Name: Ravioli
Total time: 1 h
Cuisine: ItalianEurope
Ingredients: 1 pound fresh pasta sheets; 1 filling recipe (see headnote); 1 tablespoon table salt; 1 sauce recipe (see headnote)

Why This Recipe Works

We wanted a fresh pasta recipe that could be used to create a variety of filled pasta shapes. We found that the food processor kneaded our simple dough, made with just flour and eggs, almost to perfection. Kneading the dough by hand for an additional minute or two made our pasta dough silky and smooth. Running the dough, in pieces, through a manual pasta machine until it was translucent gave us the delicate egg pasta recipe we were after.

Before You Begin

This recipe produces two-inch square ravioli with three fluted edges and one folded edge. The folded edge may be trimmed with a fluted pastry wheel if you like. For the filling, use one of the following options: Spinach and Ricotta Filling; Squash, Prosciutto, and Parmesan Filling; Meat and Ricotta Filling; or Wild Mushroom Filling. For the sauce, use our Garden Tomato Sauce or Brown Butter and Pine Nut Sauce.

Instructions

Use a pizza wheel or sharp knife to cut sheets into long rectangles measuring four inches across. Place small balls of filling (about one rounded teaspoon each) in a line one inch from the bottom of the pasta sheet. Leave one and one-quarter inches between each ball of filling.

Fold over the top of the pasta and line it up with the bottom edge. Seal bottom and the two open sides with your finger.

Use fluted pastry wheel to cut along the two sides and bottom of the sealed pasta sheet.

Run pastry wheel between balls of filling to cut out the ravioli.

Bring 4 quarts water to boil in a large stockpot. Add salt and half the pasta. Cook until doubled edges are al dente, 4-5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer ravioli to warmed bowls or plates; add sauce. Meanwhile, put remaining ravioli in boiling water and repeat cooking process. (Or bring two pots of water to boil and cook both batches simultaneously.) Serve immediately.