Guinnea Pigs...that's what my friends are; and fortunately they still like me! My friend Jen gave Alex and I a pasta roller for our wedding. We got married a year and a half ago and I am ashamed to say that it has been hiding out in our front closet this whole time. Until tonight!
It sort of looks like a midevil torture device...Don't you think it is funny that lots of kitchen tools look like midevil torture devices? It just flattens the pasta dough. I'm ashamed to say that I don't have pictures of me actually making the ravioli. I came close to a melt down of sorts as I was making the dough. My friends were to arrive at 5pm and I was starting with the dough at 4:30pm. I was concerned I got in over my head. Thank goodness for Alex. My sweet husband jumped in and helped me roll out the pasta dough.
It sort of looks like a midevil torture device...Don't you think it is funny that lots of kitchen tools look like midevil torture devices? It just flattens the pasta dough. I'm ashamed to say that I don't have pictures of me actually making the ravioli. I came close to a melt down of sorts as I was making the dough. My friends were to arrive at 5pm and I was starting with the dough at 4:30pm. I was concerned I got in over my head. Thank goodness for Alex. My sweet husband jumped in and helped me roll out the pasta dough.
The pasta dough was an Alton Brown recipe from Food Network. It seemed pretty basic, but when I started mixing...it got messy. Alex loves the picture below because it is an action shot, but the dough is completely still...yes, he should be a Williams Sonoma photographer.
After rolling out the dough, we laid one piece on the top of the plastic tray that looks a little like an ice cube tray. 
Then we filled the dough in the tray with the butternut squash filling. I also scored the butternut squash recipe from Food Network, but the filling was from Emeril. When you click on the link, look at the picture of Emeril's ravioli...I don't know what that is a picture of, but it sure doesn't look like ravioli!
We laid another piece of pasta on top of the filling and used the metal pasta cutter to cut the pieces of dough so it sealed in the filling. 
At this point we threw the ravioli into a boiling pot of water until they floated back up to the top. I served them with sage infused, butter and olive oil.
At this point we threw the ravioli into a boiling pot of water until they floated back up to the top. I served them with sage infused, butter and olive oil.
Because we worked the pasta dough a little too much towards the end it got a little tough and thick. So some of the ravioli's were a little thick and tough. The filling ROCKED! Next time I make this I'm going to make the ravioli free form and make them bigger so you can better taste the butternut squash.
3 comments:
Your ravioli look awesome. I am impressed. The filling looks so delicious! I need to make my pumpkin ravioli soon!
sorry they weren't fabulous! try practicing with just dough made from 1 egg and 1 cups of flour - you can add a tiny bit of water or olive oil to make it smooth if you need to - just barely get it to come together, then wrap it in plastic wrap and stick it in the fridge for at least 1/2 hour - this will help the gluten relax and the flour absorb the egg & other liquid. Let the machine do the kneading - send it through a few times on the widest setting, folding & rotating the piece of dough til it's smooth. Then start making it thinner. For filled pasta you want to make it as thin as you can cuz it will be double thick where it meets. - don't give up! once you get this down, it will seem so easy! prometto!
check out this blog: http://jfinitaly.blogspot.com/2008_03_01_archive.html
he has a video of a woman in italy making pasta the REALLY old fashioned way...
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