No Basta Pasta!

Salmon Ravioli with a Lemon Pepper Butter Sauce, Dusted with Parmesan. 

Ever consider making your own pasta?  My husband loves pasta, but loves ravioli the most.  These filled delights are packed full of flavor and give you the option of variety.  You can pack them full of whatever you fancy.  Today’s pasta is filled with salmon and served with a lemon pepper butter sauce, dusted with parmesan. When preparing ravioli, it is best to choose a sauce that won’t overpower your filling.  I usually pair beef fillings with red sauces, pork and salmon with cream sauces or keep it simple with a butter parmesan sauce as you see here.  Add some spice to your life and don’t be worried about trying something new!

 

Here is what you will Need

Filling:

1 Lb Cooked, Grilled or Smoked Salmon

1/3 Cup Cream Cheese at Room Temperature

1/4 Cup Parmesan Shredded

1/3 Cup Mozzarella Shredded

Salt to Taste

Pasta:

3 1/3 Cup Flour

2 TBS Water

1 Tsp Salt

4 Eggs

Sauce:

1/4 Cup Butter

Squeeze of lemon

Salt and Pepper to Taste

 

Get started on the dough for the pasta first, as it will need to rest for 30 minutes after it is prepared.  Combine the water, salt and egg in a mixing bowl and mix until combined.  Using a dough hook, slowly add your flour one cup at a time.  Mix until dough becomes firm and no loose flour remains at the bottom of the bowl.  It is ok if the dough seems dry.  You want the dough dry but not flaky.  A wet dough will stick to the pasta rollers and create a massive mess.  Remove the dough from the mixing bowl, place on a lightly floured surface and kneed for 2-3 minutes. Set aside and start to prepare your pasta filling.

Shred your salmon and place in a bowl.  Add the cheese and season with salt.  Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature before mixing with your salmon.  It will prevent clumps of cream cheese in your ravioli.  Place the filling mixture in the fridge to firm up while your prepare your pasta sheets.IMG_9601

Let’s make some pasta!  Divide your dough into three equal balls and set two aside.  flatten your dough ball as best you can with your hand.  narrow enough to fit into the pasta roller.  If you are using a Kitchen Aid roller as I did, set the thickness to 1 on the dial and your speed to 2.IMG_9633

Let the roller pull the dough through, trying not to force it.  The dough usually is a torn mess the first time it goes through the roller, so don’t worry too much about how it looks at this point.  Just fold it over itself and roll again.  Keep rolling and folding until the dough is smooth.  Once smooth, change to thickness setting 2 on the roller, remain at speed 2. IMG_9619

 

Lay the dough on the counter and cut it in half before you change to the third thickness setting on the dial.  This will make the dough easier to handle as you feed it through the roller.  It gets difficult to hold the longer it gets and is likely to tear when it gets long.  I will continue this process until thickness setting 5 on the dial.  I wouldn’t go any thinner than the 5th setting for ravioli.  You will run the risk of your filling leaking through.

You can use many different types of cutters and molds to make your ravioli, but I prefer a more simple method.  place a sheet of your freshly rolled dough on a lightly floured surface. Spoon the desired amount of filling onto the dough.  I have found the pasta sheets are the perfect size for two rows of filling when they come out of the rollers.  IMG_9483

 

You will want to use either water or egg to bind the pasta sheets together.  You can either brush the whole bottom sheet with egg before you place the filling or brush between the spoonfuls of filling.  In the picture above I brushed between the rows, but as I went on, I found it easier to brush the whole sheet prior to placing the filling.  Place a second sheet on top of the filling and starting at one end press the top pasta sheet down to connect to the lower sheet, maneuvering around the pockets of filling.  Try to get as much air out of the pockets as you go from one end of the sheet to the other.  IMG_9670

Once pressed, I used a pizza cutter to create my square shaped ravioli.  Try not to cut too close to the filling.  You don’t want the filling to seep out while it is cooking.  I prefer to let my pasta dry a little bit before I cook them, so they don’t stick together the moment you place them in water. While your pasta is drying, you can bring a pot of water to boil with about a teaspoon of salt.  Once the water is at a full boil slowly add your prepared ravioli one at a time to the pot.  I would cook the ravioli in two separate batches to prevent them from breaking when you stir or sticking together.  Cook the pasta to the desired tenderness and remove from the pot.  Fully drain your pasta before serving with your sauce.  You don’t want a watery butter sauce.

Prepare your butter sauce.  Melt your butter and add the lemon.  Pour over the pasta and season with salt and pepper.  Dust with parmesan and serve.  The parmesan should melt slightly on its own from the heat of the pasta.  If you prefer, you can place the plate of ravioli under a warmer or in an oven to crisp the tops of the ravioli and melt the cheese.  IMG_9562