Flour, eggs, pinch of salt and a little elbow grease, gives you a simple fresh satisfying egg pasta. I need nothing else. A ravioli can be filled with anything from thyme and mushrooms, sun dried tomato and Parma ham, basil and ricotta or my favourite ricotta and spinach with a pinch or nutmeg.

You do need a little time to make fresh pasta, but to be honest at the moment I am absolutely rushed off my feet. If I’m not tending to the children, I’m teaching, writing or cooking. All of which I love, but I never seem to stop. I never have ‘Me time’. I’m not really bothered about me time. All I want is to be able to cook in peace. Music on, pinny on and I just let my imagination go wild. Even though I have over 300 cookbooks, I find it very difficult to follow a recipe, I don’t like feeling restricted. So I tend to read all my book and learn, then find my own way. Children at school, husband at work and me in the kitchen, perfect!!

Fresh spaghetti and ravioli was the choice of the day, so here I go.

500g OO flour
5 large eggs, plus one yolk
pinch or salt
1 tbsp olive oil

After making the dough, I split the recipe and made half the dough into spaghetti and the other half into delicious ravioli.

Ricotta filling
250g ricotta
40g spinach, chopped
salt and pepper
a pinch or nutmeg
(mix all ricotta fillings together and set aside, until needed)

Ready to get mixing with my finger tips. To form a dough…..
1. Use a mixer, bowl or on a board. Your choice. I fancied getting a bit messy so I opted for the board.
2. Tip the flour onto a board and make a well in the centre. Tip in the eggs, pinch or salt and oil, be careful because they will spill over!! Now using your finger tips, carefully start mixing and combine all ingredients into a dough.
3. Add a sprinkle of flour on the board and knead the dough for about 10 minutes. Hard work but persevere for as long as you can. Cut the dough in half, wrap in cling and pop in the fridge for 30 minutes. Let the dough rest and prep your pasta machine.
Ricotta and spinach filled ravioli………………
Get your pasta machine secured on your counter.
1. From the thickest setting start rolling the dough. Work your way through to the thinnest setting. Lovely and thin is what your looking for. You want to see your hands through the pasta.
2. Use flour between the pasta layers so that it doesn’t stick.
3. With half the dough I made spaghetti and the other half ravioli.
4. Once the dough is rolled run it through the spaghetti setting, cut and hang on a wooden hanger until ready to cook. 
5. Cut the second half of the dough in small circles or squares for your ravioli and fill with the ricotta mixture. Be careful again to not over fill. Secure with a tiny amount of water and place on a floured tray.
To cook both the ravioli and spaghetti they will take no more than 3 minutes in salted water. Perfect with a sage butter and grated Parmesan.

Spaghetti for my bambini

Carmela x