Homemade Ravioli

One of the many recipes I have backlogged in my primary blog that I would love to go into deeper is the homemade ravioli I made back in April (I'll cover the custard on another post). The dough is a universal recipe, but credit due to Tyler Florence for this one.

Homemade ravioli stuffed with cooked ground meat

Serves 5-6

For the pasta:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

4 eggs

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 yolk, for egg wash

For the filling:

1/2 pound of ground meat (93%)

1/2 white onion

1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 tablespoon of butter

1 can of tomato paste

1 tsp of garlic paste

2 tbsp of "sofrito" (traditional recipe)

a pinch of salt

Sift through the flour and add the salt. Make a small well inside the flour and add the 4 eggs and oil. Slowly cave in the flour and knead the subsequent mixture until stretchy (remember to flour your hand to avoid sticky messes).

Cut the ball of dough in half, cover and reserve the dough you are not immediately using to prevent it from drying out. Dust the counter, rolling pin and dough with flour. Flatten the dough to 1/8" thickness.

Beat 1 egg with 1 tablespoon of water to make an egg wash. Lay out the long sheet of pasta, and brush the top surface with the egg wash, which acts as a glue.

Start by melting the butter and "sofrito" and tomato paste in a medium to large skillet.

Chop the onion, peppers and sautee them in the skillet until the onions are golden brown. Once done, cook the meat in the mixture until fully cooked.

Drop tablespoons of the filling on 1/2 of the pasta sheet, about 2-inches apart. Fold the other 1/2 over the filling like a blanket. fingers, gently press out air pockets around each mound of filling. Use a sharp knife to cut each pillow into squares and crimp the 4 edges with the tins of a fork to make a tight seal.

Cook the ravioli in plenty of boiling salted water for 4 minutes; they'll float to the top when ready.

It was a huge hit with my guest for the night, so I hope you all enjoy!