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1
First make the pasta dough.
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2
In a kitchen mixer with the dough hook or by hand
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3
Put the flour into the bowl, crack in the egg, add the oil and start the mixer, make sure you keep pushing down any flour that rises up the bowl
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4
Start adding the water a little at a time and allow it to be worked into the dough fully before adding more.
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5
The dough should be very soft and pliable and even stick to the sides of the bowl a little, but be easy to roll off again.
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6
Once the dough has reached this stage knead it for a few minutes in the machine or a 10 minutes by hand until it is smooth and elastic (kneading activates the gluten and makes the dough stretchy)
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7
Your dough is ready to be made into sheets for the ravioli (or lasagne - if you just want the pasta)
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8
Twist off half the dough and start feeding it through your pasta machine on the thickest setting - if it looks over stretched, lay out on your board and rub flour into the sheet turn over and do again on the other side the fold over and put through again.
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9
If you're doing this by hand then roll out on a floured surface until about 5mm thick the fold into thirds (take hold of one end and fold over leaving one third exposed, then fold that end over the top)
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10
Whichever route you take, you hope to achieve a very workable dough, so you may have to fold, turn and roll several times
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11
With the machine, decrease the thickness each time until you achieve about 2mm thick strips.
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12
By hand roll as thin as possible.
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13
Next step depends if you have a ravioli tin or not.
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14
Flour your tin.
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15
Cut strips of dough to fit the tin and fill the holes with your filling of choice or place spoonfuls of filling an inch/2 1/2cm apart.
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16
Repeat with other half of dough - makes 20 large ravioli.
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17
At this point my daughter rolled the remaining pasta using powdered sugar instead of flour then filled with a mixture of chocolate pieces, peanut butter and strawberry jam to make sweet ravioli (she served it with a light chocolate sauce on the side)
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18
Cover with a second sheet, pressing the dough firmly between each spoonful of filling.
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19
Use your roller on the tin to cut between the pieces, or use a pastry crimper or knife to cut between the pieces of ravioli on your work surface.
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20
You should drop your pieces of ravioli into a pan of boiling water and cook for 3-4 minutes, drain then serve.
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21
(Make sure you brush off all the loose flour or the pasta will get too sticky)
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22
Make the Bolognese filling.
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23
This filling is quite intense in flavour and must be thick not watery.
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24
Add oil and onion to a small pan then gently fry over a medium heat until onion becomes transparent, then add garlic if using.
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25
Turn the heat up and add the beef - stir quickly until cooked through.
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26
Add the basil and stir in then the red wine (if using) cooking on high to reduce the wine.
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27
When the wine has reduced by at least half, add all of the other ingredients.
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28
Lower the heat and let the Bolognese simmer, crush down any large pieces of tomato.
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29
Taste before seasoning.
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30
Cool before adding to your pasta.
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31
Serve the ravioli with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese and a chunk of garlic bread
