Ravioli

[Howie Hart]

So, I bought a ravioli attachment for my pasta maker recently and have been making them for 3 days. I've filled my freezer with cheese, meat and butternut squash ravioli. Those little suckers are a lot of work.

[Jon Peterson]

I'm a little jealous, Howie, and wish I had your freezer. Ravioli are a lot of work but now, in your freezer, they are like money in the bank.
What kind of pasta maker do you use?

[Howie Hart]

I have the Marcato Atlas 150 pasta machine and I recently bought the Fantes ravioli maker ($20) at a shop in Portsmouth, NH, which fits the Atlas: http://www.fantes.com/pasta-makers-parts.html.

[Mark Lipton]

I have the Marcato Atlas 150 pasta machine and I recently bought the Fantes ravioli maker ($20) at a shop in Portsmouth, NH, which fits the Atlas: http://www.fantes.com/pasta-makers-parts.html.

Interesting, Howie. I confess that we just use the traditional method of rolling out two sheets, spooning the filling onto one, placing the second sheet over it and then cutting out the shapes. Most of the time I use the rim of a small cup to cut out round shapes, though one can simply cut squares out using a knife. The edges then get crimped with a fork. With a little practice, I find that it can be done fairly quickly and simply. YMMV of course.

Mark Lipton

[Carl Eppig]

We can make it quite rapidly by using the ravioli maker that just sits on the counter. You put the dough on it and push it into the depressions. Then you fill them, put another dough on top, and crimp and cut it. Viola!

[Jenise]

Howie, that's wonderful. How does it work--does it cut perforations into the dough that tear apart easily after stuffing?

[Howie Hart]

Howie, that's wonderful. How does it work--does it cut perforations into the dough that tear apart easily after stuffing?

It make indentations, but they are not complete. It produces a sheet, 2 wide and 5-7 long, depending on how long the pasta sheet is. I finish the cut with my mother's old zigzag wheel. For the dough I use 1-1/2 cups bread flour, 1/2 cup semolina, 2 large eggs and about a tablespoon of water and run half of it through the pasta machine (which has settings from 1-9) at a time, 6 times on 1 then thinner up to 7. I'm taking the butternut squash raviolis with butter-sage sauce to a Fall bonfire party on Saturday.

[Jenise]

Howie, that's wonderful. How does it work--does it cut perforations into the dough that tear apart easily after stuffing?

It make indentations, but they are not complete. It produces a sheet, 2 wide and 5-7 long, depending on how long the pasta sheet is. I finish the cut with my mother's old zigzag wheel. For the dough I use 1-1/2 cups bread flour, 1/2 cup semolina, 2 large eggs and about a tablespoon of water and run half of it through the pasta machine (which has settings from 1-9) at a time, 6 times on 1 then thinner up to 7. I'm taking the butternut squash raviolis with butter-sage sauce to a Fall bonfire party on Saturday.

Okay, that's how I thought it would have to work. Your Atlas has settings 1-9? I'm pretty sure my old one, and my Kitchen Aid attachment, both only go to six or seven at the highest. Nine must be super thin. And, bread flour! I've not used bread flour before, though I've used the flour-semolina blend and agree it's the best for ravioli. Bread flour probably makes those thin sheets extra strong.

[Mark Lipton]

Okay, that's how I thought it would have to work. Your Atlas has settings 1-9? I'm pretty sure my old one, and my Kitchen Aid attachment, both only go to six or seven at the highest. Nine must be super thin.

Mine goes to 11. Actually, 5. I can't imagine what a setting of 9 would give me.

Mark Lipton

[Mike Filigenzi]

Mine goes to 11.
Mark Lipton

I HAVE to get one of those!!!!!

[Howie Hart]

I think the settings could be spaced differently. The 5 on one machine might be the same thickness as 9 on another.

[Gary Bobier]

You are correct. The pasta is not thinner on 9 as aposed to 5. You just area able to have more of a choice of thickness when you have 9 settings.

[Karen/NoCA]

Ummmm, love butternut squash ravioli with sage butter. I have beautiful sage plant in my herb garden and it does not get the use it should. I should make up a browned butter sage sauce to serve over pasta. Frost will soon hit and my plant will loose it's leaves until spring.