2011 Cooking Club Week 28: Duo of Ravioli and Panna Cotta

emc2

So Not at all what I had planned to make for this but these things happen...I am sure people might say why make pasta but if you need an escape in the kitchen for a couple of hours to lose yourself will there's nothing better.

I decided to make 2 types of Ravioli Mince Beef and goats cheese and spinach
Ingredients for the pasta:
4 Eggs
300g ’00’ flour
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
Salt

I just stick all of these in the food processor until they start to come together like bread crumbs. Bring them together on a floured board and kneed for about 5 minutes. (See photo5.jpg)Then stick this in the fridge for at least 45 minutes. While this is chilling I make my fillings below.
After the pasta has had time to rest in the fridge you need to roll it out. It’s always easier to do this with a pasta roller but if you don’t have one it not too hard with a rolling pin. It’s best to break it down into small balls and to roll it out from them. The thinner you can get your pasta the better it will taste and the more even it will cook. I try my best to get it almost paper thin but it’s not always easy.
Ingredients for the Spinach filling:
Goats Cheese (about 100g)
Fresh Baby Spinach
Black pepper
A Clove of Garlic
Shread the Spinach. In a bowl mix the goats cheese and the crushed clove of garlic add black pepper to taste and mix the spinach through. (See photo3.jpg)
Ingredients for the Beef filling:
1lb of Mince beef
2 slices of bacon (if you have it)
Clove of garlic
2 shallots (or a small onion)
Oregano
A dash of olive oil
A small Chilli (deseeded to taste)
1 tbsp Worchester Sauce
Grated Pepper to taste
50g Grated Parmesan cheese
In a frying pan fry off the ingredients above except for the parmesan, once fried drain of the excess oil and place into a bowl to cool at this stage mix through the Parmesan. (See Photo4)
So at this stage you have your two fillings and also your super thin pasta so it’s just a case of making your ravioli, I tend to make smaller goats cheese ones (See Photo 1) and bigger meat one (See Photo 2). To make the ravioli place a spoonful of the filling on the sheet of pasta. Using water and your finger make a circle around the filling and cover with another sheet of pasta, this will help seal the ravioli. I either use a cookie cutter or even a glass to cut the ravioli into circles and then use a fork to ensure that they are sealed.
The measurements above should make enough for about 4 adults. (See Photo ).
They need to be cooked for 4-5 minutes in boiling salted water, just test one to ensure that they are cooked. I serve mine with my standard tomato sauce (tomatoes, garlic, onions, chill, peppers, bacon and ground pepper) and some grated parmesan. (See Photo 8)

emc2

Panna Cotta
As a special treat for you guys I made Panna Cotta too (any excuse to make them to be honest!)

For this you need:
250mls Double Cream
250mls Milk
125g Caster Sugar
1 Vanilla Pod
6g of Gelatine (2 sheets if using sheet gelatine)
(See Photo6)
A beautiful desert that’s really simple to make. Add the milk, cream and sugar into a pot over a medium heat. Split the Vanilla pod and add to the pot. Once the sugar has dissolved and the vanilla has softened remove the vanilla pod and scrape the seeds into the pot. Add the Gelatine and mix well until dissolved. Split between 4 bowls and put into the fridge to set (usually takes about 2 hours). Serve with fresh fruit or a coolie or eat straight from the bowl! (See Photo7)

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thanks for posting this, I bought some 00 flour a few weeks back with pasta making in mind.

will get on this at the weekend, cheers.

John Mason

oh, thanks. des has been talking about making me pasta for months

Little Alex

So, I made the pasta last night with goat's cheese and today with minced beef.

I sprinkled some Parmesan over the ravioli and grilled them for a few minutes:



I had the panna cotta with blueberries:



They were lovely so thanks for the recipes!