ravioli

400g all-purpose flour (type 405) or pasta flour (type 00)

4 eggs

3 tbsp olive oil

Put it all into the kitchen machine and knead on low level for about 5 minutes.  Then wrap it in cling film and put into the fridge while you’re preparing your filling. Don’t be scared, make your own mixture of stuff , everything you can imagine as a good combination with pasta. The only important thing is not to make it too liquid. Maybe you’ll try it with a mixture of 200g ricotta cheese and 150g spinache seasoned with sea salt, black ground pepper and nutmeg. Mix everything in the food processor and put it to the side.

Now take the dough out of the fridge, remove the cling film and cut it (the dough not the foil) into pieces of about 200-250g and roll it out on a floured surface. Then cut it into stripes and use your pasta machine, start with the thickest level and reduce the thickness every time until the thinnest level. Put a teaspoon of the filling onto the dough and try what size works best for you. Some use a ravioli board but we haven’t got one and if you like the rough look of the ravioli (like we do) just use your fingers. Especially when you do this together with kids don’t be too perfectionistic, this should be fun! I watered my finger and used it to wet the frame of the ravioli and covered it with the next sheet. When you cover it make sure your hands are dry again otherwise it doesn’t stick well enough to each other. You can use a cookie cutter, a glass with a sharp bezel, a pizza wheel or a simple knife to bring it into the right shape. Put the finished ravioli on a floured tray or kitchen towel until they’re all ready.

ravioli

Bring a big pot of salted water to boil. For the sauce you can simply heat a good knob of butter and then add chopped sage and a pinch of salt. Give the ravioli into the boiling water and let them simmer until they come up to the water surface. Take them out with a skimmer and put them on warm plates before adding the sage butter, some freshly grated Parmesan cheese and fresh pepper.  We love this pasta because it reflects exactly our philosophy of life: simple and wow!

We were so hungry by the time the ravioli were ready to eat that we totally forgot to take a picture of the finished dish, now I’m a little sorry. As we make these from time to time I’ll add another picture next time.

Pasta with bacon and peas

liberating the peas

you’ll find the RECIPE here

Pasta with peas and crispy bacon

500g fusilli (or any other short pasta)

300g fresh peas (or frozen)

150g chopped bacon  

40g butter

1 onion finely chopped

A handful of fresh parsley

100g sour cream

Salt

Pepper

Parmesan cheese

2-3 tbsp water

Cook the peas for about 8 minutes in salted water. Cook the pasta until al dente. Roast the bacon in a pan until crispy and put to the side. Melt the butter in the pan and roast the onion until transparent. Then add water, peas, salt, pepper and sour cream. Put the pasta into the pan and add the fresh parsley. Serve on hot plates and sprinkle with the crispy bacon and parmesan cheese.

********************************************************************

500g green asparagus

250g spaghetti

3 garlic cloves

a small handful fresh basil

2 tbsp lemon juice

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Parmesan cheese

Cook spaghetti in plenty of salt water until al dente. Cut off the ends (1,5 – 2 cm) and the bits which feel hard and woody of the asparagus. The rest cut into pieces about 2cm long. Heat plenty of olive oil in a pan and fry the asparagus, add the soft heads 5 minutes later, salt generously. After 1o min. you can add the chopped garlic and fry for another 2-3 minutes. Then drain the spaghetti and fill them into the pan with the rest. Season with salt, fresh black pepper and lemon juice. Fill on plates and sprinkle with chopped basil leaves and ground parmesan cheese.