The Preparation of Ravioli

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Pasta machine or long rolling pin
• •2½-inch fluted round cutter
• •Fluted crescent cutter, optional
• •Fluted pastry wheel
• •6-quart broad pot
• •Wide wire skimmer
• •2-quart shallow broiler-safe gratin dish

Instructions

1. 1

   Make Noodle Paste

   Mix the flour and salt, make a well in the centre, and add the eggs. Beat the eggs with a fork while drawing in flour from the walls until a rough dough forms, then knead for 8 to 10 minutes, until smooth, firm, and elastic. If dry crumbs refuse to join after several minutes, add the water one teaspoon at a time. If the dough clings to the board, dust with flour sparingly; too much makes brittle seams. Wrap the dough and rest it for 30 minutes so it rolls without springing back.

2. 2

   Reduce Beef Gravy

   While the dough rests, boil the beef stock in a small wide saucepan until ¾ cup remains. It should be nappant (lightly coating the back of a spoon) yet loose enough to sprinkle over the ravioli. If it becomes sticky or salty, loosen it with a spoonful of water and taste again. Keep the gravy warm, not boiling.

3. 3

   Roll Three Portions

   Divide the rested dough into three equal portions and keep two covered while you work. Flatten the first, then pass it through a pasta machine from the widest setting toward the second-thinnest, or roll firmly with a long pin, turning often. Stop at about 1 mm thick, thin enough to reveal the shadow of your fingers but strong enough to lift. If the paste contracts, cover it and wait 10 minutes; forcing tight dough only makes it tear.

4. 4

   Shape Slipper Ravioli

   Cut eight rounds with a 2½-inch grooved cutter. Set one hazelnut-sized portion of chilled stuffing from Ravioli (No. 2296) in each centre, then moisten only the outer edge with a barely wet fingertip. Fold each round into a chausson (slipper shape), press close around the filling, and work outward to expel every pocket of air before sealing the rim. If flour prevents the seam from holding, brush it clean, dampen it again, and press firmly. If the paste tears, cover the hole with a paper-thin scrap and seal its edges. Ça se rattrape.

   Use very little water. A damp seam grips; a wet one slides and turns gummy.
5. 5

   Cut Crescent Ravioli

   Roll the second portion into a rectangle about 4 inches wide. Arrange eight portions of stuffing from Ravioli (No. 2296) along one long half, leaving about 2 inches between them. Moisten the outside edges and the spaces between portions, fold the uncovered half over the filling, then press around each mound from the centre outward. Stamp out eight crescents with a grooved crescent cutter, or cut them neatly with a round cutter and trim the points with a knife.

6. 6

   Wheel Square Ravioli

   Divide the last dough portion in two and roll both pieces into equal thin sheets. Arrange eight portions of stuffing from Ravioli (No. 2296) on the first sheet in two rows, with roughly 2 inches between their centres. Moisten around the portions, lay the second sheet over them, and press from each mound toward the open edges until no air remains. Use a roulette (fluted pastry wheel) to divide the sheet into eight squares measuring about 2 inches per side. Set every shaped raviolo on a lightly floured tray and keep it covered.

7. 7

   Poach Without Boiling

   Bring the water and salt to a full boil in a broad pot. Lower eight ravioli at a time into the water, stir once beneath them so they do not stick, then reduce the heat as soon as the water returns. Poach at the barest tremble for 8 to 10 minutes, until the paste is tender at the folded edges. A hard boil hammers the seams apart. If the water becomes violent, pull the pan briefly from the heat; if one parcel leaks, remove it and continue gently. Lift the ravioli with a wide skimmer and drain them without piling or pressing.

   The water is only slightly salted because Parmesan and reduced beef gravy bring their own seasoning.
8. 8

   Form the Gratin

   Heat the broiler and butter a shallow broiler-safe gratin dish. Scatter one-quarter of the Parmesan across the base, arrange the drained ravioli over it in one generous layer, and spoon the warm beef gravy evenly over them. Cover with the remaining Parmesan and apply the rapid finish from Gratins (No. 268), setting the dish close enough to the broiler for the cheese to melt, bubble at the edges, and bronze in 2 to 4 minutes. Rotate the dish if one side colours first. Serve from the dish while the gravy still gleams. À table!

9. 9

   Choose Beurre Noisette

   For the source's simpler alternative, omit the beef gravy and gratin. Arrange the hot, drained ravioli in layers on a warmed platter, sprinkling each layer with Parmesan. Melt the optional butter over medium heat until its foam subsides, the milk solids turn hazelnut brown, and the aroma becomes nutty, then pour this beurre noisette (nut-brown butter) over the ravioli. If the butter darkens too quickly, pour it immediately into a cool pan. Black or acrid butter cannot be repaired; begin again with fresh butter.

Chef Tips

• •Choose one stuffing from Ravioli (No. 2296) and chill it until firm before portioning. Warm or loose stuffing smears across the seam, and a greasy seam will not close.
• •The grooved cutters make handsome edges, but they do not make the seal. A plain round cutter, a knife, and the tines of a fork are honest equivalents; pressure around the filling matters more than ornament.
• •Use unsalted, gelatin-rich beef stock. A thin, salty stock becomes harsher as it reduces, while a stock that sets softly when cold becomes glossy gravy without flour.
• •Do not crowd the poaching pot. Three calm batches protect the seams and give you time to drain each shape properly.
• •A light Beaujolais suits the Parmesan and beef gravy without weighing down the pasta. With the chicken-liver stuffing, a Mondeuse from Savoie is particularly good.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare the selected stuffing from Ravioli (No. 2296) up to one day ahead and keep it covered in the cold. Portion it while chilled.
• •Shape the ravioli up to 4 hours before poaching. Arrange them in one layer on a lightly floured tray, cover closely, and refrigerate.
• •For longer storage, freeze the shaped ravioli in one layer until hard, then transfer them to a sealed container for up to one month. Poach from frozen at the same bare tremble, allowing 10 to 12 minutes.
• •Reduce the beef stock one day ahead, chill it promptly, and reheat it gently before assembling the gratin.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 290g)