Warm summer evenings bring with them a calmness and a gentle request for a slower pace. We find that the quiet ritual of gathering fresh ingredients and making something from scratch is the perfect way to honor these long days. Pour yourself a chilled glass of something yummy and gather around the table with friends to assemble. This recipe is delicious from spring to fall to celebrate the full growing season of fresh herbs.
Fresh herb & lemon ravioli in Parmesan broth
RECIPE
Pasta Dough
1 ½ cups semolina flour
½ cup water
Parmesan Broth
8 cups water
2 carrots
6-8 garlic cloves
3 celery stalks
½ white or yellow onion
1-2 large Parmesan rinds
Filling
1 ¼ cups fresh ricotta
large handful each of fresh herbs; parsley, basil, oregano, finely chopped
zest of 1 lemon
¼ cup Parmesan, grated
salt and pepper, to taste
Mix pasta dough ingredients together in a bowl until smooth and even-textured. Wrap tightly and place in the refrigerator for no less than 30 minutes, to hydrate the dough.
While the dough is chilling, start your Parmesan broth. Roughly chop carrots, celery, onion and garlic and combine in a large stock pot with water and Parmesan rinds. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer for 30-40 minutes. Strain out solids and reserve liquid broth. Keep on a low heat while making ravioli.
Combine filling ingredients in a small bowl and stir until well mixed. Cover and refrigerate filling.
Remove pasta dough from the refrigerator and knead for 10 minutes to build gluten. Divide dough into 4 equal portions and rewrap 3 of them to keep hydrated. Roll dough with a rolling pin or pasta machine as thinly as possible, approximately 1/16” thick and lay out onto towels. Repeat this process until all of the dough is in thin sheets. Cut each sheet into roughly 3” x 3” squares, being careful not to overlap to avoid sticking.
Lightly dust your countertop and ravioli mold periodically with flour to avoid sticking while assembling ravioli. Remove filling from the refrigerator. Loosely drape thin pasta sheet over mold and press lightly with thumb to indent. Spoon in filling. Using your finger, make a ring of water on dough creating a circle around filling. Cover with a second pasta sheet then flip over. Press down on mold to seal sheets together. Using a sharp knife, trace around mold to trim excess pasta.
Once assembled, bring Parmesan broth back to a boil. Add ravioli to the boiling broth and cook until they float (3-5 minutes, 5-7 minutes for frozen ravioli). Serve in shallow bowls with Parmesan broth. Enjoy!
*Assembled, uncooked ravioli can be frozen in sealed container for up to 1 month.
