Fresh Pasta, D'OH!

So it's my first time making Ravioli (last Friday) and Lasagna (Saturday) using fresh pasta and I have to say, I didn't exactly pass with flying colors. I got mixed reviews, but overall, I did okay...I think.

The Good:

(1) Bitin! (Not enough!)

(2) Sarap ng filling sa ravioli! (The ravioli filling is yum.)
(3) Okay yung sauce! Masarap siya. (The sauce tastes good. Yummy.)

The Bad:

(1) Regarding my Ravioli: Mas malaki pa sa spam 'to ah! (These are even bigger than spam!)

(2) Ang kapal naman nito, tagal nguyain! (These are real thick, and they take quite a while to chew.)
(3) Regarding my Lasagna: Para akong kumakain ng tinapay. Parang sandwich na may palaman na ground meat. (It's as if I'm eating bread /sandwich with ground meat filling.) (Delicious! :D )

I actually think it's not that hard to make your own pasta especially if you own a pasta machine. But for the cheapskates (I prefer the term frugal) like me who's hesitant to shell out thousands of pesos, as long as you have a good rolling pin, you'll be fine. (Just make sure you've eaten carbs that morning!)

BASIC RAVIOLI DOUGH (can also be used for LASAGNA)
***Recipe from ISCAHM (International School For Culinary Arts And Hotel Management)

Yield: 8-10 servings (For Ravioli) / 2 Pyrex Loaf Dish Bakeware (For Lasagna)

Ingredients:
360 g (≈ 2 ¾ cups + 1 tablespoon) White wheat flour (All Purpose Flour can be used)
3 Eggs
30 ml (≈ 2 tablespoons) Sunflower oil
60 ml (≈ 4 tablespoons) Cold water

(1) Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the eggs, sunflower oil, and cold water.
(2) Knead the mixture thoroughly until dough turns smooth and elastic.

<3

(3) Let the dough rest for 1 hour in room temperature.
***Make sure it is covered. For the ravioli, prepare the filling then let cool for a while.
(4) Divide the dough into 2 equal parts.
(5) Roll the dough with rolling pin or pasta machine.
***For Lasagna, go straight to (10).

(***Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures. For the O.C.'s reading this, let me assure you that the thermos was cleaned thoroughly and I made sure the bottom didn't touch any part of the dough. :) )

Mental note to self: Buy rolling pin.

(6) Place filling in equal amounts on the first dough sheet. Filling should be separated from each other.
(7) Between filling, brush dough with egg yolk mixed with a small amount of water.
(8) Place second dough sheet on top.
(9) With a towel, press down between fillings to seal.
(10) Cut (between fillings) into desired shapes with a pastry wheel or a sharp knife.

(11) Add salt and oil to ample amount of water and bring to a boil.
(12) Drop in ravioli into boiling water and simmer for 4-5 minutes.
***You can boil them longer if you don’t like your pasta al dente.


*Notes:
· The purpose of kneading the dough is to develop the gluten in the flour which makes it elastic.
· Pasta and ravioli dough are not salted because salt would make the dough brittle.
· When preparing dough with a mixer (but where’s the fun in that?), all ingredients are combined and with a dough hook, mix at low speed for at least 5 minutes or until thoroughly kneaded. This dough can be used right away.

The recipe suggested Spinach and Feta Cheese filling and for the Ravioli sauce, Tomato Concasse. I was thinking of changing it to Spinach and Mushroom but discovered that afternoon that we just ran out of Spinach. Mushroom alone is still tasty so I made the filling with not just one, but two of them! I chopped button and shitake mushrooms along with onions, sauteed them in a little bit of butter and added a can of Cream of Mushroom.

It would have been great with Tomato Concasse but after rolling the dough for what felt like forever (a good exercise for the arms), I was too tired to make anything from scratch. So I opened a packet of Hunt's Spaghetti Sauce in Parmesan Cheese flavor (and added a few tablespoons of cream) instead. Tasted good; although the sauce could have done without the cream to build contrast.

The first Bad comment says it all! Haha.

With Mushroom in Cream Sauce as filling.

And for the Lasagna, as expected, it called for the basic Bolognaise Sauce. I wanted to make 2 sauces-- Tomato and Creamy White (alternately over each layer)- but I had been in the kitchen from 2-7pm baking (Bread and Butter Pudding-- recipe to be posted soon) and handrolling pasta and the thought of having to stay there for another hour didn't exactly excite me. So I chose the easy route: I sauteed some chopped garlic, onions, ground meat, and sliced mushrooms, poured in the Hunt's Spaghetti Sauce (same flavor), and added just a small amount of cream. I would've put fresh basil leaves if I had some. They always make tomato sauces extra tasty.

"Inspiration usually comes during work, rather than before it."

- Madeleine L'Engle

You know the feeling when you're about to do something and the lack of preparation sort of thrills you? And you still go through with it even though you have no clue how exactly you'd do (or get away with) it?

It was like that when I tried to make my own pasta. I started making the dough knowing I didn't have a rolling pin, didn't have the complete ingredients for the filling, and had still not figured out what sauce I would make for the Ravioli (and Lasagna).

Messy messy! My first handrolled pasta turned out too thick so I had to slice them off.

But I believe it's the challenge that keeps us interested and motivated. Although part of the unknown scares us, the idea of figuring things out halfway through the process is the one that makes the whole thing fun and exciting.

So don't be afraid to experiment and try things for the first time. Have fun, make mistakes, learn from them.

And enjoy a good upperbody workout while you're at it! :)

Updated April 28:

I just finished making Lasagna for my brother's birthday party.

And the difference with this pasta?

- I didn't make my own dough.

- I added fresh basil.

- I layered Bechamel Sauce on top of the Bolognaise.

- Sprinkled generous amounts of Parmesan Cheese over the Bechamel and on the final layer.

- It definitely looks more presentable! Haha.

Hope 2nd time's a charm!