Homemade ravioli is comfort on a plate

Food doesn't get more comforting than homemade ravioli on a Sunday afternoon. Who can resist?
There are so many ways to fill these little pillows of dough, which are basically ricotta, mozzarella and grated Parmesan and Romano cheeses.
For this version, I roasted some baby portobellos and steamed some fresh spinach to add to the cheese mixture. Freshly chopped parsley is also added along with some freshly ground black pepper and a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg.




Making ravioli is like a dance. You mix the dough and let it rest. Then roll it out, either using a pasta maker or a rolling pin. I typically like to make raviolis using my ravioli pin, but this time I went with the pasta roller to turn out long sheets of dough. I stop at the next-to-the-last setting for thickness and lay the strips of dough out on a clean tablecloth.



Position a small tablespoon of filling near the edge of one of the strips and space the filling out evenly. Brush the edges of the dough with water before folding the dough in half. I used a round ravioli marker for some and then cut the rest in squares by hand, using a pasta wheel.



Sprinkle semolina on a large breadboard and lay the ravioli out to dry a bit, while you bring a big pot of water to boil.



Add salt to the water and gently drop the ravioli in the pot. They are done when they float to the surface, which only takes about a minute for fresh ravioli.
Serve them with some Sunday slow-simmer sauce, and you have comfort on a plate.