Batch Cooking: Homemade Ravioli

Homemade ravioli is somewhat time consuming, but so much fun to make.  It is nice to have ravioli in the freezer for quick meals topped with a simple sauce, with sauteed vegetables, in soups, or breaded and pan-fried.  I first learned how to make ravioli from scratch when I took a catering class in high school.  The girl who taught our group the skill works at the Ritz Carlton now, so I guess I can say I learned from a real chef.

Last weekend I set up the laptop for a How I Met Your Mother marathon and went on a ravioli making frenzy and made over two-hundred pumpkin and garlic potato filled ravioli.  The garlic and potato filling recipe is loosely based on my family's recipe for stuffed baked potatoes.  I think those ravioli will pair well with a caramelized onion sauce.  One Saturday soon I hope to do another big ravioli day and make chicken-artichoke and spinach and cheese ravioli.

For the Dough:

•3 cups all purpose flour
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•2 eggs
•1/4 cup olive oil
•1/2 cup warm water

Mix all of the ingredients together in a food processor, until a ball forms.  Remove from processor and knead until smooth, dusting with extra flour, if necessary.  Cover and set aside.  Make fillings.

Pumpkin Filling:

•2 cups pumpkin puree (or butternut squash)
•a couple dashes nutmeg
•a couple handfuls freshly grated Parmesan cheese, about half a cup, to taste
•salt and pepper, to taste

Mix all ingredients together and adjust seasonings.  Set aside.

Garlic and Potato Filling:

•2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
•2 cloves garlic, smashed
•salt and pepper, to taste
•1/4 cup milk
•1 Tablespoon butter
•3 green onions, sliced
•1/2 cup shredded cheese- use Parmesan or cheddar
•1/4 teaspoon Hungarian Paprika

Place the potatoes and garlic in a small pot.  Cover with water and boil until tender.  Drain.  Melt the butter in a small skillet.  Add the green onions and cook until tender.  Mash the potatoes with the salt and pepper, milk, green onions, cheese, and paprika.  The potatoes should be the consistency of thick mashed potatoes.  Add a little more milk if necessary.

Divide the dough into eight pieces.  Roll the dough out to a rectangular shape with a pasta machine or a rolling pin, until it is about 1/8 inch thick.

Place the dough sheet over a ravioli press and use the plastic form to make indentations.



I like this ravioli press made my Norpro.

Fill the indentations with desired filling.

Roll out another section of dough in the same way as the first.  Place over the filling.  Roll over the ravioli press with a rolling pin to seal the filling in the dough and cut out the individual ravioli.  Trim the excess dough.  Remove the filled ravioli from the form very carefully.

Place on a baking sheet lined with a smooth kitchen towel.  Repeat until all of the dough and filling is used up.  Freeze the ravioli on the baking sheets for a couple hours.  Remove and place in freezer bags.