Ricotta and walnut ravioli

My dad loves pasta – I used to cook it for him twice a week, sometimes even more.
My husband is even crazier about it – he asks for spaghetti all the time! :)

One day, at home, I was showing him some of my favorite blogs and he saw Deb’s raviolis… Needless to say he started asking for homemade raviolis and only stopped yesterday, when I finally faced my fear and decided to make them.

I don’t have a pasta machine – I used only a rolling pin and my not so strong arms. Not a problem, since Deb’s recipe is a winner and if you follow her instructions and let the pasta “rest” for 1 hour it will be soft enough to be rolled out.

I added some spinach but I only got green “dots” – next time I’ll make it right in order to have green pasta.

Joao’s raviolis were filled with ground beef and mine with ricotta and nuts – the recipe that follows, which is enough to fill all the pasta.

This is a delicious recipe and I’m definitely making it again and again – Joao even said something about us buying a pasta machine… :)

Not in the mood for homemade pasta yet? Check Béa’s and Jeff’s raviolis and I bet you’ll change your mind.

Ricotta and walnut ravioli

Pasta:
210g all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons water

Filling:
200g ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons chopped parsley
7 walnuts, halved
salt to taste

Pasta:
Mound flour on a work surface, preferably wooden, and make a well in center. Add eggs and salt. With a fork, gently beat eggs until combined. Gradually stir in enough flour to form a paste, pulling in flour closest to egg mixture and being careful not to make an opening in outer wall of well. Knead remaining flour into mixture with your hands to form a dough, adding the water (dough should be firm and not sticky). Knead dough until smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes. Place it in a dish, cover with an inverted bowl and let stand 1 hour.

For the filling: Lightly toast the walnuts on a skillet over low heat. Place them on a clean kitchen towel until they cool down. Chop them.
Place the ricotta, salt, olive oil and parsley in a food processor and mix well. Add the walnuts and mix by hand.

On a lightly floured surface, place amounts of pasta and roll out with a rolling pin, making a rectangle.
Drop mounds of filling in a row down center of one half of sheet. Brush egg wash around each mound – I used water - then fold other half of sheet over filling. Press down firmly around each mound, forcing out air. (Air pockets increase the chance that ravioli will break during cooking.)
Cut pasta (between mounds) with cutter into 3-inch rounds – I didn’t have Deb’s fancy cutter so I used this gadget I use for my rolled fondant cakes.
Line a large shallow baking pan with baking paper then arrange ravioli in 1 layer in it:

Proceed with the remaining pasta/filling the same way.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add ravioli, carefully stirring to separate, and, adjusting heat to keep water at a gentle boil, cook until pasta is just tender, about 6 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a colander.
Serve at once with your favorite sauce.

Serves 2 - generously.