Homemade Ravioli

A lot of people use ravioli makers and special tools and presses.  It would be nice to have a pasta attachment on my Kitchen Aid, BUT I'm not there yet.  We prefer taste to appearance anyway, right?

I have been trying to make more things from scratch.  Challenging myself, actually.  Each day, find something I've taken for granted in a can, box, or mix, and prepare it from scratch.

Ravioli
6.25 oz flour mixed with 1/4 tsp salt
1 egg, room temperature, whisked with 1/4 cup hot water

Put flour mixture in bowl of stand mixer.  Add egg mixture and work with dough hook until smooth and firm.  (About 5-6 minutes.)  Add a little flour if you need to, it should be smooth to look at, and not stick to your fingers, but still be pretty soft to the touch.
Wrap in plastic wrap to protect and leave out for an hour before working.

Repeat with the same ratio if you want a double batch.  I find it works better than mixing larger quantities at once.

After an hour, separate each dough batch in two.  Cover one half with dry, clean towel.  Roll out the other half until thin and almost transparent, with no holes or tears.  There are several ways to do this. I like to use two pieces of saran wrap, one under the dough, one on the top.  This allows me to use the rectangle shape to shape a sheet of dough, then lift the ends of the saran wrap to transport to table or other side of counter.

Roll out second half of dough to as close the same shape and size as the first.

Place filling by Tablespoons about two inches apart or a little more.  Run a wet pastry brush between and around the dollops of filling to seal the dough sheets together.  Top the dough and filling with second sheet of dough and press lightly between and around each filling dollop to make a seal.  I use a plastic cup with a firm ridge to press and twist slightly to seal each ravioli.  You can use a knife and press with a fork if you want.

Boil raviolis a few at a time for 5 minutes per batch.

Toss ravioli in your prepared sauce.

Some of my favorite combinations are
Chicken Artichoke with Pesto
Spicy Pumpkin with Browned Butter
Mushroom Ricotta with Alfredo
Chorizo & Roasted Red Pepper with Marinara