Pasta and Two Ravioli Fillings

I really want to be Italian. My desires to be Italian seem rather nonsensical since I love French and almost all things French, but I love Italian food. I love the way Italians prepare food, eat food, and talk about food. I have wanted to go on an eating vacation of Italy for quite some time, and Bryant surprised me this Christmas with 3 Italian vacation brochures in my Christmas stocking so that we could plan a trip to Italy in 2009. Neither of us knew that my desires to go to Italy would be so drastically reduced by making ravioli. It is not because I love Italy any less, but rather because making my own ravioli let me be, in a ridiculously small and pitiful way, Italian. I know it sounds strange, but after reading The Lost Ravioli Recipes of Hoboken and dreaming of tender pockets of pasta stuffed with delectable fillings, so much of my ideas of Italy became intertwined with pasta. Bryant feels like he can never win, but I remind him that is a woman's prerogative to change her mind. I'm not saying I don't want to go to Italy (because I still do) but I don't need to anymore, and that is a good feeling.

Pasta Dough
makes 1 lb pasta
1 c 00 flour (even I could find this in Boise, but if you can't you can use all-purpose)
1 c all-purpose flour
1 c semolina or all-purpose flour for dusting
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp olive oil
2 eggs
tepid water, beginning with 4 to 6 tablespoons, adding a little more at a time (I sometimes need up to 1/4 c depending on the amount of moisture in the air.)

You can do this in a food processor or by hand. I could write out the directions but take it from me, it is so much easier to watch someone else do it because certain motions are hard to describe verbally. Go to http://www.lauraschenone.com/ and watch her demonstration on rolling pasta by hand. It is on YouTube and I think you can just do a search for THE LOST RAVIOLI RECIPES OF HOBOKEN.

Spread the filling mixture onto the pasta about an 1/8 of an inch thick leaving a 1/2 inch empty boarder. Remember, only spread the filling on half of the dough. Fold the other half of the dough on top of the filling and imprint a grid of squares. I do not have any fancy tools, so I use the wooden handle of my spatula to press a grid pattern into my ravioli (I prefer this method) and then after I have pressed very hard I cut out the individual squares with a sharp knife.

Let the ravioli dry at least a half hour before cooking. (You can freeze them at this point in a singly layer and then once frozen store in ziploc bags.) Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and stir. Add ravioli and cook until floating, about 3 minutes. Serve immediately!

Ricotta Cheese Filling
1 1/2 c whole milk ricotta cheese
1/4 c plus 2 Tbs Parmigiano-Reggiano
salt and pepper to taste
a sprinkle of freshly grated nutmeg
1 egg, lightly scrambled.

Combine first 5 ingredients and taste for seasoning. Add egg and stir to combine. You can also add 1 c loosely packed fresh spinach, washed, stems removed, and minced very fine. Serve the ravioli with a marinara sauce.

Butternut Squash Filling
I have had far to many bad butternut squash ravioli. I think these are the best, and amazingly this is a recipe I created! I am more of a copycat cook than an original cook so this is quite the accomplishment for me.
1 can butternut squash puree (I buy the Farmer's Market organic brand that you can easily find on amazon.com or in Whole Foods) you can also make fresh butternut squash puree by roasting cubes of butternut squash until tender and pureeing them in a blender until smooth.
1 Tbs fresh sage, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 c diced shallot or onion
1/8 lb imported proscuitto
1 Tbs olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Heat olive oil in a large skillet until hot, add onion and saute until tender. Add garlic, sage, and prosciutto and saute for 1 minute. Add butternut squash puree, stir to combine and heat through. Remove from heat and add grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and season to taste. Cool completely before using. ***My favorite way to serve this ravioli is with a reduction of homemade chicken stock and a sprinkle of Parmigiano-Reggiano. To reduce chicken stock simply bring it to a boil in a small saucepan and let it reduce down to half of its original volume. Spoon over ravioli and top with Parmigiano-Reggiano. You can also serve this with a small bit of butter and the Parmigiano-Reggiano.