I got a new pasta machine a couple of months ago. A pasta machine is an absolute essential in any Italian household and I prefer the old fashioned hand roller machines as opposed to the ones with an electric motor. I just think you get a more intimate experience with your pasta plus it's a great arm work-out! Using the pasta machine brings back memories of Sunday lunches with the whole family where us kids would sneak into the kitchen and steal pieces of the raw dough that the "grown-ups" were making the pasta from- gosh it's so good!
I got a pasta machine for my 21st birthday and it lasted about two times of trying to make pasta, I took it back to the shops and got a new one on warranty and that one lasted another two rounds of pasta making before the cogs inside siezed (or something). These were just "el cheapo" brand machines so I thought this time I'll get something that lasts. I ended up getting one that is the same brand as my mum's pasta machine which has lasted her about 30 years so I figure it must be a good one. I honestly do not think that they have done much to the design in the last 30 years as mine looks exactly like my mum's.
My new pasta machine.
I thought I would share with you the recipe for my ravioli in lemon, chilli sauce. This is the recipe I made for my Dine At Mine that I wrote about in my last post. When I was a kid, ravioli was by far my favourite meal. We would only get it on special occasions but gosh, when we did get it, it was soooo good! I loved it so much that I wanted to try and grow a ravioli tree and more than a few times, I kept the last piece of ravioli on my plate so that I could plant it in the garden in hopes that a tree would grow... It never did :( When my Nonna passed 6 years ago, I inherited her old-fashioned ravioli maker (many years later as it took a while to sort through all of her stuff) this is just as good as having a ravioli tree so once I had a pasta machine that worked, it was time to try and make ravioli.
Nonna's "Raviolamp".
First things first, we had to make the ravioli filling. I chose a spinach, ricotta and chicken filling. Saute the onion, garlic, and spinach together until it is tender.
Sautee the veggies.
Then add the chicken and fry until cooked through.
Add the chicken.
Puree the mixture with the ricotta cheese and parmesan in a food processor until it is smooth. Set aside while you prepare the pasta.
Smooth mixture.
To prepare the pasta measure out 500 g of flour (I used 00-flour) and then make a well in the centre. Put the eggs into the centre of the well and start to mix the flour in slowly bringing in flour from the outer edges until you have a ball of dough. Knead the dough for around 20 minutes or until it is elastic and smooth or when you push it with your finger, it bounces back. Leave, covered with plastic wrap or an upside-down bowl to rest for 30 minutes.
Flour and eggs ready to become pasta.
Resting the dough.
While you are resting the dough, you can prepare the stuff for the sauce. Juice and zest the lemons and chop the zucchini and broccoli.
Ready to go!
Once the dough is ready, cut it into smaller pieces.
Smaller pieces are more manageable in the pasta machine.
The beast!
Roll the pasta out to about level three thickness on the pasta machine and then roll it out to level one thickness. The pasta needs to be thin as you will have two layers in some places on the ravioli. Most importantly remember to flour EVERYTHING!!! You do not want to do all of this work just for your pasta to stick together again.
Pasta Sheets (back- number 3 thickness, front-number 1 thickness)
Flour your ravioli maker and place the pasta sheet on top. Spoon about half a teaspoon of your chicken, spinach and ricotta mixture into each hole in the ravioli maker. Brush the joins with a little bit of water and then roll over the pasta with the rolling pin provided in the ravioli maker this will cut the ravioli and you will now have nice pieces of ravioli. Yay!
Finished ravioli.
Now is the time to prepare the sauce. Fry off the garlic and chilli until fragrant.
Garlic and chilli.
Add the veggies and cook until tender. You can add any veggies you like, I like to add green veggies as I feel like they go best with the lemon sauce.
Fried veggies.
Add the lemon zest and fry off for a few seconds then add the lemon juice and your sauce is ready to go.
Finished lemon sauce.
Cooking the ravioli.
Toss the ravioli through the lemon, chilli sauce until coated. Serve with heaps of parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
Chicken, spinach and ricotta ravioli in a lemon, chilli sauce
Recipe
Ingredients
Pasta
500 g flour
5 large eggs
Ravioli filling
250 g frozen spinach
250 g ricotta cheese
1 chicken breast, diced
1 onion, diced
1 clove of garlic or 1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper
Lemon, chilli sauce
2 lemons, zested and juiced
1 tbsp minced chillies or 4 chillies, chopped finely
1 tbsp minced garlic or 4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
2 zucchini, sliced
1 head of broccoli cut into florets
Method
Filling
Saute the garlic, onions, salt, pepper and spinach until soft and the onion is tender. Add the chicken and cook until just cooked. Place the mixture into a food processor with the ricotta cheese and parmesan and process until smooth. Set aside.
Pasta
Measure flour into a bowl, make a well in the centre and place the eggs in the well. Using your hand mix the eggs into the flour gradually mixing in more flour from the sides until you have a ball of dough. Knead the dough on a floured surface for around 20 minutes or until elastic and smooth or when poked it springs back. Cover the dough with plastic wrap or an upside-down bowl and rest for 30 minutes. Cut the dough into smaller pieces and roll out to number three (you will want to start a a thicker setting and the get smaller until you get to number three or you will wreck your machine) with your pasta machine. Layer each piece on top of each other ensuring you flour well in between each piece. Roll each piece of dough through the number 1 setting (thinnest setting) and layer on top of each other again.
Flour the ravioli maker well. Place one piece of thin pasta onto the ravioli maker. Place half a teaspoon of filling into each hole. Brush in between each ravioli with a little bit of water. Place another sheet of thin pasta on top of your filling and roll with the rolling pin until each ravioli has been cut. Place on a floured plate and make sure you flour in between each layer of ravioli. Set aside until ready to cook.
Sauce
While making the sauce, get a large pot of salted water on to boil. Once boiling, cook the pasta for 7 mins or until al dente. Drain and set aside to add to the sauce.
Fry off the garlic and chilli until fragrant. Add the vegetables (zucchini and broccoli) and cook until tender. Add the lemon zest and fry off for a few seconds. Pour the lemon juice over the vegetables and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the pasta to the sauce and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring to ensure each piece of pasta is covered in sauce. Serve with lots of shaved parmesan cheese (it's important that it is shaved- it works so much better with this dish that way).
Enjoy!
Have you ever tried to grow a ravioli tree or something like it?
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