By Cheryl Orr

This chilly weather calls for indoor activities and hot, comforting foods. Why not turn your meal prep into a family activity! And what better way to involve others than to make pasta from scratch.

My hand-made pasta classes are the most popular of all the dozens of classes I offer. In class we make pasta like an Italian Nonna but at home I quickly produce dough and roll it out with the help of a kitchen-aid mixer, dough hook, and pasta attachments.

Raviolis are a fun pasta to make. I often make them free form, but you can also cut them out with special ravioli cutters in a variety of shapes and sizes. There are many different fillings to make from butternut squash to ground meats, but many like a cheese ravioli.

This week I have included my Five-Cheese Ravioli Recipe, along with my Handmade Pasta and Quick Marinara recipes. Enjoy!

Five-Cheese Ravioli

Hand-Made Pasta

Serves 6
INGREDIENTS 

• 3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 whole eggs, plus one yolk
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1-2 tablespoons water

PREPARATION

1. Lightly dust a rimmed baking sheet with flour.  Divide the dough into four equal portions. Dust the portions with flour and cover with a clean dish towel. It is important to keep everything well-floured to prevent the pasta from sticking to itself or the roller as you work. If the dough starts to feel sticky as you roll it, sprinkle it with flour. Also sprinkle flour on any pasta you’re not working (rolled, cut or otherwise) with and keep it covered with a dishtowel.
2. Combine the flour and salt on a clean dry work surface. Make a roughly 8-inch hole (this is also called a well) in the center of the flour mixture. Add the eggs and oil, and whisk with a fork to combine. If you prefer it is less messy to do it in a bowl. 
3. Using the fork, begin to incorporate the flour into the egg mixture; be careful not to break the sides of the well or the egg mixture will run all over. Do not worry about lumps.
4. When enough flour has been incorporated into the egg mixture to hold together begin to use our hands to combine everything. Incorporate more flour as needed to prevent the dough from sticking to you or the counter. Don’t worry if you haven’t used all the flour. If the mixture is tight and dry, wet your hands and begin working the dough with wet hands.
5. Begin gently folding the dough on itself, flattening, and folding again. It will be extremely soft at first, and then gradually start to firm up. Once it is firm enough to knead it is important to put your body weight into it. The dough is kneaded when it forms a smooth elastic ball and has very few air bubbles when cut.
6. Slice into the dough with a paring knife; if you see lots of air bubbles, keep kneading.
7. Gather the dough into a ball, dusting with flour if it is sticky. Press the ball into a disc and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rest at room temperature for a minimum of 30 minutes and up to 4 hours. (You can refrigerate the dough overnight and bring to room temperature before using. It will have a funny green tinge to it before you roll it out, but the end results will look perfectly normal.)

Quick Fresh Marinara

INGREDIENTS 

• ¼ cup olive oil
• ½ cup diced onion
• 8-10 minced garlic cloves
• 2 lbs. juicy ripe tomatoes, rough chopped (about 6 cups chopped, save juices)
• ¼ cup wine
• Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon sugar, brown sugar or honey
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 large fresh basil sprig, more to taste
• 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

PREPARATION

1. Stir in red pepper flakes, oregano, sugar, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low and
   simmer 5 minutes. Add basil just before serving. Adjust seasonings to taste. Remove
   from heat and stir in cold butter to add gloss and mellow the acidity from the tomato.
2. In a deep heavy pan, over medium low heat, heat the oil until it shimmers. Add the
   onions and sauté until translucent. Add the garlic, and sauté a few minutes until garlic is
   fragrant. Stir in wine.
3. Add chopped tomatoes and all their juices. Increase the heat to medium high and
   simmer 5 minutes until tomatoes begin to break down.

Five Cheese Ravioli Filling

Serves 12
INGREDIENTS 

• 1 cup whole milk ricotta
• 1 cup Mascarpone
• ½ cup fontina, shredded
• ½ cup Parmesan, grated
• ½ cup Pecorino romano, grated
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon minced roasted garlic
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped.
• 1 teaspoon fresh parsley, chopped
• Dash nutmeg

PREPARATION

1. Mix together ricotta, mascarpone, fontina, parmesan, romano, roasted garlic,
   egg, lemon zest, honey, herbs, and nutmeg. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours.
2. Roll out pasta dough into thin sheets. To fill raviolis, lay out a sheet of pasta
   dough. Cover any remaining sheets with a damp towel. On a floured surface, cut
   the dough sheet into 4-inch squares. Place a tablespoon of chilled filling onto the
   center of a pasta square. Moisten borders with water and top with another pasta
   square. Press all the air out and seal firmly by pressing edges with fingers. Lay
   filled raviolis out to dry on a floured surface. Uncooked raviolis may be frozen for
   2 months, but otherwise must be cooked immediately. To freeze, lay in a single
   layer and freeze in batches, then place all frozen raviolis in a freezer bag.
3. To cook fresh raviolis, boil in lightly salted water about 3 minutes or until tender,
   or if frozen boil about 5-6 minutes.

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Cheryl Orr is offering weekly Canapé Club at the Patisserie at Edenton Bay, as well as Supper Club that all can attend. She is currently completing her cookbook, and offering private cooking classes, small catering, and private chef dinners.