Guest Post: Rach’s Toasted Ravioli

I’m so lucky to have a delicious guest post from Rach at This Italian Family.  She is so sweet to do a post for me and was more than willing to help.  If you haven’t checked out her site, you need to… you won’t be able to quit reading it.  She and her family are so stinkin’ cute!  🙂

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Hiya! I’m so excited to be guest posting for Katie today! She is just the sweetest and her recipes always look amazing. 🙂 Plus, can I just say how adorable she is? Check out that profile picture! Cute-ness! 🙂 So, when Katie asked if I would be willing to do a guest post for her, I immediately agreed.

Maybe I’m the only one who feels like this when guest posting, but I feel as if I must share the absolute most perfect recipe. I racked my brain and searched through all my favorite recipes trying to come up with just the perfect one to share. My absolutely two favorite foods are Spaghetti and Pizza so I thought I should probably share a recipe featuring one of those. But I couldn’t pick. It was like choosing between your children – you love them the same! Not that I have children or anything, but you get the idea. 😉

So, instead I decided on my favorite appetizer! Toasted Ravioli. Let’s just take a moment to consider the deliciousness that is toasted ravioli…

Gooey cheese inside a crispy shell dunked in your favorite marinara sauce. Delightful. 🙂

Okay, moment done because it is so time to share this recipe! I hope you guys love this as much as my husband and I do!

Toasted Ravioli

Ingredients:

6 eggs
3 cups all purpose flour
2 cups mozzarella cheese, cubed or grated
1 cup olive oil
1 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:

1. Clean a large space on a table or countertop and mound the flour onto the surface. Make a well in the center of the flour and crack your eggs directly into it. I know that sounds crazy, but just trust me. If you absolutely must use a bowl, pick a large one so you have plenty of space to work. Then, (this is where it gets a little messy) slowly mix the flour and eggs together with your hands or a wooden spoon until it all comes together.

2. Flour your surface (or a new one if your area got too messy) and knead the dough until it is smooth and pliable (you are likely to need to add more flour). If you had a Kitchenaid mixer with a dough hook, this would be a great time to pull it out. It is kind of cheating, but kind of not since the end result will be the same: delicious, crunchy, gooey ravioli… but I’m getting ahead of myself.

3. Allow dough to rest for 5-10 minutes then begin to roll it out. If you have a pasta maker then you are in luck, my friend! Rolling it out is quick and painless. If you don’t have one then you can do what my husband and I did the first couple of years before we owned a pasta maker – roll it out by hand.  The trick to this, is to roll it out as thinly as possible with your rolling pin because the pasta will plump up significantly after it goes in the water.

4. Slice dough into 3” x 6” strips. Take one dough strip and fold in half. Seal two edges (third edge should just be a fold in the dough). Open the pocket and put approximately 1 tsp of mozzarella cheese in the center. Seal the forth side with a fork or wooden spoon. Place each ravioli on a platter/cookie sheet/large surface until you can finish the rest. Repeat with next dough strip until all are complete.

5. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add a little olive oil and then 7-9 raviolis. After 2-3 minutes, the raviolis should rise to the surface and are ready to be pulled out with a slotted spoon. Place boiled raviolis in a bowl and coat with olive oil and parmesan. Repeat with the rest of the ravioli until all have been boiled and coated.

6. Heat a generous amount of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Lay a single layer of raviolis on the pan and fry until they are brown on both sides (3-6 minutes per side). Serve hot with marinara sauce and prepare yourself for a moment of bliss as you take your first bite. 🙂

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I know this recipe looks crazy long, but trust me, it’s not so bad. And really, how many of your friends can say they’ve made their own pasta from scratch? 😉 Cheers!