Italian Ravioli Recipe

Make the Pasta

1. Place 1000 grams flour in a mound on the table.
2. Use your hand to form a well in the middle of the flour. You should be able to see the table at the bottom of your flour.
3. Crack 10 eggs into the hole in the well. Add your ¾ tsp salt and 2 ½ tsp olive oil.
4. Use a fork to scramble the eggs inside the flour well. As you mix, use your fork to slowly incorporate flour from the edges of the well. Slowly keep adding more flour with your fork as you stir. The egg should turn into a paste.
5. When the mixture is too thick to mix with a fork anymore, start kneading with your hands. Make sure to press with the heel of your hand, working the flour into the dough. (You may need to not incorporate all of the flour or add more depending on the consistency of your dough. The dough should not be sticky or crumbly. It should be a happy medium in between. If your dough is too dry, wet your fingers with some water and continue to knead the dough.)
6. Knead the dough for 10-15 minutes until the dough is smooth and has turned a darker yellow color. You can test if your dough is ready by pressing your finger into it. If the dough begins to bounce back instead of staying pressed in, then it is done. If it does not bounce back, continue to knead.
7. Form your dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Allow to rest at room temperature for about half an hour.
8. While the dough is resting, make your ravioli filling.

Make the Ravioli Filling

1. Place a large pan over medium heat and add 1 tbsp olive oil. Then add 12 oz spinach leaves into the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the spinach leaves are wilted.
2. Allow the cooked spinach to cool. When it is cool enough to touch, pour it into a clean dish towel or cheesecloth. Squeeze all of the excess water from the spinach.
3. In a medium bowl, mix the cooked spinach, 15 oz ricotta cheese, 1 egg, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper, ¼ tsp nutmeg, and ½ cup parmesan cheese together.
4. Set aside as you roll your pasta.
5. Assemble the Ravioli
6. When the pasta is done resting, it is time to roll out the dough to assemble your ravioli.
7. Cut the dough into small sections (about 20).
8. Pass these sections through the pasta roller on your pasta machine. Because each pasta maker is different I cannot give the numbers of the settings, but choose a thicker setting, then a medium setting, and finally a thin setting (on my Kitchenaid Pasta Maker, I run the pasta through the #1, then #3, then #5, then #7). You want your ravioli pasta to be rolled thinner than you would roll fettuccine noodles. Do not go all the way to the smallest setting, but 1-2 away from the smallest setting should be sufficient. Leave the dough you are not working with wrapped in the saran wrap.
9. Dust a clean countertop or board with flour. Place a rolled out piece of pasta on the board. Use your ravioli stamp to lightly press an indent into the pasta to mark out the ravioli shapes. You can use this to indicate where to place the filling.
10. Place about 1½ tsp of filling in the middle of each stamped area. Once all spaces are filled, place another pasta sheet on top.
11. Use your hands to press the space around the filling to remove any extra air. Then use the ravioli stamps to cut out the ravioli. Repeat this process until all dough and pasta is used up.

Cook the Ravioli

1. To cook the ravioli fresh, salt a large pot of water and bring it to a boil. Add the ravioli into the water. Cook until the ravioli floats, then continue to cook for another 30-60 seconds, until the pasta is cooked to al dente.
2. Drain and serve with your favorite sauce. Enjoy!