Making ravioli has been on my bucketlist after my last unsuccessful attempt at making them back in 2011.
Being a vegetarian, the only non Indian cuisine I am drawn to is the Italian.
Don't have a big appetite for cheese, I mostly eat aged parmesan and fresh mozzarella.
The store bought or restaurant made raviolis are heavy with 3 kinds of cheese.
It's hard to find vegan raviolis at supermarkets. And this is what motivated me to make raviolis at home.
I ordered the semolina flour from Amazon.
Ravioli mould was my birthday gift from hubby. Couldn't wait to try my hand at making ravioli. I was so much engrossed in making it that I forgot to take pictures of the whole process. Not to forget the n number of videos I watched about ravioli making on youtube and wikihow.
For the dough:
1 cup durum semolina
1 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cups water
3 tbsp olive oil
A pinch of salt
For the filling :
3/4-1 cup of mashed butternut squash or pumpkin
8 large garlic pods
Grated parmesan 1/4 cup optional. I skipped it.
For the base, use extra virgin olive oil , fresh basil, spiced dried herbs and toasted pecans( pine nuts are best )
Coarsely chop the squash. Steam for a minute till the squash is al dente. If oversteamed, the squash will be slimy. Then grill the squash. Let it cool for a few minutes. Mash them gently.
Brown the garlic and grate them into the squash mixture. Add salt to taste.
To make the dough, mix in the semolina and flour. Add the oil and crumble the mixture. Add the water step by step as you start forming the dough instead of all the water at once.
(If you have time, make the dough meticulously like how Italians do, by making a well at the centre and drawing the flour with both hands)
Once the dough is formed, knead it to make it softer and even textured for about 10 minutes.
Cover it with a cling wrap for about 30 minutes.
Then take a medium sized ball of dough and roll it into a circular sheet( make sure the sheet is on thinner side, thin enough to be able to stretch it without tearing it).
Place this sheet on the mould and place the fillings in each mould. Then roll out another sheet of similar thickness and place it on the fillings. Roll them again on the mould till the raviolis separate.
If you dont have a mould you can still make raviolis by cutting circles on the sheet using cookie cutter or a glass
Tricky part is to cook the raviolis to perfection. Bring a large pot of water to boil ,and place the raviolis in boiling water gently. Cook them for about 3-5 minutes until they float to the top and are semi transparent.
I chose simple olive oil base to enjoy the flavors of the grilled squash and garlic.
Warm the oil with spice rub . Toast the pecan or pine nuts with butter and keep them aside.
Pour the oil on a plate and place the raviolis on it. Garnish with grated parmesan, toasted pecans and fresh basil.
Since we Indians are so much used to making rotis almost everyday, raviolis dont seem very cumbersome to make.
Buon Appetito!!
I will be making them again, with different vegetables. Ciao till then.
Comments
Post a Comment