TAGLIATELLE & RAVIOLI
INGREDIENTS
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Eggs (1 for every 80/100 grams of flour – for two people)
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Flour
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Salt
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Olive oil
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Make a “volcano” with the flour and then crack the eggs in the center.
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Add a few pinches of salt and a couple tablespoons of olive oil.
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Mix the eggs in center of the volcano with a fork. Be careful not to let the volcano “erupt!”
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Once the eggs and oil are mixed well, knead the dough with your hands until it is the proper consistency.
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Cut the dough into pieces and roll it out flat, adding flour if the dough sticks to the rolling pin.
For the Tagliatelle, fold the flattened dough inward from each side a couple of times, and then use a knife to cut short pieces that when unrolled/unfolded will be long like ribbons.
For Ravioli, place teaspoonfuls of the filling (ingredients and instructions below) approximately 1-2 inches apart on one half of the flattened dough.
Fold the dough over and press around the filling to squeeze the air out.
Use a cutting tool to separate each ravioli into squares (or whatever shape you prefer).
For the ravioli filling, use equal parts of boiled spinach and ricotta cheese, a smaller portion of parmigiano cheese, some grated nutmeg and two eggs. After chopping the boiled spinach into small pieces, mix all the ingredients together very well and place on the dough (as indicated above).
To prepare the pasta, boil the tagliatelle and/or ravioli in salted water for a few minutes until they are ready to eat.
The best sauce to use with tagliatelle is a meat ragu.
The best sauce for the ravioli is melted butter and a little bit of fresh sage.
GNOCCHI
INGREDIENTS
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Medium-size yellow potatoes (500 grams - for two people)
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Flour (150 grams)
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Salt
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Eggs (1)
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Boil the potatoes whole, with the skin left on.
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Let them cool until they are lukewarm and then remove the skins by hand.
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Smash the potatoes with a potato masher (or other kind of utensil).
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Make a volcano with the potatoes and enough flour (as well as a couple of pinches of salt) and break approximately three eggs inside.
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Use a fork to stir the mixture until you can mash it with your hands. The resulting dough should have a sticky consistency. Cut the dough into small pieces and roll it out into a long, snake-like form.
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Be sure to use a lot of flour so that the dough does not stick.
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Once you have a long, skinny snake, cut it into small pieces and roll each piece in flour to prevent the pieces from sticking together.
To prepare the gnocchi, drop the small pieces into boiling salted water. When they rise to the top they are ready.
The best sauce to use with gnocchi is pesto.