We like those cheese raviolli's you buy frozen and add sauce to, but they do not meet my new shopping criteria... So do you make your own? How do I make the cheese filling??

-- Melissa in SE Ohio (me@home.net), April 22, 2002

Answers

Yep, they are easy. Filling is the easiest part. Off the top of my head: Rocotta cheese 8oz., one cup of grated parmesan cheese, 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon herb of your choice (parsley is always good), salt and pepper to taste. Mix it with your hands, kids like this part! Use one teaspoonful per pillow.

*This same filling can be used in big shells or tubes, place side by side in a lightly oiled baking pan pour pasta sauce over then top with mozzarella and parmesan bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until the cheese is brown and bubbly.

-- Susan in MN (nanaboo@paulbunyan.net), April 22, 2002.

Yes, but how do you keep them from leaking when they cook?

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), April 22, 2002.

I have a Atlas hand pasta machine that has a ravioli attachment. Raviolli is great made with whole wheat pasta and a ricotta cheese filling. Here is the filling recipe I use:

1 container of ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1/2 cup parmesean cheese
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
2 T. chopped parsley
1/2 tsp. basil
salt and pepper to taste

-- Karen (mountains_mama@hotmail.com), April 22, 2002.

Fresh pasta and even the "fresh" frozen ones don't need to cook long. Here is what I do; Boil the water with a little oil in it. Add the pasta, boil again and turn it off and put the lid on it. When they float they are considered cooked. If you cook them hard, at a rolling boil, they will break open and be a big mess. The frozen ones may need a little longer. Try one to see if the middle is thawed.

Susan

-- Susan in MN (nanaboo@paulbunyan.net), April 22, 2002.

Ravioli dough is like any pasta dough, all that's different is that you're rolling it out more thinly, which is easier to do with a pasta maker, although you can do it by hand too.

As to fillings, the sky's the limit--I have seen everything from butternut squash to wilted dandelion leaves/swiss chard/chervil mixes, to meat, etc. (sorry I don't have the recipes). Put a little water around the edges to keep them sealed, and as others have said, fresh pasta takes very little time to cook!

-- GT (nospam@nospam.com), April 22, 2002.

OK, could I use a dough like for noodles?? I usually have baked mine. I just layer them in a baking dish, cover with homemade sauce, and mozzarella cheese and bake for about 40 minutes.

-- Melissa in SE Ohio (me@home.net), April 23, 2002.

Yes, you could use a noodle dough, however, any basic pasta dough (like for spaghetti, lasagna, etc.) can be used. You boil them (gently so you don't lose the filling) just as you would any pasta and then just add the sauce. I never thought about baking them and I don't see why you couldn't. Fresh pasta cooks in only a couple of minutes anyway so why not!

-- Karen (mountains_mama@hotmail.com), April 23, 2002.

I should have said I baked the frozen raviolli with the sauce. I guess if it was fesh it would take less time. But I am thinking of making a big batch and then freezing it. This health food regime we are embarking on takes a lot More Time!!!! I did not realize how many quick convenience foods I used like cake mixes and etc... so now I am making everythng from scratch...

-- Melissa in SE Ohio (me@home.net), April 23, 2002.

On keeping the sealed when cooking --

I think what my mom would do was lightly roll the ravolli rolling pin over the dough, brush the lines with beaten egg white, drop down the filling, put the top on, and roll again (hard enough to seal) with the ravolli rolling pin. The egg whites would help keep the ravolli sealed when they were cooking.

-- Emjay in Oregon (tempo42@attbi.com), June 12, 2002.