Ravioli is a very popular Italian dish. It is very popular because you can make ravioli to fit any person’s taste. You can use your own choice of filling and sauce. This make ravioli a very versatile dish. One very popular ravioli recipe is shrimp and porcine mushrooms. Before you begin cooking, it is important to get all of the ingredients and the cookware that you will need. In doing so, you will have everything that you need right at hand.
You will need the following ingredients:
Dough:
-10 egg yolks
-½ lb of all purpose white flour
-3 ½ oz of milk
-a pinch of salt
-a half cup of extra virgin olive oil
-1 whole egg
Filling:
-1/2 lb of shrimp
-1/2 lb of porchini mushrooms
-1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese
-1 tsp fresh thyme
-salt and pepper
-A whole clove of garlic
-1 egg yolk
Sauce:
-3 tomatoes, peeled and cut into small slices
-3 tbs extra virgin olive oil
-fresh thyme (a pinch)
-1 whole clove of garlic
Cookware:
-Saute pan
-Pot for boiling
-Large mixing bowl
-Cutting board
-Knife or blender
-Wooden spoon
-Dough cutter
-Brush
-Pastry bag
The first thing that you want to do when making your ravioli is preparing the dough. You want to pour your flour out on the counter top. Push the flour around in the middle to make the shape of an O. Pour the egg yolks into the O. You want to use egg yolks rather than the whole egg because eggs can make a rubbery dough. Add the milk and a bit of extra virgin olive oil. Using your fingers, break the yolks one by one while adding the flour around the yolks to the wet mixture. Keep pushing the mixture into the middle until it is all combined and in the shape of a ball. Squeeze the mixture until it becomes round and smooth. Once you have a nice, smooth, round ball of dough, set it aside.
Next, you will make your filling. Pour some olive oil into a pan, over medium heat. Add 2 cloves of garlic. You do not want to chop or crush the garlic because you will be taking it out of the oil. It is only to add taste to the oil, it is not going to be part of the filling. If you do not crush the garlic or cut it, you can remove it more easily. Allow the garlic to cook until it is golden brown, being careful not to burn it. Then remove it from the oil. Add the shrimp and mushrooms to the pan carefully. Be careful that the oil does not splash up in your face as it is hot. Season the shrimp and mushrooms with salt, pepper, and fresh thyme. Saute over the heat while stirring constantly. After a few minutes, when the shrimp is fully cooked, pour the mixture on the cutting board. Next you need to cut up the shrimp and mushroom mixture. If you prefer your filling chunky, cut the filling up with a knife. If you prefer your filling more creamy, you can use a blender to chop it up. Once chopped, put the mixture in a bowl and add some Parmesan cheese and an egg yolk and mix evenly. Set this bowl aside.
Now you are ready to make your sauce. In a pan, pour some extra virgin olive oil and a clove of garlic and cook on medium heat just like you did for the filling. Once the garlic is brown, remove it. Take your peeled up potatoes and put them in the pan. Cook for about a minute or two while adding salt, pepper, and fresh thyme to taste. Add a small amount of hot water. How much you add depends on your desired consistency. Set this pan aside.
Now you need to take your large
pot and boil water with a pinch of salt so that it is boiling when you are
ready to cook your ravioli. Next you need to roll out your dough. For best
results, you should use a pasta maker. A pasta maker will allow your dough to
be very fine. The finer the dough the better. If you do not have a pasta maker,
you can do it the old fashioned way and roll out the dough. Before rolling or
putting the dough in a pasta maker, you need to flour the dough. Roll out the
dough until it is very fine. Now it is time to add your filling. Using either a
pastry bag, or if you do not have one, use a spoon and add a small circle of
filling every two inches. Once you have used all of your filling, using the
brush and an egg, brush the dough. This will allow the dough to stick so that
your ravioli stays closed. Fold the dough in half over the filling. Next, use
your dough cutters to cut the ravioli. After it is cut, brush some more of the
egg on the dough and pinch it closed tightly. Gently pour the ravioli into the
boiling water. When the edges of your ravioli are soft, they can come out of
the water and add them to the prepared sauce. Saute the ravioli over medium
heat for a minute or two. Place your ravioli and sauce on a serving dish. Add
some parsley for garnish and enjoy.
Shrimp and prochini mushrooms is a dish your whole family will enjoy.
