Soft Farm Egg Ravioli Food

RAVIOLO AL' UOVO

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, Parm, parsley and 2 whole eggs; mix well and season with salt.
• Dust a clean work surface lightly with all-purpose flour and lay out two sheets of pasta about 12 inches long; brush them lightly with water. Equally space 4 dollops of the ricotta mixture on each pasta sheet; then use a spoon to make a "nest" or small hole in the center of each dollop. Carefully separate the remaining eggs (reserve the whites for another purpose) and put a yolk in each ricotta "nest"--the ricotta should lovingly nestle each yolk (if a yolk breaks, scoop it out with a spoon and don't use it).
• Cover the ricotta nests and egg yolk with another sheet of pasta. Use your index fingers to press around each ricotta nest to seal the edges, then use a fluted ring cutter or dough roller to cut around each ravioli (they should be 3 to 4 inches in diameter). Reserve the ravioli on a tray generously dusted with semolina.
• Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. In a large saute pan, melt half the butter and add half of the chicken stock (you're going to use the remainder for your next batch); season with salt and toss in half the sage. Bring this to a boil (BTB) and reduce to simmer (RTS).
• Add 4 of the ravioli to the boiling water and cook for 3 minutes. Using a spider or slotted spoon, carefully transfer the ravioli from the water to the pan with butter and chicken stock and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. If the sauce reduces too much, add a few drops of the pasta cooking water. The sauce should cling to the ravioli in a buttery hug.
• Transfer the ravioli to serving plates, spoon a little extra sauce over each one, and finish with a sprinkey-dink of grated Parm. Repeat with the remaining ravioli.
• Mound the flour on a clean, dry work surface. Make a big hole (called a well) in the center of the flour pile--bigger is definitely better here. Crack the eggs into the hole along with the extra yolk, olive oil, and 2 tablespoons water; season with salt. Using a fork, beat the eggs together with the olive oil, water, and salt and begin to incorporate the flour into the egg mixture. Be careful not to break the well or the egg mixture will run everywhere and you'll have a big fat mess on your hands (and your board). When enough flour is incorporated that you can handle the dough, use your hands to combine everything really well. If the mixture is tight and dry, wet your hands a bit. When the mixture is homogeneous, start kneading...
• To knead the dough, it's VERY important to put your body weight into it, to get on top of the dough, and really stretch it. Be careful not to tear it--the idea is that you stretch the dough, not rip it. Use the heels of your palms and roll the mixture over itself. When it's done it should be smooth, supple, and velvety and look like the head of a preemie Cabbage Patch Doll. Kneading will take anywhere from 8 to 15 minutes, depending on how experienced you are. (Don't hold back: This is where the perfect, toothsome texture of your pasta is formed. Get in there and work it!)
• When the pasta is ready, wrap it in plastic and let rest for at least an hour at room temperature before rolling. If you're making the dough ahead of time, wrap, refrigerate, and bring to room temperature before using.
• To roll out the pasta, you need to run the dough through the pasta roller a bunch of times to get it long and thin. To start, cut off about a quarter of the dough (remember, the bigger the piece you start with, the longer your dough is going to get), keeping the rest wrapped up so it doesn't dry out. Squish the dough to flatten it--this will help it run through the pasta roller more easily. Where do we start? We start at the beginning! Run the dough through the pasta roller starting on the widest setting, number 1. Then dust the dough with flour, fold it into thirds, and put the dough through this setting two more times. If the dough ever feels sticky or tacky, give it a little dusting of flour. Now adjust the setting to number 2 and repeat the process again--changing the setting each time until your dough is the desired thickness. Once the dough is rolled out, be sure to keep the pasta sheets covered so they don't dry out. Depending on what I want to use the pasta for, I usually stop around number 5 or 6. For long noodles, I keep it thicker, and for ravioli or stuffed pasta, I keep it thinner. All pasta machines are different, so you need to judge how your pasta machine works and adjust your rolling accordingly. Once you get the thickness you want, repeat this process with the remaining pieces of dough.

EGG-STUFFED RAVIOLI

Steps:

• Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a medium skillet over medium heat until foamy. Add the garlic and cook until it starts to become golden, about 2 minutes. Stir in the spinach and 1/4 cup water. Cook, stirring often, until the spinach is tender and the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a food processor and add the ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Puree until smooth and bright green. Spoon into a plastic pastry bag or large resealable plastic bag, snip the tip to 1/4 inch wide and set aside.
• Put 8 pieces of pasta on a clean work surface and pipe a circle of the spinach mixture in the middle of each square, making sure to leave about a 1-inch border all around. Using the back of a spoon, make a well in the middle deep enough to hold an egg yolk. One by one, separate 8 eggs and put a yolk in each well. (Reserve the whites for another use.)
• Crack the remaining egg into a small bowl and beat lightly with a fork. Brush the edges of the pasta pieces with the egg, and then top with the remaining squares of pasta. Working from the edge of the filling outward, firmly press the dough together, making sure there are no air bubbles. Trim the edges of each ravioli with a sharp knife or a fluted pasta cutter.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Melt the remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a small skillet with the sage leaves over medium heat and cook, swirling often, until the butter is golden brown and the sage is fried and crisp, about 3 minutes. Set aside. Gently drop the ravioli into the water and cook until the pasta is tender and the egg is still runny, about 6 minutes.
• Remove from the water with a slotted spoon or handheld strainer and place each ravioli in an individual bowl. Top each with a sage leaf and evenly spoon the butter over. Serve immediately.

NICOIS RAVIOLI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Season oxtail with salt, and place in an even layer in a Dutch-oven over medium-high heat, working in batches if necessary. Cook until well browned on all sides, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Remove oxtail from Dutch-oven and set aside. Return Dutch-oven to stove and warm over medium heat; add onion. Cook, stirring, until caramelized, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add 8 garlic cloves and cook, 2 minutes more.
• Transfer onion mixture and oxtail to a Dutch-oven. Add beef stock, orange zest, and juice of 2 oranges. Place thyme in a piece of cheesecloth; tie with kitchen twine to enclose and add to Dutch-oven. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and transfer to oven. Cook, until meat is falling off the bone, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
• Remove meat from Dutch-oven and let cool; discard bones. Strain braising liquid into a small, clean saucepan through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing down on solids; discard solids. Place saucepan over medium heat and cook until reduced by 3/4; set braising liquid aside.
• Transfer meat to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
• In a large skillet, heat 1/4 cup olive oil over medium heat. Add 5 cloves garlic and cook, stirring, until softened; remove from skillet and discard. Add Swiss chard and cook, stirring, until tender. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Squeeze out any excess liquid from Swiss chard; set aside 3/4 cup and keep warm. Add remaining Swiss chard to the bowl of a food processor; pulse until finely chopped. Add to bowl with oxtail, along with cheese, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 egg, and juice of 1 orange; season with salt and pepper and set aside.
• Sprinkle a baking sheet with semolina flour and set aside. Set the rollers of a hand-crank or electric pasta machine at their widest opening. Unwrap one piece of dough; flatten with the palms of your hands and run it once through the machine. Fold the dough in thirds like a letter and run through the machine again. Repeat this step two or three times, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
• Now change the rollers of the pasta machine to the next lowest setting, and roll out the dough once without folding. Keep rolling the sheet through the machine on decreasing settings until you have rolled it through the last (thinnest) setting. Transfer pasta to prepared baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Repeat process with remaining pieces of dough.
• Sprinkle a second baking sheet with semolina flour; set aside. Lay one sheet of pasta flat on work surface with the long side facing you. Beat remaining egg and brush over right half of the pasta. Transfer oxtail mixture to a disposable pastry bag and snip the end, or using a spoon, place about 1 tablespoon oxtail mixture, 2 inches apart, down the center of the right side of pasta. Fold the left side over filling. Using the blunt side of a 1 1/2-inch round cutter, gently press around each mound of filling, but do not cut through. Using a 2-inch round cutter, cut out ravioli. Transfer ravioli to prepared baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Repeat process with remaining sheets of pasta and oxtail mixture. Set ravioli aside.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Generously salt water and return to a boil. Meanwhile, transfer reserved braising liquid to a large skillet. Add butter and cook over medium heat until butter is melted and liquid is heated through.
• Add ravioli to boiling water and cook until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer ravioli to butter mixture and stir to coat. Divide reserved Swiss chard leaves evenly between 4 to 6 serving dishes; top with ravioli and sauce. Garnish with shaved Parmesan and serve immediately.

HOMEMADE RAVIOLI

Steps:

• To make the pasta, put the flour in a bowl and make a well in the middle. Add the eggs and egg yolks and mix with a fork, bringing more of the flour in from the sides as you mix. Once the mixture comes together into a ball, tip it out onto a work surface and knead for 10-15 mins until firm and smooth. Wrap and leave to rest for 30 mins.
• Meanwhile, make the filling. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the garlic for 30 seconds. Add the spinach with a few tablespoons of water, and cook until the spinach has wilted and is dark green and the water has evaporated. Stir in the lemon zest, grate over some nutmeg and season. Tip the mixture into a bowl and leave to cool.
• Cut the pasta dough into four pieces so it's easier to work with. Run one piece through a pasta machine (leaving the remaining pieces covered to prevent them drying out), starting with the widest setting and working down to the thinnest setting. Keep the machine and the pasta well floured to prevent sticking or tearing.
• Mix the ricotta into the spinach mixture and season well. Do this just before you're ready to fill the pasta, or chill until needed.
• To make the ravioli, cut a sheet of pasta in half so you have two equal lengths. Lay out on a well-floured work surface, then spoon heaped teaspoons of the filling, spaced 5cm apart, over one of the pasta sheets. Brush the exposed pasta around the filling with water. Gently lift the second pasta sheet over the fillings, and use the side of your hand to press the pasta sheets together around the fillings to seal, ensuring there are no air bubbles.
• Stamp out the ravioli using a round cutter (position it so the filling is in the centre of the circle), or use a sharp knife to cut out square ravioli. Arrange in a single layer over baking trays dusted with flour, then repeat the process with the remaining pasta dough pieces. Will keep, covered and chilled, for up to two days.
• To cook, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and gently lower in the ravioli using a slotted spoon. Boil for 2-3 mins until the pasta is cooked through, then remove to a bowl using a slotted spoon. (You may need to cook the ravioli in batches to ensure it's evenly cooked.)
• Heat the butter in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat, drop in the sage and fry until the butter turns a nutty brown and the sage leaves are crisp. Remove from the heat and toss in the ravioli. Sprinkle with parmesan and some lemon juice, then season with cracked black pepper and toss gently in the butter to coat. Divide between warm bowls and sprinkle with more parmesan before serving.