There is something about ravioli that is so appealing right now: simple enough to be a weeknight meal, with endless customizations ranging from pumpkin for the holidays to truffle for those days when you need a little richness. And ravioli freeze very, very well, making them the perfect holiday meal to serve with the appearance of slaving all day in the kitchen but the delight of a 10 minute prep time.  Just dab some flour on your head to add to the “I’ve been ravioli-ing all day!” effect.

Yesterday we had the delight of making ravioli pasta in-store with Dorrie Gleason of The Silver Fig Cuisine. You can find our previous tutorial on Tagliatelle here, where we explore the basics of pasta making.

To begin, we make our basic pasta:

Homemade Ravioli

INGREDIENTS

• 1 egg per person • Extravirgin olive oil

• 100g 00 flour

INSTRUCTIONS

• Weigh the flour and place on a wooden board in a pile

making a well in the middle.

• Break the egg into the well and stir into the flour slowly

using a fork.

• Add a drizzle of extravirgin olive oil.

• Mix the dough into a ball.

• Knead the dough using the ball of your hand until it is

smooth, soft (not sticky) and springy.

• Wrap in plastic wrap and let sit for 15-30 minutes

before rolling.

Buon appetito!

(Recipe courtesy of Dorrie Gleason – The Silver Fig Cuisine )

And now, the filling!  Dorrie used a recipe adapted from Ernesto’s restaurant in Umbria, home to many an adventurous cooking class.

Homemade Ravioli Filling, for 12 ravioli or two people

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup fresh ricotta • 1/2 cup grated parmigiano

• 1 apple peeled/diced • 2 tbsp butter

• 1 tsp cinnamon • 1/2 tsp ground cloves

• Crushed walnuts

INSTRUCTIONS

• Saute apple in 1T butter with cinnamon and clove

until tender.

• In a separate bowl combine ricotta and parmigiano.

When apples are cooled, add to cheese mixture and

gently stir until blended.

• Roll out pasta dough until paper thin, add cheese

mixture and cover.

• Cook in boiling water 2-3 minutes until ravioli rises

to the top of the pot.  Serve immediately with melted

butter and crushed walnuts.

By the time we were done creating the unconventional filling the creative wheels were turning with ideas for fabulous future stuffings. Plans for a ravioli dinner party where everyone brings a different filling were formed.

The stars were very fun to punch out, and we have snowflakes and hearts here at Via Umbria as well. How thoughtful would it be to make ravioli in the shape of hearts for someone you love?

Thank you Dorrie for teaching us the ways of the expert pasta maker, we will be coming back for seconds!

—Via Umbria