Fresh pasta taste better if you prepare it yourself. Making fresh ravioli is a great technique to learn and can turn out to be a brilliant and enjoyable way to spend your Saturday afternoon with your family and friends. You can stuff your ravioli with all kind of fillings. In this case, Marcus Bean suggests a spinach and chicken one.
Fresh egg pasta
Makes 500g/1lb 2oz
Preparation time: 15 minutes, plus 30 minutes resting
400g/14oz/heaped 3 cups pasta flour, plus extra for dusting
4 eggs, beaten with a pinch of salt
1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for greasing
- Put the flour in a bowl and make a well in the centre.
- Pour the eggs into the well. Gradually whisk the flour into the eggs, a little at a time, then add the oil and start to mix the ingredients together with your hands until you have
a soft dough. - Knead and pull the dough for about 3 minutes on a lightly floured surface. Lightly oil a bowl, add the dough, then cover with cling film and chill in the fridge for at least
30 minutes. - Roll out the dough to about 0.5mm on a floured surface or use a pasta machine.
Spinach & chicken ravioli with tomato sauce
Serves 4
Preparation time: 30 minutes, plus making the dough and sauce
Cooking time: 20 minutes
1 recipe quantity Fresh Egg Pasta
a little flour, for dusting
Tomato Sauce
For the stuffing
2 tbsp olive oil
400g/14oz minced chicken
100g/3 oz spinach leaves
40g/1 oz unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 eggs
40g/1 oz strong cheese, grated
2 tbsp chopped chives
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Roll out the pasta on a lightly floured work surface to a thin rectangle about 0.5mm thick, or use a pasta machine.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat.
- Add the chicken and fry for 4–5 minutes, stirring, until browned and cooked. Leave to one side to cool.
- Rinse and drain the spinach, then put it in a saucepan with just the water clinging to the leaves.
- Put over a medium heat until softened, then drain and tip into a bowl to cool slightly.
- Add the chicken and the remaining stuffing ingredients to the bowl and mix until combined.
- Spoon into a piping bag with a small, plain nozzle and pipe small round piles about the size of a cherry in lines over half the pasta, leaving about 4cm/1 in gap between each one.
- Dampen between the filling, then fold the other half of the pasta over to create a top sheet, carefully sealing between the ravioli and making sure you don’t create any air pockets.
- Press out the ravioli, using a 4cm/1 in pastry cutter, pressing together the edges to seal.
- Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil over a high heat, add the ravioli, in batches if necessary, and return to the boil.
- Simmer for about 6 minutes until just tender. Drain well.
- Meanwhile, put the tomato sauce in a saucepan over a medium heat and bring just to the boil, stirring to make sure it is heated through. Add the ravioli and toss together to serve.
To enjoy other tasty and delicious chicken recipes take a look at Marcus Bean’s Chicken