Homemade Ravioli
My kids love smashing, bashing and ripping up whatever they can get their hands on. I love a hand-crafted, beautifully wholesome meal. I’ve found hand-making ravioli is just the type of playful, inclusive cooking to sustain our whole family.
Ravioli is a pretty tough dough; it takes a lot of hits from my kids, and unlike a lot of the pastry dough we make, this dough is actually enhanced by the fun. It takes some muscle to roll the dough out by hand. We like to invite neighbors over to help and count it as an upper body strength training day while we are at it.
We are so grateful to live in a wild place (the Rocky Mountains) where sustainable hunting is practiced and many neighbors share their harvest, like the elk used in this recipe. Elk pairs so wonderfully with the sweet and moist qualities of acorn squash, but you could substitute other meats or omit meat all together. We also used a few special herbal ingredients from the shop, formulated specifically for a boost in digestion and metabolism.
Elk and Acorn Squash Filling
1 Acorn Squash
½ lb. Elk Chopped into small pieces (substitute for any meat or omit)
1 diced onion
4 diced cloves of garlic
1 tbsp Turmeric Nasturtium Ghee or use any high heat oil)
1 tbsp. Savory Herb Spice Blend for use your favorite herbs on hand
1 tsp. Salt
Ravioli Dough
1 Egg
1 c. All Purpose flour
4 tbls. Milk
1 tsp. Salt
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the acorn squash in half, remove seeds and roast for 30 mins. Once cooled, scoop out the flesh and set aside.
Warm a skillet pan on medium and add the ghee and onion. sauté for about 5 mins until the onion sweats. Add the garlic and Savory Herb Spice Blend and sauté for another 3 or 4 mins. Add the elk and sauté for about 15 mins covered until the meat is cooked through. Add the squash and salt and set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Add the egg and drizzle in the oil until it forms a ball. Turn out onto a work surface dusted with flour and continue to knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic. Cover with a beeswax wrap or lid and let rest for 30 mins.
Dust the surface, divide the dough into 6 balls, keep the dough you are not using covered and begin rolling out the dough until it is ¼ in. thick.
To make the beautiful shapes, we use simple cookie cutters, traditional ravioli cutters or a pizza cutter to make rectangles and triangles . Make two of each shape or a larger fold-over to hold the ingredients inside the ravioli.
Place a small amount of filling in the center of each ravioli. Wet the edges of your dough with water and either place a matching shape on top or fold the single shape in half over your filling. Press the edges with a fork making sure no filling squeezes out the sides.
Place the ravioli on parchment paper so they are not touching. You can cover with parchment paper and place in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Or you can freeze them for up to 3 months.
Everyone is probably pretty tired from all this work and getting hungry so if you are eager to eat them right away like we usually are…
Boil 2 quarts of water in a pot adding a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Add the ravioli to the boiling water for about 5 mins or until they float. Scoop them out of the pot and place in a bowl, mix with olive oil and salt.
Ravioli is a smashing hit in our house and they turn out elegant and delicious. Enjoy!
