Ravioli Dough 1
Ingredients
- 3 c flour (fine semolina flour if you have it; otherwise, plain flour will do)
- 2 eggs
- 3 T water
- 1 t olive oil
- 1/2 t Salt (Table)
Method
On a clean countertop, place your flour. In a small bowl, mix up your eggs, water, olive oil, and salt. Form a well in your flour (like this) large enough to hold the liquid in your bowl. Place the liquid in the well of flour (like this).
Put two fingers in the liquid, and hold your other hand against the outside of the well to brace the wall. Slowly work your fingers around the outside of the well, bringing flour into the liquid and mixing it in. Stop when the dough comes together; you may leave quite a bit of flour behind on the counter.
If you are not using a pasta machine:
Knead the dough until smooth and elastic, adding flour as necessary. This will take 8-12 minutes; you should feel the dough change as the gluten lines up. Wrap securely in cling film, and place in the refrigerator to rest for 1 hour.
Roll out your dough according to your recipe, fill, and cook!
If you are using a pasta machine:
Knead the dough a minute or so, just long enough to check that it doesn't need more flour. Wrap tightly in cling film and place in the fridge for 1 hour to rest.
After 1 hour, retrieve dough, and knead with your pasta machine. Do this by forming it roughly into a rectangle not wider than your machine, and then feeding it through at the widest setting. Fold the resulting dough into thirds, turn 90 degrees, and feed through again. Repeat once more. Do this trio again at the next-widest setting, and then again at the setting below that.
Now roll out your dough according to your recipe, fill, and cook!
Notes
SJ Note: You'll get more ravioli than me if you use a pasta machine, or if you otherwise make the dough the ordinary thickness for ravioli. I use my tortilla press, and that makes them quite thick, but it is the easiest thing for me, so we just live with thick ravioli.
SJ Note 8 Oct 2010: I found the finished product a bit tough, but Chris thinks it's just cause it was thicker than usual. I also think some were tougher than others, and wonder if using the scraps makes them tougher. Tasty enough, though - a keeper.