Ravioli w/ Lemon, Ricotta, & Saffron Brigante Cheese
This Brigante Ravioli recipe consists of homemade semolina and egg pasta, ricotta, lemon zest, olive oil, and freshly grated saffron brigante cheese. Saffron brigante with black peppercorns isn't necessarily the easiest cheese to find, though! So, feel free to substitute parmesan. When I ran out of it, I also just sprinkled freshly grated parmesan on top of it at the end and that was delicious as well. Really, you can substitute any cheese of choice here. There are a wide variety of cheeses that go perfectly well with lemon ricotta and a splash of olive oil. I'd like to say that it's a "classic" flavor profile. Although I'm not entirely sure that anything in this is classic? Fresh, homemade pasta does have its own particular warm, fuzzy feeling, though. Maybe it's just the nostalgia and cheese speaking.
Equipment
- Pot
- Stovetop
- Rolling Pin
- Pasta Machine (or rolling pin)
- Ample Counter Space (or large cutting boards)
- Ravioli Press (or knife)
Ingredients
Pasta Dough
- 3/4 c. semolina
- 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
- 3 eggs
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1-3 tbsp. water (optional)
Filling
- 1 ½ c. ricotta
- 1/2 c. brigante w/ saffron (or parmesan cheese) plus more for garnish
- 1 egg
- 1 lemon zested
- dash salt
- dash pepper
Pasta
- 7 ravioli per serving
- dash olive oil
- 1/4 c. brigante w/ saffron (or parmesan cheese)
- dash salt
- dash pepper
Instructions
Ravioli
- On a large flat countertop, make a mound of semolina and all-purpose flour. Create a crater in the middle. Add eggs, olive oil, and salt.
- Mix together by hand, kneading dough toward the center, for 2 minutes, or until the dough begins to stick together. Knead for 15 minutes, or until the dough is soft and elastic. If the dough begins to dry out, add small amounts of water, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, and continue to knead.
- Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 1 hour.
Filling
- Add all of the filling ingredients to a bowl and mix to combine.
- Add a little bit of flour to a countertop or large flat surface and roll out dough until about 1/4-inch thick. The dough should be 3-4 inches wide, so either keep in one piece that wide or cut into strips.
- Press each strip through the pasta machine at the highest setting twice. On my pasta machine, this is setting number 7.
- Press the strips through the medium (5) and small (2) settings.
- Cut into equal-sized squares, circles, or triangles. There are stamps and molds that can make this a little bit easier to do. Although it can be done by hand or even with cookie cutters.
- Add a dollop of filling to the center of half of the ravioli squares (the second half is the top piece).
- Lightly wet the edges of the ravioli. I did this was a spray bottle. Although you can also dip your finger in a glass of water and run it along the edges of the pasta.
- While the dough is slightly damp, press the top piece onto the bottom pieces of ravioli with the filling. You want to press pretty firmly because this is what keeps the filling inside of the dough while cooking.You want the ravioli to be fairly full. Otherwise, there will be too high a pasta-to-filling ratio.
- Let dry for 15-30 minutes.
Cook
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Put pasta into the pot and return to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes, or until the pasta is soft enough to eat.The exact cooking time will vary depending on how dry the pasta is, so it's best to check it frequently. If the pasta isn't rolled out thin enough, it will also take extra time to cook.
- Remove from heat and strain.
- Sprinkle with additional saffron brigante and/or parmesan cheese. I ended up liking the balance that a little extra parmesan added. Although this is entirely personal preference! Top with salt, pepper, and a dash of olive oil.
Tips, Tricks, & Notes
- For more information on making your own pasta dough, I have an entire article on: The Fundamentals of Semolina Pasta Dough. Including how to make your own without a pasta maker or any other specialty equipment.