Parmesan Cauliflower Ravioli Recipe

Almost everyone will agree that homemade pasta is superior to the store-bought dry variety, so why settle for something that's not as good? Not enough time, don't know how, afraid to cook, or whatever your excuse is, it's not good enough. The only love in cooking comes from the user, so learn with me as I show you how to make one of my favorite fresh pasta dishes: parmesan cauliflower ravioli.

Ingredients

Ingredients for Filling

1 head of cauliflower

1 yellow onion

1/2 lb bacon

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon thyme

Ingredients for Dough

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Yield:

24 raviolis

Step 1: Make the Filling

Steam one medium to large head of cauliflower until it is soft. (A knife should easily cut through with no pressure.)

Cook bacon until crispy. Drain off bacon lard from pan, leaving around a tablespoon to cook the onion.

On medium-high heat, cook the diced onion until it begins to caramelize. Around 3-5 minutes.

Combine cauliflower, bacon, Parmesan cheese, thyme, and onion into a food processor or blender. Pulse until the mixture is well incorporated.

Mixture can be used right away or stored in the refrigerator for up to a couple days, depending on when you plan to cook the ravioli.

Step 2: Make the Dough

You might have come to think that homemade pasta is a tricky process that only the professionals should attempt. Well, shame on you for thinking this way! This ravioli pasta dough can be made easily from scratch with very little time.

Sift flour and salt onto a flat surface and create a well in the center.

Add oil and eggs to the well.

Using one hand, slowly begin to incorporate flour into the egg and oil mixture. Use the other hand to protect and prevent the well from spilling. (Alternately, the same process can be done in a large bowl to prevent a mess if you're not familiar with creating a well to make dough.)

Just as the dough ball begins to form, transfer dough and any leftover flour onto a lightly floured surface.

Knead for 10 minutes, or until the dough feels elastic.

Place ravioli dough into a lightly oiled bowl and place into the refrigerator. Let it rest for at least 1 hour, or up to one day.

Video Guide to Making Pasta Dough

Making the pasta dough can sometimes be tricky to learn just by reading the instructions. For you visual learners out there, I've included a video that should clear this process up for you. This video of Serena Palumbo from Cooking in Manhattan illustrates how to make a proper pasta dough. Although she's making lasagna noodles, the dough process remains the same, plus what an exotic accent she has.

Step 3: Assemble the Ravioli

With a rolling pin or pasta machine, roll out your pasta dough until it is an 1/8 inch thick and resembles a paper-thin rectangle. You should be able to see your hand through the dough. For hand rollers like myself, I've found that working only half the dough at a time helps for me to roll the dough really thin. (Cover the other half of the dough while you work.)

Place heaping tablespoons of filling along one side of the dough. These should be spaced around an inch and a half from each other.

Lightly beat an egg and 1 tablespoon water. Using this egg wash, brush the edges of the ravioli dough with the filling on it. Fold over the other side and begin to cut and seal your ravioli. A fork works perfectly.

Cook finished ravioli in salted boiling water until they float. This process should take 4-5 minutes. Also be sure not to crowd the pot of water with raviolis, you want to cook them in small batches to ensure the water stays hot.

Step 4: Make the Sauce

You'd better have a sauce ready for those fresh Raviolis because they're the best right out of the water. Don't get hung up and have cold Raviolis because you were waiting for your sauce to finish. Here's a couple of sauce ideas that can easily be made up ahead of time so you can enjoy the freshness of your ravioli.

Spinach Pesto

2 cups packed spinach

2 cloves roasted garlic

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions:

Process spinach leaves and roasted garlic in a blender or food processor. Add a little olive oil at a time until you have a smooth pesto. Salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready.

Brown Butter Sauce

Desired amount of butter

Pinch of salt

Pinch of thyme

Pinch of lemon zest

Instructions:

In a pan, heat butter to medium/medium-high heat, stirring the entire time. Once the butter browns, remove from the heat and add salt, thyme, and lemon zest. Put on a different burner at low heat to save until raviolis are ready.

You Can Do It!

All right, now let's see a machine do that! You know what, it couldn't. My odd shapes and slight imperfections make this pasta my own, and I'm dang proud of it. I hope that you get the same pleasure when you see your raviolis for the first time! Remember, it's the old traditions that produce the best results; no excuses.