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| A few days ago my cousin, sister-in-law and I spent the day together making ravioli for an annual party that we’re having. This is a family recipe that my mother and aunt use to make. I have vivid memories of clean white sheets on dining room tables and beds filled with ravioli when I was young, and although I do things a little bit different then they did, I follow their recipe exactly, which I still have on a very yellowed index card. |
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| They kept it simple, they would always make two kinds, a meat and a cheese version. The meat ravioli were filled with ground round or sirloin, romano cheese, spinach and a little onion. The cheese version was always made with ricotta cheese, eggs, romano cheese and fresh parsley. I like to make all my fillings the night before as it takes time to mix everything together, tasting and getting the flavors just right. After the meat cools down I like to pulse it in a food processor so it’s more uniform and not lumpy. I also like to put my fillings into disposable pastry bags, it goes much faster than a spoon when you’re filling the forms. I know you can use many different flours but Ceresota unbleached flour was always their flour of choice, so that’s what I use! |
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| The morning we were making them I got up early, took my eggs out of the fridge (so they could get to room temperature) set up the pasta machine and everything else we would be using. Before they came I made 10 batches of dough, it’s very important to let the dough rest before you start rolling it. I make all my dough using my food processor, I could never do the well method, for one thing I don’t have the patience, and I know I would have eggs dripping all down my counters, besides using the food processor is so quick and it always comes out perfect! |
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| Ceresota flour, eggs, a tiny bit of salt, olive oil and a little bit of water creates the perfect dough for me, I didn’t have one problem with it all day! |
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| We were in the zone, drinking coffee, listening to Christmas music, each one of us doing our specific jobs. |
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| Squirting the cheese mixture into the the ravioli forms is super speedy with a pastry bag! |
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| We were cranking them out left and right! |
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| Aren’t they cute? |
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| Because they will be cooked this weekend I froze all of them, which is very easy to do. |
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| I lay them single layer on a baking sheet, stick the whole tray in the freezer, the meat ones take about a half hour to freeze and the cheese about 1 hour. When frozen I take them off the tray and place them into zip lock freezer bags. |
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| We ended up with 400! It took us only 4 hours, so that’s about 100 an hour, not too bad, although it took me 2 hours to clean my kitchen, flour was everywhere, but it was worth it because there’s nothing like homemade rav’s! |
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| We had to taste test them to make sure everything was just right, so I heated up some marinara and boiled up a few, even in their frozen state they only take about 6 minutes to cook. |
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| Soft pillows of tender eggy dough filled with the flavors of my youth! |
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| Worth all the effort to make! |
I’m Marie, a wife, mother, mother-in-law, and gramma of two beautiful girls. My passion is food, clear and simple but especially Italian food, hence the name of my blog, Proud Italian Cook. I want you to feel right at home here so grab a cup of coffee, I’ll get the pastries, take a look around and enjoy your visit! {
Your post inspired me, and I made meat ravioli today! I followed your techniques and used my favorite dough recipe and my great grandmother’s filling recipe (similar to yours, with added garlic and fresh thyme). They turned out great. I do have two questions — 1. do you reroll your “scraps” at the end into another sheet, or does it get too tough? 2. If you are cooking them the day you make them, do you just let them sit on the counter for an hour, or do you still freeze them? Thanks for your amazing and inspiring website!
Hi Brenda, I do re-roll if the scraps are soft, and if I’m cooking them the same day, yes I let them sit out. I would put them on a clean sheet on my dining room table, but mostly I like to make them ahead of time and freeze, everything is cleaned up and ready to go!
Wow!!! I love it! brings back so many memories of large family gatherings when my grandmother made them by hand and my poor grandfather closed them all with the fork (and rheumatoid arthritis!!) If only i watched them back then. Love your post. They look beautiful and although i make homemade pasta, ive been too chicken to make the ravioli. But i will now. Love all the pictures, so helpful! Thank you! &
Merry Christmas!
Don’t be chicken, you can do it Louise!
Ravioli look fabulous. I have a kitchen aid mixer and a motor for my hand crank pasta machine..Makes it so much easier..Thanks for you r wonderful site. Denise
It sure does Denise!
Just found your website. Love it! How do I get your recipes? Especially your fresh pasta raviolis.
Joan, You can email me if you can’t find something in particular in my recipe index.
What beautiful pasta! I looks so good, my husband and I have been making our own pasta since around Christmas. That is when we got our first pasta roller and we never want to go back to store bought again. If you wouldn’t mind sharing your recipes for your ravioli we would love to try them.
Cherie, that is wonderful! You made my day!
Thank you again for sharing your ravioli recipes with me!! First try I made pumpkin ravioli and we all loved it. Yesterday I made 6 batches of dough, beef filling & mushroom filling… been rolling and rolling… packaging & freezing. After 6 doz. meat, and 5 dozen mushroom, I still have some dough left & will make some cheese ones too. Going to try the mushroom ones tonight for dinner – suggestions for a sauce?? Most my research suggests a browned butter sauce? Oh, I also made some of the beef ones into toasted ravioli for my bunco group last night – huge hit!
Do you have the recipe amounts for the ravioli dough? Love your recipes
Hi Marie!
I love your website! It brings me back to grandma’s kitchen. I was wondering if you could email me your recipe for your cheese ravioli. Thanks so much! Keep up the great work!
Laura
Hi Marie,
I love your website. I was wondering if I could get the recipe for the ricotta filled ravioli.
Thanks,
Julie
Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year!!
Emailed you Julie
I love this story & the pics, but where is the recipe? I need to make about 200 ravioli & I have no idea what kind of measurements I’m looking at for ingredients. I was hoping I could get an idea from you. If you can, please help! Thanks!
email me Jill
I love your recipes and your amazing photography. What a delight to open my email and find a “helping” of new recipes.
I want to make your ravioli but I can’t seem to find the recipe. I only like meat raviioli. Did you ever read the book “The Lost Ravioli Recipes of Hobocken” – it is how a woman goes in search of her family’s lost recipe recipes, including going to Italy. LOVE that book. Hope you can help me with the recipe.
Such a great idea for a weekend girls get together! I could see making a bunch of different fillings and having a ravioli making party!!
Kathy email me at prouditaliancook@hotmail.com, not from outlook.
Marie, I was very pleased to find your blog as I have lots of memories as a child of eating many of the recipes you mention but no actual recipes. I wanted to make the ravioli here but need so guidance with measurements. I know you are not exact in your cooking but I need a start. Also, I would have emailed you but it only opens outlook and I don’t use outlook is there another way to reach you?
Love this…I just happened on your blog. What a treat! I made raviolis last Friday for the very first time without my mom’s help. Bittersweet. But nothing can take the memories away of every Christmas making them with her! I am curious about the mold. We never used them but I like the look!
Incredible! At this rate you could go into the business—and do very well for yourself, I’m sure.
that looks like so much fun! i love the idea of group productivity! my neighbor was kind enough to invite three of us to her home last year and taught us all to make perogies. I still have a bag with four in the freezer. time to make more 🙂
Pure comfort food! I have only made ravioli once and since I didn’t have a form (didn’t know that they existed….) I cut circles and folded them over. Maybe those don’t even count as ravioli, but they were quite tasty! 🙂
I am curious to find out what blog platform you have been using?
I’m having some small security issues with my latest site and I’d like to find something more risk-free.
Do you have any suggestions?
My web site – diablo 3 gold farming
This brought back memories for me of the floured white sheets on the bed filled with ravioli. My grandma in her apron covered in flour too! These look beautiful, and your tips for making them make me want to try it. Looks like they were enjoyed by all!!!
another great blog!
Debbie
I love to see that Italian’s across the country have the same traditions! I live in Colorado and also grew up making ravi’s every Christmas. I gave in last year and let my husbands family help and boy what a mess! This year my husband and I did the “real” batch today so that I could have fun when we have them over to make more. I get a little stressed if everything isn’t just right so now I can have a glass of wine and let them have fun! Enjoy yours they look delicious!!
Bo Laurienti-Fleck
Email me Susan
I got so excited to see this post. The ravioli is beautiful and I have always wanted to try different fillings. But to my dismay, no recipes. Would love them, pretty please!!
That looks so delicious I am about to faint from envy! What a wonderful holiday memory you shared, I loved the recollection of the pasta laid out on sheets…Happy Holidays!
Jenna
Okay You can send any of those bags of frozen ravioli to me. Such and inspiring post. I want to be just like you or may live next door to you!
Any way you can share the recipe?
I love your ravioli molds. I have the square ones but I saw the type you have in the kitchen shop yesterday – it seems to fit in more filling. I think I’ll go back and buy it. Delious ravioli!
You are the Ravioli Goddess!
Great pics.
LL
Is there a recipe with specific amounts? I didn’t see it. I love your recipes and I make so many of them. Thanks
Yes! Finally something about diet.
My web site :: weightloss blogs
Wow!! Thank you for sharing this. It brought back such wonderful memories of cooking with my sons when they were young. It brought a tear to my eye.
BEAUTIFUL!!!! What great timing, too!!!! I just purchased and received in the mail my ravioli mold, pasta drying rack and KitchenAid pasta roller! Can’t wait to try these 🙂
They look beautiful, Marie! So perfect and fully stuffed. My husband only like cheese raviloi so that is all I make, but someday I’d like to try meat filled ones.
Just wonderful! Now…if only you could share the actual recipe! 😉
Just a beautiful presentation. Bravo!
I have never homemade pasta, I am such a scaredy cat! My family made it all the time but before I was on the scene! I missed out on a lot of family deliciousness. These look like perfect pillows of pasta perfection. Mmmm xo
PS Maria, I’m pinning this recipe on my new group board “Delicious Italian”! I’m so hungry now, I could scream!
I am JUST LIKE YOU Marie, in that I make my pasta in the food processor. I don’t think that there is any difference at all and my last batch for Thanksgiving was perfect! I do use the same pasta machine as you do too. I need to get my hands on the ravioli molds since we simply use a fork to crimp the edges, not nearly as pretty as yours. I’ve never made the meat filling version, always using swiss chard from the garden, but it sure sounds absolutely wonderful!
I could eat it over and over and over again 🙂 looks fab!!
You know for someone who rarely eats pasta since leaving carbs, you can easily bring a woman to tears.
You kill me.
Only your ravioli are filled with to the top–the way it should be!
Amazing! You truly are my inspiration! Both your cooking expertise and your family ties make me nostalgic. Cooking with family and sharing the love is the perfect Christmas present! Buona Natalie!
I cant wait
OK, I had a good five hours’ sleep and had to come back and take another look – what a sight to wake up to!
My favorite way to make ravioli, too, Marie – with a mold! So fast and the results are uniform. I love that you guys do this every year.
Wow. That’s amazing. You make me want to get out my pasta roller now.
I have always used the well method when I make pasta – sometimes with mixed results. I never tried using the food processor. I think I probably worry somewhat that it will sacrifice texture. I have seen the occasional use of a dough hook with the Kitchen Aid for pasta and thought to dare trying it.
Wow!!
When in Italy I made a ravioli dough with only semola nd water and was surprised at how tender it remained with only a rolling pin and a ricotta filling. How I would have loved to be in your kitchen.
Oh Marie. You should get a prize for this post. it’s nearly 2 a.m. here and I couldn’t sleep. I turn on Facebook and see this magnificent post. Maybe now I can get some zzz’s – dreaming of these deliciously photographed ravioli!
Marie!!! Omg this made me cry! Seriously random tears- but it took me back to my Aunt Lorraine’s kitchen in New York when I was a teenager… These are beautiful, and it would be such a joy to share a day in the kitchen with you 😉
Yum! They look so good.