Ravioli

Yesterday while Warren worked on the roof, the boys, some of their buddies, and I decided to surprise him with an elaborate meal featuring my famous homemade ravioli. (I spent my senior year abroad in Florence and learned to make the secret Zanone family recipe from my homestay brother.)

I couldn't sleep Saturday night, so I got up and made the filling--a combination of beef, spinach, eggs, and lots of secret ingredients. (Here, S demonstrates how little sleep I got.)


After a quick shower to remove the meat smell from my clothes (and remnants from underneath my fingernails), I got to work on the dough. (If you look closely you can see the secret to perfect, Zanone approved dough. Shhh...)



In order to appease Satchel's curiosity, answer his 1,000 ravioli making questions, and provide him with crib notes should something unexpectedly happen to me, I gave him very detailed instructions on the construction.

Roll out the dough:


Smooth it out:


Place a small amount of filling at regular intervals:


Fold the dough over and remove the air bubbles:


Cut into squares and press the edges (and poke the top) with a fork:


I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Satchel was an excellent student:


Pile them in a deep dish and cover with sauce. (Luckily I keep several containers of homemade sauce in the freezer for my impromptu ravioli making sessions.)


Cook at 450 for 30 minutes:


(I usually take this time to tidy up the kitchen and prepare a delicious salad that perfectly combines fruits and vegetables):



Let them cool for 10 minutes (or as long as you can stand it):


Then eat them up! Here you can see that even the pickiest eaters (like C) can't resist my ravioli.


Warren said it was my best batch yet.

Okay okay, I'm totally lying. Anyone who knows me knows that this is complete BS. Team Alley was nice enough to invite us over on Sunday to share in their most awesome ravioli making tradition. I just wanted to give them a laugh as a thank you. I can't wait for next year! (Assuming they have me back, that is.)