Trip to Italy: 4 Cheese Ravioli Recipe

The origin of ravioli is somewhat contradictory, some say they were brought to Italy from China by Marco Polo and others claim that they (like so many other delicacies of Italian cuisine) have their origins on the Island of Sicily.

The first mention of this delicacy appears in the writings of Francesco di Marco Datini (a merchant of Venice in the 14th century) and there was a recipe for ravioli made of green herbs mixed with beaten egg and fresh cheese that was cooked in broth (a very traditional way of eating ravioli “al brodo” that is still present today).

At first, no fillings were used in ravioli, but between the 12th and 13th century the filling started to be adopted and condiments such as: eggs, cheese, ricotta and herbs became some of the main ones. As time went by, in the north of Italy meat fillings appeared, however, something that never changed were their shapes, traditionally square or rectangular.

Lover of Italian food? Then try this delicious 4 Cheese Ravioli and taste what is most traditional without leaving the comfort of your home!

4 Cheese Ravioli

Ingredients for the dough:

• 3 cups of flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• ¼ cup of olive oil
• ½ cup of water
• Wheat flour for sprinkling

For the filling:

• 425 g ricotta cheese
• ½ cup and 2 tablespoons of a mixture of 3 grated cheeses of your choice
• ½ cup cheddar cheese
• 2 lightly beaten eggs
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper

Preparation of the filling:

1. In a bowl, place the ricotta and smash with a fork.
2. Add the 3-cheese mixture, the cheddar, the eggs, salt and pepper.
3. Mix all ingredients thoroughly until you get a pasty consistency.
4. Cover the bowl with cling film and place it in the fridge, about 30 minutes.

Dough preparation:

1. Break the eggs into a large bowl and beat with a fork. Add the water, oil and salt. Mix.
2. Add 1 cup of flour and use a fork to mix it with all ingredients. Pour in the remaining flour and mix until you have a smooth dough.
3. Clean a large, smooth surface of your countertop and dust with flour.
4. Remove the dough from the bowl, form it into a ball and place it on the work surface. Knead it for 10 minutes or until it becomes elastic.
5. Sprinkle the rolling pin with flour and use it to stretch the dough until it is about 1 to 3 cm thick.
6. Place a portion of the stretched dough on your favourite ravioli mould and press carefully until it fills all the available spaces.
   Note: with the remaining dough you can make a ball, wrap it in cling film and keep it in the freezer to use another day. The dough can be kept for a few weeks when frozen. Just make sure that it is well wrapped in the film so that it does not become hard after defrosting.
7. Take the ravioli filling out of the fridge and place about half a tablespoon in the middle of each available space in the mould.
8. Fill a small bowl with water, dip your fingers in, and moisten the dough around the spaces.
9. Place another portion of already stretched dough again on top of the mould already with the filling. Press the ends of each ravioli with your fingers, so that you can clearly see how they divide, and then, with the small rolling pin of your mould, carefully pass over all the ravioli to flatten them.
10. Turn the mould upside down, press down and remove. Separate the ravioli, preferably with a round blade, similar to a pizza cutter but wavy. Make sure to press the edges well so that the ravioli do not break during cooking.
11. When done, sprinkle flour over the ravioli to prevent them from sticking together.
12. Fill a large pan with water and bring to a boil.
13. Place the ravioli in the boiling water for about 5 to 6 minutes, or until they float.
14. Remove the ravioli from the water using a skimmer. Cover with your favourite sauce, grate some parmesan cheese on top and serve.

Travel without leaving the kitchen! Discover all the Taste Journey recipes and stamp your passport with these 8 countries with an incredible gastronomy!
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