I attempted to make homemade ravioli last night. Yes, I know...I did this with a one year old at my feet and a four year old screaming in the bathroom that my services (my wiping services that is) were needed--of which I did not give until I was completely done in the kitchen.
I must say that it was good...not great...but good. I really need a pasta machine to roll it out even thinner. The problem was that it was too thick and I didn't cook it long enough. But, for my first go around...not so bad.
So, you might be asking WHY would I do this? Well, in my quest to find healthy foods that don't contain white flour, white sugar, trans fats, or high fructose corn syrup, I can honestly say that ravioli has been a food I have given up. But, I don't have to if I can learn to make whole wheat pasta dough. What a great idea!
I made the dough and immediately noticed that it was too dry...that is very typical for using whole wheat flour. I had to add an extra TBLS of olive oil. I let it sit in a bowl covered for about an hour, and I rushed to the store to get the rest of my ingredients. I came home and started rolling, rolling, and rolling some more. I really felt it looked to thick to make the ravioli, but truth be told, my wrists could take no more rolling. My next kitchen gadget will be a pasta maker...yeah!
For the filling I just mixed:
1/2 cup ricotta cheese (low-fat)
1/2 cup low fat mozzerella
1/2 cup parmesean cheese
2 garlic cloves chopped
I mixed it all together in a bowl. I put about a TBLS of filling in each ravioli. I also couldn't figure out how to cut out the ravioli, so I used an egg shaped cookie cutter (from Easter).
After I put in the filling, I dabbed the edges with water and folded them over. I let them sit out for about 15 minutes to kind of dry out. I think if I do it again, that will be the step I make longer. I will post the website of the recipe I used, which I got from Allrecipes.com, but I honestly think it was too dry.
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Whole-Wheat-Pasta/Detail.aspx?prop31=2
I will definitely be trying to refine this recipe and process, because it was not such a bad place to start. I must start shopping now for my pasta machine!
2 comments:
I think these look really great! Hooray for you for tackling a huge project like this and having it come out so good! I wish I could have tasted them...YUM!
With regards to the olive oil, I highly recommend trying the extra-virgin olive oil from
href="http://www.holyfoodimports.com">Holy Food Imports.
It is imported to the US from Israel, and it is produced using cold presses,
as was the method over 3,000 years ago.
I've been using it for all the special recipes I cook and I find that it greatly enhances the flavor.
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