The CookingBites Cookalong: Ravioli

morning glory said:
Seems to me that @epicuric has the technique pretty well perfected! I love the way his ravioli is filled right to the edges but hasn't burst open. @epicuric can you clarify the method for using your cutter. - the stages you went through - when did you apply the egg wash 'glue'? You are using your cutter differently from me. I am cutting the shapes first then filling and glueing the two halves together.

@Ken Natton, what method are you using?

And @The Late Night Gourmet can you tell us how you cut it and shape it?
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I put down a sheet of pasta on a floured marble surface, dotted heaped teaspoons of filling at appropriate intervals, brushed water around in between them. Then I cut squares of pasta from another sheet, each about 2cm bigger than my cutter, and placed them over each pile of filling, gently pressing down the edges before cutting each one with the cutter. The cutter is similar to a pastry cutter, but has a lip above and inside the blade that pressed down and seals the ravioli in one operation. My oversight was not expelling the air from the middle before sealing. This caused the ravioli to float straight away when dropped in the water.
 
epicuric said:
I put down a sheet of pasta on a floured marble surface, dotted heaped teaspoons of filling at appropriate intervals, brushed water around in between them. Then I cut squares of pasta from another sheet, each about 2cm bigger than my cutter, and placed them over each pile of filling, gently pressing down the edges before cutting each one with the cutter. The cutter is similar to a pastry cutter, but has a lip above and inside the blade that pressed down and seals the ravioli in one operation. My oversight was not expelling the air from the middle before sealing. This caused the ravioli to float straight away when dropped in the water.
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Thanks. So water is adequate to seal. I was wondering about how you expelled the air. How can you expel the air if it is already cut and sealed?
Now I'm wondering if my rav cutter will also seal...
 
I figured that having used an extra egg in the dough that water would be enough to seal them. Pressing down a bit on the ravioli before sealing may have helped with the air, but then again the air probably helped the shape. I will post a photo of my cutter when I get home later.
 
epicuric said:
I figured that having used an extra egg in the dough that water would be enough to seal them. Pressing down a bit on the ravioli before sealing may have helped with the air, but then again the air probably helped the shape. I will post a photo of my cutter when I get home later.
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Oh! So the plumpness may be partly due to some air.. did they deflate when you cut into them? :)
 
No, they kept their shape, maybe because the pasta wasn't rolled out too thin (about No. 3 on the pasta machine) or they were a little undercooked.
This is the magic tool:
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I'm wondering if we missed a trick here. We have cooked along very well, and produced some really good end results. We have discussed to processes involved pretty well, but not the most basic one - making the pasta dough. I was minded if this when my wife showed me a Jamie Oliver clip on u tube - just dump everything in a food processor, no mixing, kneading or anything. Finding shortcuts that actually work might get more people to give it a try?
 
epicuric said:
I'm wondering if we missed a trick here. We have cooked along very well, and produced some really good end results. We have discussed to processes involved pretty well, but not the most basic one - making the pasta dough. I was minded if this when my wife showed me a Jamie Oliver clip on u tube - just dump everything in a food processor, no mixing, kneading or anything. Finding shortcuts that actually work might get more people to give it a try?
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Good point. I think some members may have been daunted by the Cookalong because they had never made their own pasta let alone ravioli. I prefer to make the dough by hand (and anyway, I don't have a food processor). It might be worth starting a new thread about making home-made pasta. to see if we can get more members trying it out.
 
The Ravioli Cookalong is due to end midnight on Monday - so we need to start thinking about a new topic. I'll start a new thread at the weekend to ask for ideas. Meanwhile, if anyone has suggestions please post them here. Previous suggestions:

Rogan Josh
Crab Cakes
Croissants (V)
Tagine (V)
Chicken Kiev
 
morning glory said:
The Ravioli Cookalong is due to end midnight on Monday - so we need to start thinking about a new topic. I'll start a new thread at the weekend to ask for ideas. Meanwhile, if anyone has suggestions please post them here. Previous suggestions:

Rogan Josh
Crab Cakes
Croissants (V)
Tagine (V)
Chicken Kiev
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I have finally managed to get hold of 00 flour :whistling:

That list. A tagine would be nice, but I don't actually possess one to use in an oven. How many here do?

Nothing else on that list I can or do eat.

Can we include something like
  • Chinese dumplings (can have veggie options in contents)
  • Pot pie (decent pies are difficult to make) make own filo pastry?
  • A cobbler (stew underneath can be veggie or vegan)
  • Have you done a curry yet?
  • What about a loaf of bread? Nettle bread or flavoured bread of some kind?
  • Rice rolls? (that's what they're called here anyhow)
  • Not chapati or naan but the filled ones?
  • Falafel?
I think the flavoured bread or falafel are probably my favourite ones.
 
The point of the Cookalong is to try out 'Classic' dishes that we haven't cooked before and new techniques rather than cook what we already know how to cook. The choice of Ravioli has been a learning curve for quite a few of us! Which is the point really.

My personal responses to the suggestions above:

Chinese dumplings is a good one.
Pot pie (is it difficult?). Its not really much of challenge (or is it?) - pie with pastry on top. But making filo pastry would certainly be a learning curve in itself. That would be interesting!
Curry - Rogan Josh has been listed. We could choose a well known vegetarian Indian dish perhaps that most of us haven't cooked before.
Cobbler? I see that as easy peasy.
Bread? Lots of us make bread already. Although, I do think we should start a bread thread to encourage those who haven't made bread to try it though. It could be a different sort of cookalong aimed at basic techniques.
Rice rolls - do you mean things wrapped in pre-made rice paper and steamed? Too easy in my view.
Paratha? This came up in another thread. It could be technically interesting.
Falafel. This is a good one. Notoriously difficult to make. I have made some twice from scratch and not been happy! Raw chick peas must be used not tinned.
 
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I was also thinking that nothing sweet had been suggested and wondered about Chocolate Fondants. That is the deceptively simple but notoriously tricky pudding where the molten chocolate pours out of the centre. Masterchef contestants mess it up frequently!

Chocolate Truffles (please forgive me @SatNavSaysStraightOn) are really too easy IMHO. But I'll listen to with whatever others think.

Lets have more suggestions from other participants.
 
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morning glory said:
A tagine cooking vessel isn't needed to make a tagine. The dish is named after the traditional cooking vessel but can be cooked in a casserole dish or on the hob.
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We have one somewhere, but ever use it. A cast iron, lidded casserole on the hob works just as well.

Chinese dumplings sound interesting. Pate is another thought - can be meat, fish or veggie.
 
epicuric said:
Pate is another thought - can be meat, fish or veggie.
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Something I make once a week every week.

we could do sourdough.
you only need 7-10 days to get a culture going in summer and it be active enough to use for bread making.
a proper sourdough cold proofed in a fridge isn't that straight forward to be suceesful, though I do prefer rye sourdoughs with a good dense grain, not light fluffy sourdoughs - no yeast to be used.

morning glory said:
Chocolate Truffles (please forgive me @SatNavSaysStraightOn) are really too easy IMHO. But I'll listen to with whatever others think.
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I disagree. making your own chocolate and getting your own ganache from scratch to be correct isn't that easy.

but then a veg tagine in a casserole dish is just a seasoned, appropriately spiced casserole if no tagine is used.
 
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