#PastaArt is one of my favourite hashtags to follow. Seeing chefs go outside tradition by experimenting with different designs, shapes, colours and techniques is super inspirational to me and I'm taking baby steps to get to that level. In the meantime, I have to get the basics down pat first. A great way to start was to make oversized heart-shaped ravioli for Valentine's Day! Why oversized instead of your standard-sized ravioli? Well "it'd be a lot cooler if you did" - David Wooderson, Dazed and Confused (1993).
Ingredients:
1 egg per person + 1 egg to add to the ricotta
1 cup all-purpose flour per egg + more to add later on
Ricotta Cheese - About half a container is enough for 3 eggs (1 container is 475 g)
Dash of nut meg (however much you would like to add)
*You will need a pasta machine and a heart-shaped cookie cutter
Directions:
Create a hill on the countertop with the flour, dig a little hole in the centre and crack the eggs into the hole. I used 3 eggs. Knead together and if needed, continue to add more flour to prevent the dough from sticking. If the dough ends up being too dry, add water.
Once the dough is mixed and is the right texture, place in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator, then cut the dough into small sections so they can fit in the pasta machine to be flattened out.
Lay out all the pieces of flattened pasta dough and use the cookie cutter to cut the pieces.
Continue to knead the leftover dough together and pass it through the pasta machine until the pieces aren't big enough to cut with the cookie cutter anymore.
Once all the heart shapes are cut out, mix the ricotta with one egg and a dash of nut meg. I added about a teaspoon.
Spoon some ricotta filling in the centre of a heart, wet your finger with water and dab your finger on the rim of the heart as well as the heart you are going to put on top of that piece.
Press the outsides of the two hearts together to make the ravioli. You'll start getting the hang of it when you're doing your last few hearts, which is unfortunate, but God has a sense of humour and it's the way life works.
Once you're complete, fill a pot of water and let it come to a boil.
Once the water comes to a boil, add approximately a tablespoon of salt, and depending on the size of the pot, drop in the ravioli while making sure they aren't too close together.
Once the ravioli rise to the top, cook them for about an extra 3-4 minutes.
Once all the pasta is done cooking, scoop them out one at a time with a screened spoon, place them gently on a plate and scoop some sauce on top of them (I used a simple tomato sauce).
