Wow, it has been many more months than I intended to write my first real entry. I actually have a few other entries started, but time seemed to slip away and now here I am five months later. I guess the thing pushing me over the edge now is the number of people I have promised to give this recipe to and haven't gotten to that either. I suppose if I am going to write it down it might as well be here.
We were exposed to this dish in Strasbourg France last Christmas and I immediately added it to my "gotta re-create this dish" list since my girlfriend liked it so much. I have never seen this type of ravioli in a food store, so I figured I am going to have to learn to make my own pasta. Like most people who have never made their own pasta I was intimidated by the idea and thought it would be too much trouble. In fact I thought about making my own pasta for probably 15 years before I actually tried it in January of this year. Let me help you out a little ... don't wait! It is way too much fun to miss out on it any longer.
I do have a few pointers for you if you don't have any pasta making devices currently and are thinking of trying homemade pasta. If you have a KitchenAid stand mixer that accepts the pasta attachments, definitely go that route. The sheet, spaghetti and linguine attachments are a must. I also opted for the ravioli maker, but if I had to do it all over again I would forgo the $150 expense. I think the process I use in this entry is plenty good enough. I also recommend getting 'The Pasta Bible'. I haven't gotten my copy yet, but it has recently shot to the top of my book buying list. For anyone who intends to make homemade pasta part of their life, it will be an invaluable asset.
This is somewhat of an original recipe. I could not find an exact recipe on the internet so I researched the components and put together what seemed right to me. The ravioli filling is a cheese filling adapted for this recipe, the sauce was a mixture of several different Alfredo sauce recipe's with the yummiest components being reserved for my own version and of course the pasta recipe is a standard recipe from the book that came with my pasta attachments. This recipe serves 4.
Ravioli Filling
1 bunch asparagus (about 2-3 inch diam)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 c ricotta cheese
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
2 large egg yolks
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 pinch nutmeg
Snap the asparagus toward the bottom of the stalk and discard the bottom. It is fairly common to throw away as much as 2 to 3 inches of the bottom depending on the how fat and how long the stalk is. We are trying to retain the most tender, non-woody parts of the asparagus. Remove 8-12 of the tips about 2 inches long and set aside for the sauce.
Steam the remaining asparagus (not the tips) for 2-4 minutes or until al dente. Immediately put in an ice bath to stop any further cooking. Once cooled, remove the asparagus from the bath and remove as much water as you can in a towel or by other suitable means. This last part is important so your filling isn't runny.
Chop the asparagus in a food processor. I chop mine so that the pieces are about the size of a peppercorn.
Combine the asparagus and the remaining ingredients (not the tips) in a bowl. Mix well. Cover and store in the fridge until needed.
Pasta Sheets
4 c all purpose flour
4 eggs
1 tbsp water
1 pinch of salt
I should point out the pasta recipe calls for 3.5 cups of flour, but when you use the well method for pasta dough it doesn't hurt to have extra on the board. If you are making the dough in a machine only use 3.5 cups of flour. I should also point out that I now prefer the well method, but it took a little practice to keep the egg from spilling out.
The process is pretty simple. Put the flour on a counter top or large wooden surface and make a hole in the center where the eggs, water and salt will be whipped together like making scrambled eggs. Slowly start mixing in flour from the inside of the well until resulting mass can be worked by hand. Remove any unneeded flour and knead the dough until the right consistency. This last statement is hard to describe. If you do it enough you just know when it is ready. 'The Pasta Bible' can help with this a little.
When the dough ball is ready, cut in two. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap and sit in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Using a pasta sheet maker, roll the pasta sheets out according to the instructions for your device.
Assemble Ravioli
When making my pasta sheets I keep them to a manageable size, about 24 inches long. When I am ready to make the ravioli, I fold one of these sheets in half and cut the folded end off so I have 2 separate sheets that are the same size. One is for the top and one is for the bottom.
For a full sheet I aim for 2 ravioli in width and however many I can fit lengthwise. The sheet above is a 2x5 example. Scoop the filling on to the bottom sheet in the center of each ravioli. Egg wash (beaten egg with a little water) the edges and in between each scoop of filling. Lay the top sheet on and remove as much air as possible working from the center out before cutting and crimping. Be careful not to squeeze the filling out from the center.
I am using a cutting/crimping wheel to finish the ravioli here. Roll the cutter along the edges and in between each ravioli.
These can be cooked right away in unsalted boiling water for 4 minutes or frozen for several months. Even the frozen version will cook in 5 minutes right from the freezer.
Alfredo Sauce and Finishing the Dish
2 c light cream
1-2 cloves garlic, minced (I prefer using a garlic press)
8-12 asparagus tips (reserved from above)
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 tbsp flour
1/4 c grated parmesan cheese (don't chince on this, get the real stuff!)
1 tbsp butter
Note: Because the sauce comes together so quickly you will want to put a pot of water on to cook the ravioli when you start the sauce.
On medium low heat, melt the butter and add the garlic to the melted butter. Do not brown the butter or the garlic. If this happens the heat is to high. This step should only take a minute or two. If your kitchen smells of garlic then you are doing it right. :-)
As soon as your water is boiling add your ravioli and stir often to ensure even cooking.
Add the cream, salt, pepper and asparagus tips. Stir often.
Mix a little water with the flour until smooth. Remove any lumps. This will be used to help thicken the sauce a bit.
When the cream mixture starts to bubble, briskly stir in the flour/water mixture and grated cheese.
You can turn the heat off once the mixture is smooth.
The ravioli should be done and bobbing on top of the cooking water. With a slotted spoon, scoop out the ravioli and mix in with the sauce. Make sure most of the water is drained from the ravioli. Cover and let stand for a minute or two.
Serve it immediately.
The journey I experienced on this dish was very satisfying. I hope anyone who tried this enjoys it as much as we do and I would certainly love to hear back from anyone who does. As always, this recipe is a guide, if something doesn't suite you or something is missing please adapt the recipe and let us know how it worked out for you. Someone else may get some use from your suggestion as well.
TTFN
B.
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