Making Italian Ravioli at Home

The Ravioli of Venice...

I haven't forgotten about my Patch friends. No, no -- I've been in Italy for the past few weeks, learning how to make the food the make so famous. 

After arriving in Venice I felt as if I was traveling back in time. Walking the streets I was constantly reminded of Marco Polo who is said to be responsible for bringing spaghetti from Asia to Italy.

Italians started using wheat instead of rice, and began to create some of our most popular pastas such as; spaghetti, lasagna and ravioli. Each region in Italy may have the same type of pasta but they had different names for each. All pasta whether egg based or dry can be classified into one of three Classical preparations; cooked pasta served with a sauce or condiment, pasta used with a broth or soup and finally pastas that are baked.

The one we are making today is the ravioli, believed to have been created in Venice, Italy in the 14 century with blanched fresh herbs mixed with egg and fresh ricotta stuffed between two layers of fresh pasta. I searched the streets of Venice looking for the best ravioli just outside St. Marco Piazzo. I found and little restaurant called Gianni da Trattoria. With fresh fish and pasta made daily I knew that this was the place to be!

Recipe:

Pasta
All purpose  flour               1lb
Whole egg                         3 each
Salt                                    Pinch


Filing
Parmesan cheese               1/2 cup
Marscapone cheese            3 tablespoon
Fresh herbs                        4 tablespoon

This is an easy recipe and is great to do with your kids. You can also make the pasta ahead of time and do an interactive dinner with friends by putting out a few different fillings such as cheese, sausage, tomatoes, vegetables. Let everyone make their own.  

Watch the video, as I show you the steps for making this Italian classic.