FNN

In preparation for tomorrow’s post, here is my mother’s ravioli recipe. The name translates to “half moon,” because the finished ravioli look like little semi-circles.

Ingredients:
2 cups semolina flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tbsp olive oil
¾ teasp salt
warm water
——————————————-
2 cups part skim ricotta cheese, drained if necessary
1 egg, lightly beaten
leaves of 2 sprigs Italian parsley, chopped
1 cup shredded part skim mozzarella
½ cup freshly grated aged Romano cheese

Preparing the Dough:
1. Pour eggs, oil, and salt into a well in the flour and mix/knead until the dough can be formed into a little ball and will not crumble. You will need to add water A LITTLE AT A TIME to get the dough to this consistency.
2. Let dough rest for five minutes covered by a bowl.
3. Knead dough until it is smooth and elastic.
4. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
Preparing the Cheese Filling:
1. Combine all ingredients.
(If meat filling is desired, prepare your favorite meatball recipe but do not cook.)
Rolling, Cutting and Filling the Pasta:
[Note: In order to prevent the dough from drying out, roll out, cut and fill a small portion of the dough at a time, keeping the rest wrapped in plastic wrap.]
1. Roll a small portion of the dough to the next-to-thinnest setting on your pasta rolling machine.
2. Immediately cut the rolled-out strip of dough into 3-inch rounds using a cookie cutter.
3. Gather up the remnants to incorporate into the next portion to be rolled.
4. Place a small amount of raw filling in the center of each round, using a fork to avoid excess liquid.
5. Dampen the edge of the round with water, fold the round in half, and crimp the open edges with the tines of a clean fork to seal.
6. Spread out completed ravioli (so that they do not stick to each other) and permit them to dry a bit while you work the rest of the dough.
7. Cook ravioli in boiling, salted water until done to your taste.
8. Drain and serve with your favorite sauce and cheese.