyas) and cut into slices about an inch thick.

Next you want to flatten the pieces of dough. You can use the pasta attachment for the Kitchen Aid machine, a pasta rolling machine, or a rolling pin. I use a pasta machine similar to this one.

Start at the widest setting and gradually work your way to the second to last setting. You want the dough to be thin, but also thick enough to hold the filling.

Once you have a few rolled out, lay one on your cutting board and place small piles of filling (about a tbsp worth) in a row towards the bottom of the dough, leaving 1/2 inch of space at the bottom.

Fold dough over filling. Press down with your hands around filling to ensure excess air is removed. You don't want too much space between the filling and the dough.

Take your pastry cutter and run it along the bottom edge of the folded dough. Then carefully cut about a 1/2 inch around each pile of filling. If the dough tears, don't fret, take some of the extra dough you've shaved off and use it like a bandage over any tears.

This process can take a while, depending on how many ravioli you are producing, so in order to ensure that the dough does not get too warm and sticky, place the individual ravioli on a baking sheet and place them into the freezer. From here if you prefer to eat the ravioli right away, submerge them into boiling water for about 5-7 minutes, or until dough is al dente. If you would like to store them for later, make sure they have been in the freezer for about 10 minutes (or long enough for the dough to become stiff) and then place them into freezer bags. Ravioli hold up quite well in the freezer for a few months.

Serve ravioli with any type of sauce. Classic meat sause is my favorite.

I now keep a small journal solely dedicated to ravioli recipes. But no matter how creative I get with my ravioli filling, I always come back to this recipe.