What's Cookin' -- Homemade Cheese Ravioli

• No way I could possibly have even thought a few years ago that I could tackle homemade ravioli.  But a couple weeks ago I accomplished it and it was so good.  My husband went back for seconds (which is always a good sign).  I followed the recipe from the Food Network for the ravioli and made my own filling. 

• Ravioli
• 
  
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Filling
4 oz feta cheese (ricotta would be a good substitute)
1 to 2 cups shredded cheese (I used pizza cheese)
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup grated parmesean

1.  Slowly mix the flour and salt with the eggs, water and olive oil. The original recipe calls for using a food processor, but I did mine with a mixer.
2. If using a pasta machine wrap in cling wrap and put in fridge for an hour.  If rolling by hand, kneed by hand (the mixer's kneeding attachment didn't work too well here) for 8 to 10 minutes.  Wrap and put in fridge for an hour.
3. Mix cheeses and egg together.  I found I didn't need the whole egg to make this bind.  Too much egg will make the filling taste eggy. Put mixture aside.
4. After an hour, roll out dough paper thin.  I found using smaller portions was easier to roll out than a large ball.  The dough is really elastic.
5. Cut into equal squares (or as close as you can get) with pizza cutter.
6. Put a small amount (about 1 Tbsp depending on the size of your ravioli) in center of half the squares.  Cover filled squares with empty squares.
7. Use a fork to seal the ends.  This is very important otherwise your filling will come out when boiling.
8.  Boil homemade ravioli for 2 to 4 minutes or until ravioli is floating.
9. Serve with jar pasta sauce or homemade sauce.  I used the homemade sauce and add 1/2 pound of browned meat.  Italian sausage would taste good, too.

** Note this is very time consuming.  I plan to make some up one morning we are snowbound and freeze a bunch.  Freeze before boiling.  Simply put on a cookie sheet in freezer for an hour.  Once froze store in freezer or foodsaver bags. No need to unthaw before boiling.**