Homemade

I have spent the past few days gawking at architecture, art & design.
Call it a hobby, or an obsession, perhaps a fervor –
at any rate, I squinted, craned, and probably drooled a little.
I marveled at both old & new,
the art of making is just … remarkable.
But there is something particularly special about handmade works.
These works come from another world, a world of calloused hands,
a world that is now fixed in rust, 
a slower world – resting in the sunshine, sipping coffee slowly, & reading a hardcover book.
For today, as summer is fading into fall, I am going to slow down,
enjoy the final light of August
& appreciate the art of hand-making with
old world homemade pasta 

the STUFF

for the ravioli… (makes about 30 ravioli)
1-1/2 cups flour
1 egg
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon water

for the filling…
1 lb chopped spinach
olive oil
garlic
1 egg
¼ cup (ish) parmesan cheese
½ cup bread crumbs
fresh parsley, salt, pepper

for the sauce…
garlic
butter
parsley

what TO DO

first for the ravioli…
dump the flour onto a working surface
form a “volcano”
crack the egg into the volcano, beat with a fork (this is the “lava”)
add olive oil & water, beat with a fork
keep beating & slowly shove the walls of the volcano into the lava pit
work the flour into the lava mixture until you have a ball of dough
kneed the ball of dough for about 3 mins (add more water if need be)
divide the dough into two parts
wrap one in plastic wrap
roll the other out on a floured surface
(this will be a workout)
keep rolling … until the dough is paper thin … thin enough to see the text of a newspaper through … keep rolling …
cut the dough into ravioli sized squares, about 2.5” works well
repeat with the second ball of dough (yes more rolling)

now for the filling…
heat olive oil and freshly chopped garlic in a frying pan
chop the spinach & sauté in the olive oil/garlic
when the spinach is cooked, remove from heat
add beaten egg, cheese, bread crumbs & seasonings
place back on heat, stirring for a few minutes

and then the assembly…
spoon about 1 tablespoon of the filling into the first half of ravioli squares 
cover each with the second squares 
using a fork, press the edges together 

now just the cooking…
bring a pot of water to a boil, salt generously 
add the ravioli, cook for 3-5 minutes 
remove from water & let drain on a paper towel 

finally the sauce…
in a pan sauté butter, freshly chopped garlic & parsley 
spoon this on top of the ravioli 

manja! 

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