patriziamariapia
Über Member
well done
The CookingBites Cookalong: Ravioli
- Thread starter Morning Glory
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Ken Natton
Über Member
They look simply beautiful. You see, aiming for a stronger yellow was where I had picked up using one whole egg and two egg yolks per 100 gramms or so of flour. As @patriziamariapia says, I do not tend to use any olive oil, just flour and eggs. So the strength of colour of your pasta is just down to the richness of the eggs? And to get the beautiful fluted edges you are using a cutter meant for ravioli?
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Ken Natton
Über Member
Always, for a simple Englishman like me, the great unknown is how you know when you have kneaded the dough enough. I keep hearing suggestions that there is a noticeable change in the character of the dough when it is enough, but I am never sure when I have got there. I mean, I knead it for what seems like long time, but I never get a clear sense that I have done enough.
MypinchofItaly
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Fantastic!
The Black Farmer eggs are extraordinary. The yolk is intense orange. Available from Ocado. There is a thread somewhere about egg yolk colour in which they feature! The nearest equivalent is Burford Brown or Cotswold Legbar eggs (both available from Waitrose and Ocado). Alternatively a pinch or two of ground turmeric added to the flour will do the trick! That's what Ottolenghi suggests...
The ravioli cutter is rubbish. It didn't cut very well and I had to use lots of pressure and then the handle broke off half way through! It was the first time I'd used it. I'm sure there are better ones. You can see the cutter before the handle fell off, in the first photo.
I kneaded it for less than 5 mins. But if I use a pasta machine I barely knead it at all - just enough to get it smooth. The repeated rolling and stretching by the machine 'kneads' the dough!
The broken ravioli cutter!
That looks cheap to begin with.
epicuric
Legendary Member
I bought one last year but have yet to use it. It is round, not square like yours. I was looking at it yesterday and trying to work out if it cuts and seals in one operation. Surely if you cut both sides first then put the filling on one before topping with the other side then the edges won't line up? I was thinking of doing a whole row at a time, then whizzing along stamping them out, sealing and cutting in one go. Or have I got this wrong?
What thickness do you roll your dough out to?
Ken Natton
Über Member
Hmmm, you are right on it there @epicuric. Whenever a contestant on Masterchef makes ravioli that is well received, they invariably eulogise about how thin and delicate the pasta is. And the point about the two halves not matching up if the top half is stretched over the filling is very true. So if you are going to cut the pieces first, I would suggest cutting the top half a little larger. But yes, I think that is the very reason behind the technique of laying your filling in little piles along the length of the bottom, uncut strip - leaving plenty of space of course, then laying your top strip over and pressing down around each pile, and then cutting to size. The first difficulty with that technique is that it is very wasteful of pasta - and my experience is that if you try and reform the excess to roll it out again, you finish with something that is overworked, breaks up and is just unusable. And the second point about that technique is that it still isn't necessarily any easier to get the two layers to seal.
Mine certainly wouldn't cut and seal. I rolled it out pretty well as thin as possible without tearing it! As to the edges lining up - well they just seem to if you look at mine.
Ken Natton
Über Member
Well, not perfect, but the closest I have come. This afternoon, I made 15 ravioli, 15 made it to the pot and 15 made it to the plate. The contents were lamb mince with rosemary, garlic, cumin, and the sauce was a basic tomato sauce. Three others participated in the consumption and they were fairly universally well received. I mean, understand, I liked them, but it helps if others like them too. Sorry, no photographs, I meant to photograph them but at the moment of serving completely forgot. Only remembered after everyone had finished. I'm not done with them yet, another attempt to make them better is in my plans.
Oh and they were not even for tea, I am making the Nigel Slater Sweet and Sour Chicken - but that's another thread...
Oh and they were not even for tea, I am making the Nigel Slater Sweet and Sour Chicken - but that's another thread...
Well it is sounding as if you are perfecting the technique.
What did you do? I mean in terms of the cutting and 'sealing'.
Ken Natton
Über Member
Well it is sounding as if you are perfecting the technique.
Well, I think the key things in terms of the difference with the other night were, to start with, I made a better job of the pasta itself - one thing that has definitely progressed in my last few attempts at making pasta is I am getting better at that. Then I did use quite a bit more flour, to dust the surface I laid the strips out on, and even while I was rolling it. In any case, it came off the surface much better. It's a shame I didn't photograph them, they were circular and looked a little like flying saucers. They were pale in colour though and, though the filling was nice, I don't think they were the best. Just another step along the road of learning to make something really worth talking about.
Did you pick them up to seal them? I found that the best way. The pale colour is only to do with the type of eggs. As aforementioned, if you can't get Ocado Black Farmer eggs or get to a Waitrose for Burford Browns or Cotswold Legbar then use a few pinches of ground turmeric in the dough.
I love the fact you are trying it over and over. as I am too. Its a learning curve for me. I'm going to try a few more ideas in the next few weeks.