DOMENICA COOKS

Pasta all’Uovo for Ravioli and Other Stuffed Shapes

This is a delicate pasta dough, composed of “00” soft-wheat flour and eggs. It yields thin, smooth sheets that can be turned into ravioli, tortellini, agnolotti and other stuffed pastas. You can also cut it into rectangles and layer them into the lightest of lasagnas. The filling here is a simple ricotta cheese filling flavored with lemon zest, but you can use ground meat, pumpkin, spinach and cheese, or any range of fillings.

Makes about 1 pound of pasta

Ingredients 300 g “00” flour, pasta flour, or all-purpose flour 3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature; or 3 large eggs plus 1 extra, lightly beaten; or 3 large eggs and 1-3 tablespoons water 1/4 teaspoon fine salt (optional)

Semolina flour for dusting the work surface Filling of choice (see recipes) Water, for sealing the ravioli

Sauce of choice (see recipe) Parmigiano cheese, for serving

Instructions 1. Measure 280g (2 cups) flour into the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Add the salt and pulse to combine. Break 3 eggs into the work bowl; pulse until the mixture forms crumbs that look like small curds. Pinch together a bit of the mixture; it should form a soft ball. If the mixture seems dry, dribble in a little more egg or water by the tablespoon and pulse until the dough starts to come together. If the mixture is too soft and sticky, add more flour by the tablespoon and then pulse until the dough starts to come together.

2. Turn the dough out onto a clean, lightly floured work surface, preferably wood (unlike pie dough, pasta dough loves a warm surface). Knead the dough using the palm and heel of your hand, pushing the dough gently but firmly away, and then folding it over towards you. Rotate the dough a quarter turn and repeat the pushing and folding motion. Continue to knead for several minutes, until the dough is smooth and silky. Form it into a ball and place a bowl over it or wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Let rest at room temperature for 30 to 60 minutes.

3. To stretch the dough, set up your pasta machine with the rollers on the widest setting (#1 on my Marcato Atlas hand-crank machine.) Scatter a little semolina or flour on the work surface around the machine and have more on hand for sprinkling on the dough. Dust a rimmed baking sheet or a clean tablecloth-covered surface with semolina; this is where you will put your shaped ravioli.

4. Cut the dough into 4 equal quarters and rewrap three. Knead the remaining piece briefly on the work surface. With a rolling pin or the heel of your hand, flatten the piece of dough into a thick oval 5 to 5 inches long and 3 inches wide. Feed the dough through the pasta machine and then lay it on the work surface. Fold the dough into thirds, as though you were folding a business letter; sprinkle lightly with semolina if sticky and pass it through the rollers again. Repeat the folding and rolling process a few more times using that first setting to help relax and smooth out the dough.

5. Move the roller setting to the next narrower notch and feed the strip of dough through the setting twice, sprinkling it with a little semolina if needed to keep it from sticking. Continue to pass the dough through the rollers twice on each setting until you have stretched it to 1/16- inch (2-mm) thickness ~ thin enough that you can see your hand through. On my machine, passing the dough through the second-narrowest setting (#6) produces a very thin pasta sheet, so I usually don’t stretch past that setting. If the sheet gets too long and unwieldy as you are stretching it, cut it in half crosswise and roll the halves out separately to the desired thickness. Cover the sheet with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel to prevent it from drying out. Roll out the remaining three pieces of dough in the same way, covering the sheets as you work. The sheets should remain moist and supple so that you can shape and seal them.

6. Lay one sheet of dough on your work surface. Spoon or pipe the filling along the center of the dough at intervals along the length of the sheet (the amount of filling and the distance between the mounds of filling will depend on what filled shape you are making). Dip a finger with water and lightly moisten the edges of the dough and the area between the mounds. Carefully fold the top half of the sheet over the filling, lining it up with the bottom edge of the sheet. Use your fingers to seal and press out any air between the mounds. With a pastry cutter, cut around the filling in a half-moon or rectangular shape. Or, use a ravioli cutter or a cookie cutter to stamp out the shapes. Use the tines of a fork to further seal the edges of the ravioli (this is optional but I like the pattern it creates). Transfer the ravioli to the prepared baking sheet or tablecloth, making sure they are not touching. Continue to fill and shape until you have used all the dough.

7. If cooking the ravioli right away, leave them be. Otherwise, set them on semolina-dusted baking sheets and put them in the freezer until frozen solid, about 2 hours. Transfer them to a tightly lidded container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 1 month.

8. To cook, bring a large saucepan or shallow-ish pot of water to a rolling boil and salt it generously. Gently lower the ravioli into the water and cook until al dente, 3 to 5 minutes, cooking them in batches if necessary, to avoid crowding the pan. Use a skimmer to transfer the cooked ravioli to a warmed serving plate and spoon sauce over them. Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmigiano cheese and serve.