Hand Rolled Pasta
A few summers ago, I found myself stranded on an island with my family during a gnarly spring storm. With nothing to pass the time, I looked around for something to cook other than lobster and clams. My mother-in-law had given me a pasta roller that Christmas and it had made its way to the island that weekend, so I settled on trying my hand at fresh pasta. As wind and rain pounded the cedar shingled cottage, I settled into our humble kitchen and began what would become an obsession.
By obsession, I mean flow charts, several afternoons of pasta making and rolling and so, SO many carbs. After all of this, I emerged with some pretty dope pasta skills and a great standby recipe. Fresh pasta isn't exactly a weeknight meal. From start to finish, I usually have close to an hour (or more) invest in a batch of dough. Despite the time commitment, there is a healing element that comes with working with dough that I love.
Of all the pasta Anthony and I have made together, ravioli is my favorite. Using the ravioli stamp my mom bought me years ago, we have made ravioli stuffed with lobster, spinach, cheese, onions, chicken, and so much more. Savory ravioli? Done. Sweet ravioli? Duh. Spicy ravioli? All day, every day.
With the holidays in full swing, Anthony and I have been busy rolling pasta and stuffing ravioli that we will give our family and friends for Christmas.
So far, we have made close to 100 ravioli and two pounds of dry shapes. The real star though, is the lobster ravioli and lobster packages. With lobster, shallots and ricotta these boys are rich and pure decadence and turned out remarkably well.
Rolling enough pasta and ravioli to gift as gifts for 8 people takes time, patience and love. Making dough is easy and stuffing ravioli is simple with the right technique and you can always find time to make things for yourself but finding time to make this much pasta, knowing I will not eat any of it, was the biggest challenge of all!
As we rolled however, I had time to reflect on who we were making these gifts for. My parents, my sister and brother-in-law. Anthony's mother and our friends. For me, these are people who have seen me through so many passages in my life, each of them leaving their mark and impression on me. I do not live close to most of my family but we remain close in each other's hearts and I cannot wait to see everyone this year.
Lobster Ravioli
Ingredients
For the Dough
2 cups flour
2 whole eggs
4 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
For the Filling
1 T Olive Oil
2 C Chopped Shallots
1 1/4 lbs. cooked lobster meat
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 tablespoon fennel seed, toasted and ground
zest of 2 lemons
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon thyme
3 cups ricotta cheese
1 cup parmesan cheese
Directions
1. Make the dough:
o In the bowl of a stand-mixer, combine the flour and salt. Using the hook blade, slowly mix in the eggs and knead until a shaggy dough is formed.
o Turn off the machine and carefully knead the dough by hand in the bowl until it comes together into one piece.
o On a light floured work surface, knead the dough until it comes together. Wrap in plastic wrap and allow the dough to rest in the refrigerator for one hour.
2. While the dough is resting, heat the olive oil in a heavy pan. Add the shallots and cook over medium high heat until they just begin to brown. Transfer to a mixing bowl and turn off the stove.
3. Pulse the lobster in a food processor until it is finely chopped, add to the shallots and stir. Stir in the pepper, fennel, lemon zest, nutmeg and thyme and add the parmesan and ricotta. Stir until the mixture is even and smooth.
4. Divide the dough into four pieces. Press the dough into small discs and roll with a rolling pin. Pass the dough through a pasta roller until the desired thickness is reached. (I go to 4 on my Kitchen Aide attachment)
5. Lay a pasta sheet flat on a lightly floured surface and cut in half. Set one half aside and lightly wet the other. Using a teaspoon, form the filling into 1-inch balls and arrange on the dough. Cover with the other sheet of dough and press the dough tightly around the balls of stuffing. Cut either with a stamp, pastry cutter or knife.
6. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and plunge the ravioli into the water. Once the ravioli float, remove from the water with a slotted spoon and serve with an herby browned butter and parmesan cheese.
