My Grandmas Ravioli Food

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.

NONNA MARFISA'S RAVIOLI

Steps:

• Heat 1 Tbs. oil in large skillet, add meat and brown well.
• Drain fat from meat and add salt, pepper, garlic powder and nutmeg. Set aside.
• Drain thawed spinach, squeezing to eliminate excess water.
• Saute spinach with 3 Tbs. oil sprinkled with garlic powder.
• Add spinach to meat and stir well. Continue sauteing for 5-10 minutes.
• Cool, then add egg and Paresan cheese mixing well.
• Place 2 teaspoons filling into center of won ton wrapper. If using less filling - fold wrapper over and seal edges using a bit of water. If using more filling- place a second wrapper over filling and seal using a bit of water.
• Note: Nonna made the filling and then placed several slices of bread into a bowl. Then put the filling on top of the bread. She let that sit in the refrigerator to absorb any excess fat drippings. Then she would place filling into pasta.
• Place pasta in boiling water until float to top. Ravioli may be frozen.

GRANDMA CHIESA'S RAVIOLI

Steps:

• Sauté onions until translucent.
• Add pork and beef, salt, and pepper.
• Sauté until cooked.
• Break up ground meat into small pieces (I use a potato masher during sauté).
• Add 2 minced garlic cloves and cook another two minutes.
• Let cool.
• Lightly sauté spinach in butter or olive oil.
• Salt very lightly.
• Chop spinach up.
• Squeeze out excess water.
• You can use two packages of whole leaf frozen spinach cooked with butter and a little salt.
• Mix ricotta and egg together.
• Mix all above in a large bowl.
• Put a small teaspoon of filling in wrapper and brush edges of dough with egg using pastry brush.
• Put another wrapper on top and press edges flat together to seal.
• Place two sheets of waxed paper in the bottom of a large Tupperware container.
• Sprinkle paper with corn meal.
• Lay one layer of ravioli on waxed paper in container.
• Do not overlap ravioli.
• Sprinkle ravioli with cornmeal.
• Add another 2 layers of waxed paper to container.
• Sprinkle with cornmeal.
• Keep going until you're done.
• They stack well, and they freeze well.
• To cook, simmer 4-6 minutes in boiling water.