The Taste of Real Ravioli

Ravioli di Zucca …The Easy Way

Until you have eaten true home made ravioli, you will have no real idea how wonderful real stuffed pasta can taste. While some of the better trattorias make their own, most of the chain or spaghetti and red sauce joints buy heavy dough soggy ravioli from a mass commissary. You can tell because they taste like cardboard with old cheese inside. 

Making your own is not that hard and gives you a feeling of achievement when you put it on the table. There are dozens of variations in shape and fillings.  Recently, however Ravioli di Zucca or Pumpkin has become very popular in restaurants. It is wonderful and easy to do.

The pumpkin used in Italy is called Zucca Barucca. It is sweet and juicy with a silky flesh. There is no equivalent pumpkin or squash in this country. But unbelievably, simple dark skinned sweet potatoes with reddish orange flesh (sometimes called yams) are a very acceptable and an easy to use substitute. Do not use the pale gray yellowish skinned variety.

While it will not be quite as authentic, you can save a lot of work by using square wonton skins (available in the Asian food section of your market or at an Asian market). You’ll need one full pack.

If you are adept at and enjoy making and rolling home made pasta dough with a hand pasta machine, then make a recipe of about 1-lb. After you have made the filling, let it rest for an hour. When you are ready to stuff the pasta, divide the ball of dough into 8 parts and keep them covered until you use each one. Run the pasta through the machine to the last or next to last level depending on your own taste. I think the last level is better but requires more delicate handling. You’ll need more dough if you leave the sheets thicker. Stuff them before you roll the next portion. This will prevent the pasta sheets from drying out. Some people add a tablespoon of milk to stuffed pasta recipes to make the folds adhere better.

For the filling:

For the Sauce:

Procedure:

1.      Preheat the oven to 450

2.      Bake the potatoes in the middle level of the hot oven. After 20 minutes turn down the oven to 400 and cook for another 35 to 40 minutes until the potatoes are very tender when prodded with a fork.

3.      Turn off the oven. Remove potatoes and split them in half lengthwise. Return potatoes to the oven, cut side facing up, leaving oven door slightly ajar. Remove after 10 minutes when they have dried out some.

4.      Reduce ameretti cookies to powder in a food processor or a mortar and pestle.

5.      Peel the potatoes and puree them through a food mill (hard work) or in a food processor. Put in a large bowl. Add the powdered cookies, egg yolk, Prosciutto, grated Parmesan, parsley and a tiny grating – 1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg plus salt. Mix with a fork until all ingredients are evenly mixed

6.      Place in a refrigerator to rest for a few hours if possible - the longer the better until you are ready to stuff the pasta.

7.      If you are making pasta keep the filling in the refrigerator until you have rolled out first batch of dough and are ready to stuff.

8.      If you have guests, it will be fun and go very fast, if one or more of them helps stuff the pasta.

9.      If you are using home made pasta cut sheet into 4” squares. If you are using wonton skins take package apart and proceed.

10.  Put 1 teaspoon of filling in center or each square. Coat edge with egg. Fold one side to make a triangle and press around the filling to force out any air. Place finished triangle on flowered towel. Do this batch by batch if using homemade pasta or  until all wontons are used.

11.  Bring a large pot (8 qt.) to a boil. Add I tablespoon of olive oil to water. Cook pasta in 3 to 4 batches, allowing the water to come back to a boil after each batch. They will cook quickly. Removing carefully when each batch comes back to surface with a slotted spoon. A large Chinese open mesh ladle is even better. Put each batch into a large preheated bowl ready for saucing.

12.  For Sauce. Add 4 tablespoons grated cheese. and toss rapidly, thoroughly but carefully turning all the pasta in the cheese, which will begin to melt and cling.

Add half the butter and another 4 tablespoons of cheese and toss again. Add the remaining cheese and turn pasta three or four times. Add the remaining butter and toss until all the butter has melted. Serve at once with additional cheese at the table to be added to individual plates.

Note. You can substitute 1 ¾ lbs. butternut or Kabocha squash for potatoes. Cut squash into large pieces. Put in oven at 400 for 30 minutes or longer until it is rather soft when pierced with fork. Remove. Allow it to cool. Peel skin. Cut into smaller pieces and puree through food mill or in a food processor (much easier). Then follow same instructions.

The first time you do this it may seem time consuming and you can have some minor problems. If you can get guests or relatives to participate, it will go fast and be a lot of fun. That is how they do it in Italy. 

Use only Imported Parmigiano Regianno Cheese.