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| Homemade Gluten-free Squash Ravioli (recipe #5) |
My first genuine foodie moment was one of: garlic, cigarette
smoke, glasses clinking, and more plated than I could eat.
That’s because my parents took me to Bove’s.
I remember parking in the adjacent lot was a big deal
because there were no parking garages, and there was a cook in a white apron
hand-rolling meatballs into a hotel pan just outside the side door.
Nearly everything on the menu was homemade.
Soon afterward, we relocated from South Burlington to
Bakersfield, but would still make the pilgrimage to our favorite Italian
restaurant every shopping holiday.
My sister would order a split of half meat and half cheese
ravioli.
For me?
Mostaccioli with white wine/garlic sauce and lots of soft
white bread for sopping it up.
My toddler brother ate spaghetti with red sauce, but I didn’t
focus on his eating habits – except for that one time he smushed his own
birthday cake on his head, because that was funny.
We kept that a family tradition until we were all married,
and with so many of us eating garlic that we had to roll down the car windows on
the way home.
Sometimes even on the next day as well.
I can’t eat at Bove’s any longer because of food issues, but
I have a recipe for a gluten free/soy free pasta dough that works well for homemade
ravioli.
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| Ricotta Spinach Ravioli (recipe #1 and #2 in the background) |
This time of year I fill them with pureed squash, spinach
and ricotta, or ground chicken – but, always with plenty of fresh garlic.
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| JUICY Gluten-free Chicken-filled Ravioli (recipe #2, too many air pockets) |
Based on a by King Arthur Flour
Makes about 30 raviolis
130g King Arthur GF Flour* (1 ¼ cups)
70g Quinoa Flour (1/2 cup)
2 tsp. Xanthan Gum
1 tsp. Cornstarch
1 tsp. Sea Salt
2 Large Eggs
4 Egg Yolks (reserve whites)
Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.
Make a well in the center, add eggs. Slowly incorporate by
stirring only the eggs until dough forms.
Knead a few times, then wrap tightly in plastic and
refrigerate overnight. Don’t try to
incorporate all the flour. (Keeps 4 days.)
Cut dough in half, keep unused dough covered.
Dough can be rolled out by hand, but a good squish with a
flat-bottomed pan or a tortilla press starts the process.
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| Chicken-filled Gluten-free Ravioli (recipe #4) |
To make ravioli:
Use beaten egg whites to thinly coat the pasta sheet.
Place 1 TB of filling** along the sheet – about an inch
apart.
Top with the other half sheet, and gently tamp between
raviolis to seal.
Cut and shape.
These may be frozen on a cookie sheet, then transferred to a
plastic bag - or refrigerated if ready
to cook right away.
Cook at a slow simmer, 16-20 minutes. GF takes much longer than wheat flours to
cook.
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| Ravioli #4 - better, but not perfected |
I like to pan fry before serving.
*I highly recommend using gram measurments for best results
**Easy fillings: leftover mashed potato, ground beef or
lamb, sausage – plus grated cheese.
