Recipe: Homemade Meat Ravioli or Tortelli and Basic Pasta Dough

HOMEMADE MEAT RAVIOLI OR TORTELLI

"These can be made larger and called tortelli. Ravioli or tortelli can be stuffed with numerous different ingredients."

6 cloves fresh garlic
1 fresh shallot
1/4 bunch fresh oregano
4 thick slices crusty Italian bread (either stale or toasted)
3/4 pound lean ground beef
3/4 pound lean ground pork
1/4 cup freshly-grated Asiago, Parmesan, or Romano cheese
Fresh-cracked black pepper
1 recipe Basic Pasta, unformed and uncooked (recipe follows)

Peel and mince the garlic and shallot. Clean and dry the oregano and chop the leaves (discard the stems). Soak the bread in water, then squeeze out all excess water.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the beef, pork, cheese, pepper, garlic, shallot, oregano, and bread.

Roll out the pasta dough on a floured surface into a sheet about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Cut into 3-inch squares.

Place 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons of the meat mixture in the center of each square. Lightly wet the edges with water using a small pastry brush or your finger. Fold over 1 corner to form a triangle, and seal together the edges.

Bring a large pot of water to a slow boil. Add the pasta, and cook for about 20 minutes. Drain, and serve as desired.

BASIC PASTA DOUGH

"When making pasta dough, use your judgment about how much flour to add. You may need to add more or less flour depending on the level of humidity."

3 cups durum wheat (semolina) flour*
1/4 teaspoon iodized salt
3 eggs
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup water (room temperature)

Sift together the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl.

Whisk the eggs in a small bowl. Mix the olive oil and water into the eggs.

Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the egg mixture. Mix together the wet and dry ingredients by hand or in a mixer with a dough hook until the dough forms into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or up to 1 day.

WHEN READY TO COOK:
Allow dough to return to room temperature if it has rested in the refrigerator for more than an hour.

Roll out the dough on a floured surface, then form or shape pasta as desired.

*Semolina flour is the basis of most types of pasta and ftalian breads. It is made from hard durum wheat and has a fine texture. It contains more protein and vitamins than regular white flour and many essential amino acids. Semolina also has a low calorie count and a very low fat content.

Makes 10 servings
Source: The Everything Italian Cookbook by Dawn Altomari, B.P.S.