Authentic Italian Cheese Ravioli Recipes

MAMA'S OLD FASHIONED RAVIOLI

Steps:

• Poach chicken: In a 1 1/2-quart saucepan bring water to a boil with garlic, whiskey, and salt. Add chicken and simmer, covered, 12 minutes, or until just cooked through. Transfer chicken to a bowl and chill, covered, 20 minutes.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook spinach for 30 seconds. Drop the spinach into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking, then drain well. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the spinach, onion, parsley, and basil. Cut the chicken into pieces and add them. Pulse until the ingredients are finely ground. Put this mixture into a bowl and add the eggs, breadcrumbs, and Parmesan and season with salt and pepper. Mix well, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• To form the ravioli, drop 1 tablespoon chicken mixture in the center of a wonton wrapper. Dip a pastry brush or your finger in water and lightly wet the edges of the wrapper. Top with another wrapper and press the ravioli closed. Repeat until all the filling is used. Cover with a damp towel until you are ready to cook.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Carefully drop in the ravioli in batches to avoid crowding the pot. Cook until the ravioli rise to the surface, about 3 to 5 minutes. Drain well.

HOMEMADE RAVIOLI

Steps:

• Place 5 cups flour in a large bowl. Make a well in the center. Beat the eggs, water and oil; pour into well. Stir together, forming a ball. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 4-6 minutes, adding remaining flour if necessary to keep dough from sticking. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes., Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, combine sauce ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally., In a large bowl, combine filling ingredients. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use., Divide pasta dough into fourths; roll 1 portion to 1/16-in. thickness. (Keep pasta covered until ready to use.) Working quickly, place rounded teaspoonfuls of filling 1 in. apart over half of pasta sheet. Fold sheet over; press down to seal. Cut into squares with a pastry wheel. Repeat with remaining dough and filling., Bring a soup kettle of salted water to a boil. Add ravioli. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer; cook until ravioli float to the top and are tender, 1-2 minutes. Drain. Spoon sauce over ravioli.

HOMEMADE FOUR CHEESE RAVIOLI

Steps:

• Mound the flour and salt together on a work surface and form a well. Beat the teaspoon of olive oil, 2 eggs, and water in a bowl. Pour half the egg mixture into the well. Begin mixing the egg with the flour with one hand; use your other hand to keep the flour mound steady. Add the remaining egg mixture and knead to form a dough.
• Knead the dough until smooth, 8 to 10 minutes; add more flour if the dough is too sticky. Form the dough into a ball and wrap tightly with plastic. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
• While the dough is resting, prepare the ravioli filling. Combine the ricotta cheese, cream cheese, mozzarella cheese, provolone cheese, egg, and parsley and mix well. Set the filling aside.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the crushed garlic and pesto sauce and cook for one minute. Pour in the heavy cream, raise the heat to high, and bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the Parmesan cheese and stir until the cheese melts. Remove the pan from the heat and keep warm.
• Meanwhile, in a separate saucepan, warm the marinara sauce over medium-low heat.
• Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Beat the egg with the tablespoon of water to make the egg wash.
• Roll out the pasta dough into thin sheets no thicker than a nickel. To assemble the ravioli, brush the egg wash over a sheet of pasta. Drop the filling mixture on the dough by teaspoonfuls about one inch apart. Cover the filling with the top sheet of pasta, pressing out the air from around each portion of filling. Press firmly around the filling to seal. Cut into individual ravioli with a knife or pizza cutter. Seal the edges.
• Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Stir in the ravioli, and return to a boil. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the ravioli float to the top and the filling is hot, 4 to 8 minutes. Drain well.
• Grease a baking sheet. Place the cooked ravioli on the sheet pan and bake in the preheated oven until brown, about 4 minutes.
• To serve the ravioli, divide them among four warmed serving bowls. Drizzle the marinara sauce over the ravioli and then top with the cream sauce.

HOMEMADE ITALIAN RAVIOLI WITH MEAT & CHEESE FILLING

Steps:

• Fry the meat in olive oil until well browned. Drain the meat on paper towels
• When the meat cools a little put it into a large bowl and mix in the chopped spinach. chopped parsley, beaten eggs and the rest of the ingredients, add salt and pepper to taste.
• Put the filling into the food processor bowl and pulse several times until the mixture is fine.
• Return the filling to the mixing bowl and refrigerate. (The filling is easier to work with when refrigerated.) The filling will give you enough for a double batch -- making about 90 - 100+ ravioli. The filling can be frozen.
• Using the metal blade pulse the flour and salt together.
• Lightly stir the eggs and olive oil in a measuring cup.
• With the processor running, add the egg/oil mixture all at once through the feed tube until a ball is formed then pulse several times. The dough should be slightly sticky to the touch and should spring back when you press it.
• Form the dough into a smooth ball and place on a dough board or tabletop and cover with a bowl for 30 minutes.
• After 30 minutes you can make the dough into your preferred shape. This is a single batch --you'll need to double the dough to use up all of the filling.
• Sift flour and salt into a mixing bowl.
• Gradually add eggs and oil to flour, mixing with a spoon. As the mixture becomes lumpy, begin to press together and knead with your hands. If mixture seems too dry and grainy, add one tablespoon of water at a time until the mixture holds together into a ball.
• Remove dough from the mixing bowl and begin to knead dough for 2 minutes on a lightly floured dough board or table top.
• Cover the dough with a bowl and let the dough rest for 30 minutes. Allowing the dough to rest will improve the texture of the dough.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water. You want your water as salty as the sea.
• Add the ravioli in batches. About 10- 12 at a time. Don't overcrowd. Bring the water back to a gentle simmer and cook for about 3-4 minutes. If the ravioli is frozen, cook for an additional minute.
• Remove with a slotted spoon or spider to a serving dish. Continue cooking the rest of the ravioli. Serve with your favorite sauce or just with extra-virgin olive oil, butter, sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Sprinkle with fresh herbs.