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Lobster Ravioli
Making ravioli is an easy way to maximize your pasta skills. It yields very “fancy” results with just a little practice and no special equipment. Fill your ravioli with ricotta or other cheeses, scallops, beef, mushrooms, squash, lobster, or crab. Vegetables like squash or eggplant must be cooked first to soften and release moisture. Most meat and seafood can be put in the raviolis raw, as they cook quickly and release relatively little moisture. If you decide to make short rib ravioli (which I highly recommend!) you will need to cook those ribs first!
Ingredients
Scale
1 batch Perfect Pasta Dough , see below or click here for recipe.
Ricotta Filling:
- 1 cup ricotta
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons pecorino
- 2 tablespoons aged asiago
- 2 tablespoons parmesan
- 15 turns fresh ground black pepper
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
Optional fillings:
- Mushrooms (I like to use wild mushrooms like black trumpet and morel, as their flavor is intense and their moisture content is low.)
- Lobster
- Salmon
Instructions
- Make the dough a least an hour or even a day ahead so the dough will relax and roll easily for you. Keep in mind that pasta dough is a lot stiffer than bread dough, so it’s a bit harder to mix. You’ll need to get in there with your hands, or a stand mixer, to force all the flour together into a dough.
- Roll into sheets 6-inches wide and 1/16-inch thick (until they are just thin enough to see through). Dust with plenty of flour to prevent dough from sticking. The thinner it gets, the more important this is, so you don’t ruin the whole sheet. While you can certainly use a pasta roller, for ravioli sheets I find it’s quicker and easier to roll the sheets by hand, so I leave the roller in the cupboard for this one.
- Once you’ve prepared your sheets, add a dollop of your desired filling (about a tablespoon) every 3-4 inches, then blanket it with another sheet of dough. Press down from the top of the sheet, working down and around the edges of your fillings to minimize air getting trapped, or you’ll end up with a balloon. It takes just a little practice but once you get the hang of it you’ll be wrapping ravioli to your hearts content. Now that your raviolis are filled, trim them up with a knife or rolling cutter. Press the edges together between your fingers to seal and to thin out the double layer of dough back to the 1/16th-inch thickness.
- Boil ravioli for 5 minutes, or freeze them until you’re ready to use them. For frozen ravioli, add several minutes to cooking time. I recommend making larger raviolis, as they are easier and quicker and make for a beautiful presentation.
- Garnish simply with butter or olive oil and parmesan; or, get creative and add charred onions, roasted peppers, bacon, and fresh herbs.
- Category: pasta