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Goat Cheese Raviolis with Blistered Sugar Plum Tomatoes and Hefeweizen Marinara & How to Make Homemade Raviolis

Beer Raviolis

Homemade raviolis are a food lovers endeavor. It’s time consuming, physically trying, and a bit tedious. There are plenty of places that can sell you beautiful hand made raviolis, but you do it because you want to be there. In the kitchen, shoulders aching from kneading, hands covered with yolk and flour, feeling a connection to the Sicilian grandmothers who stood barefoot on unfinished wooden floors teaching the art to their eager but bored grandchildren.

It’s as much about the journey as it is about the cheese filled destination. I love homemade pasta, there is something meditative about the repetition of the process. I’m always glad for the time I spent, pushing myself closer to mastering the craft of pasta making. And the end product is a handsome reward for the labor.

I used the KitchenAid pasta rollers. I love these, and even though they are more than most people want to spend on what will probably be an occasional use item, it’s a worth while investment. I don’t use these often, but when I do, I’m so glad I have them. The set comes with three rollers: a pasta dough roller (to make sheets), a  fettuccine cutter and a spaghetti cutter. Because they’re automatic (meaning you don’t have to use one hand to crank the roller) it makes feeding the pasta into the roller fantastically easy. The KitchenAid pasta roller and cutters are also very well made and should last a life time, long enough for you to pass down to your future eager but bored grandchildren.

How To Make Raviolis

On a flat surface add the flour. Make a well with walls that are about 1 inch thick, make sure the well is large enough to hold the eggs, milk and oil.

How to make Raviolis 1

Add the yolks, egg, milk and oil. Break the yolks.

How to make Raviolis 2

Using your fingers, or a fork, stir quickly. The motion will allow the liquid to pick up flour from the walls and will gradually become thicker. This will take about 10 minutes.

How to make Raviolis 3

As the liquid becomes thicker, close to a paste consistency, start to push the flour walls up over and into the liquid pool. Continue to stir until the flour and liquid is mostly incorporated.

How to make Raviolis 4

Pull the dough into a ball, it will be shaggy and seem a bit dry.

How to make Raviolis 5

Knead on a flat surface with the heel of your hand, this will take a ten to fifteen minutes. Knead until the dough is smooth and slightly elastic. If you aren’t sure if the dough is done, keep kneading. This isn’t a dough that can be over worked, but too little kneading is a problem.

How to make Raviolis 6

Put dough into a small bowl and cover tightly and allow to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
How to make Raviolis 7

Cut into 4 sections. Place any dough sections you are not working with back in the bowl and cover.

How to make Raviolis 8

One at a time, roll out the dough sections to about ¼ to ½ inch rectangle.

How to make Raviolis 10

Attach the KitchenAid Pasta Roller attachment to your stand mixer.

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Set the thickness to 1 (the thickest setting). Turn the KitchenAid stand mixer to a speed of 2.Feed the dough rectangle into the pasta roller narrowest side first.

How to make Raviolis 11

Pass through two or three times. Narrow the thickness to a 3. Pass the dough sheet through two or three times, this should get easier and easier with each pass.

How to make Raviolis 12

Narrow the thickness to a 5. Pass the dough sheet through two or three times, this should get easier and easier with each pass. You want the dough sheets to be so thin you can see through them.

How to make Raviolis 15

 

Lay the sheets on a flat surface. It’s best to do this one at a time, moving through the steps as not to let the dough dry out, but for the purposes of photography and natural light, I broke that rule.

How to make Raviolis 16

Place about 2-3 tsp of filling on the dough sheets about 1 ½ inches apart, in to rows.

How to make Raviolis 17

Brush the dough with water around the balls of filling. Top with second sheet of pasta.

How to make Raviolis 18

Press the pasta around the filling, sealing well.

How to make Raviolis 19

Use a sharp knife or a pastry wheel to cut into squares.

How to make Raviolis 20

Place on a plate, allow to sit for about 10 minutes.

How to make Raviolis 21

Cook in a pot of lightly salted boiling water until raviolis float and are cooked through.

Drain, plate and top with sauce.

Goat Cheese Raviolis with Blistered Sugar Plum Tomatoes and Hefeweizen Marinara

Ingredients
  

  • 1 ¾ cups sifted all-purpose flour
  • 3 large egg yolks room temperature
  • 1 large egg room temperature
  • 1 ½ teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • 3 ounces goat cheese
  • 2 tbs chop fresh herbs, if desired

For The Marinara

  • 1 lb sugar plum tomatoes or grape tomatoes
  • 1 tbs olive oil
  • ½ white onion chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 cup beer
  • 5 large basil leaves chopped
  • 1 tsp chopped fresh oregano
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • 2 tbs tomato paste

Instructions
 

  • On a flat surface add the flour. Make a well with walls that are about 1 inch thick, make sure the well is large enough to hold the eggs, milk and oil.
  • Add the yolks, egg, milk and oil. Break the yolks.
  • Using your fingers, stir quickly. The motion will allow the liquid to pick up flour from the walls and will gradually become thicker. This will take about 10 minutes.
  • As the liquid becomes thicker, close to a paste consistency, start to push the flour walls up over and into the liquid pool. Continue to stir until the flour and liquid is mostly incorporated.
  • Pull the dough into a ball, it will be shaggy and seem a bit dry.
  • Knead on a flat surface with the heel of your hand, this will take a ten to fifteen minutes. Knead until the dough is smooth and slightly elastic. If you aren’t sure if the dough is done, keep kneading. This isn’t a dough that can be over worked, but too little kneading is a problem.
  • Put dough into a small bowl and cover tightly and allow to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
  • Cut into 4 sections. Place any dough sections you are not working with back in the bowl and cover.
  • One at a time, roll out the dough sections to about ¼ to ½ inch rectangle.
  • Attach the KitchenAid Pasta Roller attachment to your stand mixer.
  • Set the thickness to 1 (the thickest setting).
  • Turn the KitchenAid stand mixer to a speed of 2.
  • Feed the dough rectangle into the pasta roller narrowest side first.
  • Pass through two or three times.
  • Narrow the thickness to a 3. Pass the dough sheet through two or three times, this should get easier and easier with each pass.
  • Narrow the thickness to a 5. Pass the dough sheet through two or three times, this should get easier and easier with each pass. You want the dough sheets to be so thin you can see through them.
  • Lay the sheets on a flat surface.
  • Place about 2-3 tsp of goat cheese on the dough sheets about 1 ½ inches apart, in to rows.
  • Brush the dough with water around the balls of goat cheese (sprinkle with fresh herbs, if desired). Top with second sheet of pasta.
  • Press the pasta around the filling, sealing well. Use a sharp knife or a pastry wheel to cut into squares.
  • Place on a plate, allow to sit for about 10 minutes.
  • Cook in a pot of lightly salted boiling water until raviolis float and are cooked through.
  • Drain, plate and top with sauce.

Make the sauce:

  • Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat, cook the onions until soft about five minutes.
  • Add the tomatoes, cook until soft and the skin has blistered. Add the garlic, cook for about 30 seconds.
  • Add the beer and cook until the beer has mostly evaporated, about ten minutes.
  • Add the remaining basil, oregano, salt and pepper, stir, remove from heat.
  • Add to a food processor along with the tomato paste, process until smooth.

Beer Raviolis

Pasta Cavatelli: Homemade Pasta Without A Pasta Roller

How To Make Pasta Without A Pasta Machine

I love hearing other peoples Culinary Bucket Lists. It’s always a really interesting mix of classic recipes, mastering techniques, and difficult dishes. I love that, it shows range.

But seriously people, start crossing some of this stuff off. You can do it. Just jump right in, and do it.

This is a great recipe for everyone that has "Make Pasta From Scratch" on your list because you don’t need any fancy equiptment. Just some flour, water and a knife.

You’ve go this.

I’m going to be honest with you, this is a bit labor intensive. But you can finally draw that satisfying line though the item that’s been taunting you on your bucket list for years. You can finally say things like, "This one time, while I was making pasta from scratch…" and "Well, when I make my pasta…"

It’ll be fun.

Homemade Cavatelli Pasta

2 cups All Purpose flour

1 cup Semolina flour

½ tsp salt

1 cup warm water

 

1. Add both kinds of flour and salt to a flat surface, mix to combine.

How To Make Pasta Without A Pasta Roller

2. Make a well in the middle and add the water.

How To Make Pasta Without A Pasta Roller2

3. Stir the liquid and the flour together until combined. Then knead until smooth, about 5 minutes.

How To Make Pasta Without A Pasta Roller3

4. Cut into 4 pieces, wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

How To Make Pasta Without A Pasta Roller4

5. One at at time, take a piece of dough and form into a long log about 1/4 to 1/2 inch in diameter.

How To Make Pasta Without A Pasta Roller5 How To Make Pasta Without A Pasta Roller6

6. Cut off about 1/4 inch slice and place in front of you. It should be about the size of a dime.

How To Make Pasta Without A Pasta Roller7

 

How To Make Pasta Without A Pasta Roller8

7. Place a bench knife (I use this one, I love it), or the dull side of a butter knife, on the far side of the dough circle, pull towards you smearing the dough against the counter. The dough should curl up over the knife.

How To Make Pasta Without A Pasta Roller9

8. It should look like a little canoe.

How To Make Pasta Without A Pasta Roller10

10. Place on a baking sheet that has been lightly dusted with flour until ready to use. Basically, if you mound them on top of each other, they’ll stick.

How To Make Pasta Without A Pasta Roller11

11. Cook immediately in lightly salted water until al dente or allow to dry and store in an air tight container.

How To Make Pasta Without A Pasta Roller12

 

 

Look at you, you homemade pasta maker.

I’m so impressed with your mad skills.

 

 

Homemade Beer Marinara From Scratch

 

The first time I made marinara was a complete accident.

Just a few months after I nearly accidentally graduated college, I got a job working with teenage gang members in South Central Los Angeles. You are free to laugh at the idea of a very white girl, who grew up on a farm in Eastern Washington, working in South Central. With gang kids.

I sat on one side of a light oak dining table in a small Group Home, a transitional respite for kids who had been released from jail but who were still on probation, to talk with Dominick. He was from a rough area of Compton, and had found his way to the seat across from me via a GTA charge and a hot temper. But to me, he was a baby faced 14-year-old who secretly liked Whitney Houston. This was our first meeting, and part of my job was to compile a list of his "Triggers." Anything that made him angry enough to lash out, to do something that could land his ass back in jail. We both had the same goal: get him back home. Most kids, in my short 4 months of experience all had a very similar trigger. This usually centered around someone "talking shit" about them, their mom, or their crew. Maybe a handful of other miscellaneous and understandable offenses.

When I asked Dominick what triggered him, what drove him to a rage that welled up in him a feeling of violence that once caused him to send a chair on a journey through a class room window, his face fell flat.

"What?" I was so curious, "What makes you that mad?"

He took a deep breath and lowered his voice, "When those mother fuckin' girls make human pyramids."

I laughed so hard I felt bad about it. His young face broke open into a sweet smile, "Jackie, I’m not gonna lie.." He started to giggle, "Pisses me the fuck off, I have no idea why. I want to push those chicks right over."

Fair enough. My job was to teach him how to deal with his anger, no matter what triggered it.

He wanted to learn how to cook, and he wanted to make Spaghetti. He thought that cooking might help him channel his anger. We didn’t have any sauce, but his group home staff had just come into ownership of 10 pounds of tomatoes, so we made do.

Because of Dominick, and his human pyramid hating ways, I will always love a good, homemade, can free, marinara.

Homemade Beer Marinara From Scratch

3 lbs tomatoes

1 large head of garlic

1 tbs olive oil, plus 2 additional tbs, divided

1 large white onion, chopped

1 large carrot, peeled and diced

16 ounces wheat beer (Golden Road Hefeweizen is a great choice)

1/3 cup chopped basil leaves

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 400.

Rub the head of garlic until about half of the papery white skin comes off. Cut a small amount of the tip off the head of the garlic, just enough to expose all of the cloves. Place on a small piece of aluminum foil and drizzle with about 1 tbs of olive oil. Fold the foil tightly around the garlic, place on a baking sheet. Cut the tomatoes into quarters and place them on the baking sheet along with the garlic packet.

Roast the tomatoes and the garlic at 400 for 20-30 minutes or until the tomatoes are soft and the skin starts to peel back from the flesh. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

The skin of the tomatoes should be very easy to remove at this point, peel the skin off the tomatoes and discard. Place a fine mesh sieve or strainer over a bowl. Scoop the seeds into the strainer and place the remaining part of the peeled and seeded tomato into a bowl, repeat until all of the tomatoes have been seeded. Allow the seeds to continue to drain while you make the rest of the sauce.

In a pot over medium high heat, add 2 tbs olive oil. Add the onions and carrots, sauté until carrots are soft and onions are translucent. Add the beer, seeded and peeled tomatoes and whatever juice has accumulated in the bowl beneath the tomato seeds. Discard the seeds. Remove the head of garlic from the foil packet and squeeze the soft head until the cloves comes out and into the sauce. Add the salt, pepper and basil.

Reduce heat to maintain a low simmer, allow to cook and reduce until thickened, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

If you want a smoother sauce, add to a food processor and process until smooth.

Use this with my Homemade Beer Ricotta to make a beer infused Lasagna or stuffed Rigatoni.

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