Best Ravioli Recipe Ever

The Best Ravioli Dough Ever

The secret to remarkable ravioli dough is stretch. You need a forgiving dough to pull over your fillings, one that will bend and expand without cracking or ripping. The base dough that we use for all three pasta in this primer is made to do just that.

Thickness is another huge factor here. If you ravioli dough is too thick, the corners (where the two layers of dough come together) will be much thicker than the rest of the ravioli. This leaves you with undercooked dough, which will give you an unpleasantly chewy and crunchy texture. The solution  Make sure your dough is thin. Whether you’re rolling by hand or using a pasta machine, you want to be able to see the shadow of your hand move behind the dough when you hold it up to the light. Spending the extra couple of minutes is totally worth it.

Not all pasta dough can be ravioli dough, but this ravioli dough is great for basically any pasta. The secret is the use of both egg and oil in the dough, which allow for a bit more flexibility than a traditional egg and wheat pasta dough. It’s the ultimate ravioli dough and your best friend through this cooking process.

Spinach and ricotta ravioli with sage butter

Preparation time: 1-2 hours

Cooking time: 10 to 30 mins

Serves: Serves 4–6

Equipment: for this recipe, you will need a pasta machine.

Ingredients

• 360g/12 oz 00 flour, or strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
• 4 free-range eggs
• 200g/7oz fresh spinach washed and drained
• 200g/7oz ricotta
• 40g/1 oz Parmesan (or a vegetarian alternative), finely grated, plus extra to serve
• 1 lemon, grated zest only
• 20g/ oz fresh sage leaves stalks discarded
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 100g/3 oz unsalted butter 
• sea salt and black pepper 

Method

• Put the flour, eggs and a large pinch of salt into the bowl of a freestanding mixer fitted with a dough hook and mix gently until it comes together. It may seem very dry at first, but it will gradually form a dough. If, after a minute or so, it still seems crumbly, add 1–2 teaspoons water, kneading after each addition. Continue to knead for 6–8 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and stretchy, and springs back when you press your finger into it. Divide the dough into four equal pieces, wrap tightly in cling film and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, put the spinach into a large dry frying pan and place over high heat. Cook the spinach, turning frequently, for 3–5 minutes until it has completely wilted. Drain in a sieve, pressing out as much liquid as possible, then wrap in a clean tea towel and press out any remaining liquid, so the spinach is as dry as possible. Finely chop the spinach and transfer to a bowl, together with the ricotta, Parmesan and lemon zest. Season to taste with salt and plenty of black pepper, mix well and set aside.
• Put the sage, garlic, and butter into a saucepan large enough to hold all the pasta once cooked. Place over medium-low heat until the butter melts, simmer gently for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat and leave to infuse. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
• Take one portion of dough from the fridge, remove the cling film and lightly dust the dough with flour. Flatten with a rolling pin to the width of your pasta machine. Feed the dough through on the widest setting, then fold each side of the dough to the center, as if you were folding a letter to fit inside an envelope. Feed the dough through on the widest setting again. Adjust the rollers to the next setting and roll the dough through the pasta machine again. Continue to roll the dough through the machine, decreasing the thickness by one setting each time and dusting with a little more flour if it becomes sticky. Do not be tempted to skip settings on the pasta machine, otherwise, the dough may tear.
• Once you have rolled it through the thinnest setting, cut the long sheet of pasta in half widthways. Lay one length on a floured work surface and set the other half to one side, covered with a clean damp tea towel.
• Place teaspoonfuls of the ricotta mixture at even intervals along the middle of the pasta sheet, using no more than about a quarter of the mixture. You should be able to fit about nine teaspoons of filling along the sheet of pasta.
• Using a pastry brush and water, dampen the pasta around the ricotta filling. Now take the other half sheet of pasta and carefully lay it over the ricotta, gently pressing down around the mounds of filling and pushing out any air pockets. Using a sharp knife, trim the pasta into evenly sized squares of ravioli, then lay them out on a tray, dust with a little flour and cover with cling film.
• Keep the trimmings for other pasta dishes, or to throw into soup. Roll out and fill the remaining three pieces of pasta in the same way.
• When ready to serve, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and place the pan of sage butter over low heat. Cook the ravioli (in batches if necessary) in the boiling water for about 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and add to the pan of sage butter. Gently stir to combine, then serve immediately with a little more Parmesan and black pepper.