Chalk this one up to another one of those “why the heck was I scared to make…” recipes. For years, I was convinced that making homemade pasta was reserved for Italian grandmas and James Beard winners. Not so, people, not at all so. I got a bee in my bonnet to finally break out our unused pasta machine when I came across a photo of a dish from J&G Steakhouse in Scottsdale I had taken last year. It inspired me to make my own home version. Please know that this is NOT a direct copy cat of the Jean-Georges Vongerichten dish. I’m simply pulling inspiration from the world renowned chef’s pasta and making it do-able for any home cook.
Here’s a little side by side, just for kicks:
But, more importantly, before we get all up into the process of fillings and sauces, I need to know that you’re going to feel confident in making fresh pasta. Perhaps you are already a pro at this and can rock ravioli without batting a lash. But, in case you’re nervous, I recorded a step by step video in my kitchen, taking you through the process of making fresh pasta at home.
How to Make Homemade Pasta
Feel good about that? Ready to rock on with your bad ravioli self? The exact measurements and full printable recipe are at the very bottom of this post. The actual pasta part of the recipe is the one from Serious Eats. Love Love Love that site!
Now let’s attack the rest of the recipe.
While the pasta is in the fridge, the filling and the sauce can both be made ahead of time. Let’s start with the filling.
Mix together 16 oz of sweet corn kernels and 15 oz ricotta in a bowl. Next, place half of the ricotta/corn mix you just made, into a blender with 8 oz green peas and 4 Tbs oil and pulse until roughly blended. Finally, finish the filling by combining the blended mix with the other half of the ricotta/corn mixture. Set that aside until you’re ready to fill your pasta.
Then, on to the silky, sweet spring pea sauce. Start by sauteing 4 cloves of garlic, 1/2 onion chopped and 2 Tbs oil in a large saucepan. Once the veggies are soft, add in 12 oz green peas, 2 Tbs butter, 1 cup milk and an additional 2 Tbs oil and simmer for 2 minutes. From there, transfer the mix to a blender and blend on high until the sauce is smooth.
Add the pea sauce back into the sauce pan and cover on low until ready to serve. Occasionally stir to ensure it’s not sticking to the pan.
Once your pasta has chilled for 6 hours, it’s time to make the ravioli.
Start by rolling out the dough into sheets. Cut the refrigerated dough into quarters, rolling each quarter into a long log, then roll with a rolling pin into a long sheet. Feed the sheet through a pasta machine, covering with more flour to prevent sticking and cover with a towel to keep moist until ready to use. This step is covered in the video in case you want to verify how it’s done.
Next, place dollops of the filling evenly spaced on your pasta sheet, then cover with another sheet, securing edges with a dab of water or egg wash. From there, cut the pasta around the dollops on the secured edges into squares. If you want to be vigilant about ensuring the ravioli are sealed, press a fork into the pasta around the edges. Be sure to keep the work surface floured and to make sure the finished ravioli have enough flour on them to prevent sticking before cooking.
Once you’ve made all your ravioli, add them in batches to a pot of boiling water and boil for 1 minute then drain until ready to serve. Do not rinse your pasta with water after draining! That rinses all of the starches off and prevents the glorious sauce from adhering.
When you’re ready to serve, ladle some of the green pea sauce into a serving dish, then lay on several ravioli and garnish with extra kernels of sweet corn and some diced cherry tomatoes.
Then, at that point, you can say you’ve arrived. You made fresh pasta. You made something inspired by Jean Georges! You’re a pro and you should keep on cookin’. (print or pin the recipe below!)
[tasty-recipe id=”6839″]
Pasta recipe is from Serious Eats.
Sauce and Filling are original recipes by Joanie Simon (JoanieSimon.com)
