Raviolis From Scratch

For a while now I've been planning on making raviolis from scratch. It kinda started with the persimmons. My grandpa gave me a Trader Joe's size bag of persimmons late last year. I ended up making a bunch of persimmon breads, but for the most part I steamed some whole, some quartered and pureed some, all to freeze for later use. Next, I finally aquired a pasta roller and then all I had to do was muster up some motivation and make sure I had time, lots of time.

First I made the dough. I would have to let it rest for at least 30 min, so in the meantime I could make the filling. I doubled up on the reciped thinking that it would be enough. Not only was I wrong there, but I also totally messed up the first round of making pasta dough. I forgot to put a whole cup of flour out, so the well I made couldn't hold the 4 eggs I tried to put into it. The egg went everywhere and when I finally got it all together with the cup of flour I was missing, the dough ended up really hard. So hard that I couldn't even knead it. I tried to save it, but in the end I had to toss it. Bummer. Ok so I had to try again. The next time it came together, however I swore that the next time I make more, that I was using the mixer. For the third batch, I did use the mixer. Not only was it MUCH faster, it was much easier. Finally something was coming together.

I got the idea from a Martha Stewart book that my mom emailed me in PDF format. The actual recipe is, I think, somebody else's, but it was a MS book for Thanksgiving recipes. Cool. What it was, was a pumpkin ravioli with a pumpkin veloute. Subsitute persimmons for pumpkin. After making the persimmons insides for the ravioli, I rolled out the dough and began creating raviolis.
After making a bunch of persimmon raviolis, I had to make more dough, for the Italian sausage raviolis, that I was also planning on making. By the time I was done making the meat ones, I was starting to get a method down as to how to press the dough down around the meat to prevent any air bubbles. I haven't made pasta from scratch since I attend "Cooking for Teens" at CCA (SF), when I was 14. I have never made raviolis from scratch, so not only did this seem like a daunting task at first, I also had to develop my own techniques. I actually made quite a few mistakes. Next time, straining the persimmon mixture through cheese cloth, would be ideal, so that the mixture doesn't end up soaking the dough. After making each batch, I lined the raviolis on a sheet tray and put them in the freezer. This way I would be able to put them in a bag, without worrying about them coming apart. The meat ones I made, came out a lot better, both in shape and they were dryer.

Next I had to puree the veloute and strain it, before I could call it quits for this evening. It was almost midnight by this point and my back and feet were really hurting. After straining the veloute, I put it back on the stove to reduce it a little more. I did reduce it a little bit while I was doing dishes, but decided that I would save it and finish it today. Besides, I knew that the flavors would change and intensify over night as the veloute sat in the fridge.

All this work will come to fruition tonight as we host a dinner for our favorite friends and couple, the Mooneyhams. It's really cool that they are coming over. Usually we go to their house and cook dinner. It's cool when they come to our house because we can make the dinners more elaborate, since we have all our tools at hand. For tonights dinner, we will be having Persimmon and Italian Sausage Ravioli with a Persimmon-Curry Veloute, with a side of salad and an Orange Vinegrette and my Peppered Wheat Sourdough. To top it all off, we're all going to see a show afterwards. Boarhunter!