Guest Post – Country Pork and Collard Greens Ravioli

My dad, born into an Italian immigrant family in the Bronx in 1914 loved to watch cooking shows.  He especially loved Emeril.  One Christmas I gave him a ravioli mold and a pasta machine.  However, his interest didn’t motivate him into the kitchen so ten years after his death I popped open the boxes for their first time to try these out for myself.

Having been in the South since 1985 and being a co-contributor to Carolina HeartStrings my food tastes are pretty well rooted in Southern cooking.  So…  I had to put a little country in my pasta y’all and so we have here Country Pork and Collard Greens Ravioli.   This is for you, dad.  XOXO

You will need a ravioli mold and may find it helpful to have a pasta machine although you can hand roll the dough instead of pressing it through a machine.

PASTA  INGREDIENTS:

3 cups all purpose flour

3 eggs

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 tablespoons water

Sift flour into a large mixing bowl.

Mix eggs, oil and water together.

Pour into center of flour and stir into a stiff dough.

Knead for 2 minutes in the bowl.

Split in half and cover with a damp cloth and let rest for 30 minutes.

While the dough is resting prepare the filling.

FILLING  INGREDIENTS:

½  lb bulk pork country sausage

1 ½  cups ricotta cheese

1 egg

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 cup cooked, well drained collard greens

Brown sausage, crumbling while cooking and drain well.

Mix ricotta cheese, eggs, parmesan and sausage.

Drain collard greens and reserve.

RAVIOLI  DIRECTIONS: 

1.  In a pasta machine pass the dough through the flat roller in the widest possible setting four times.

2.  After the fourth pass, roll out on a setting that makes the dough as thick as a knife blade.  If the dough wants to tear place it on an unfloured rolling surface and hand roll so as there are no tears or openings.  Cover the ravioli mold with this first layer of pasta dough.

3.  Place the press part of the mold on top of this layer of pasta and press down.  Allow it sit for a few minutes for the dough to stretch out a little.  You may find it helpful to have brushed some oil on the dough to prevent the press from sticking.

4.  Fill the ravioli with 1 rounded teaspoon of the cheese-sausage mix and ½ – ¾ teaspoon of the chopped collards greens.

5.  After the raviolis are filled top with a sheet of pasta.  Roll from the center out until the cutting edges have pierced the top sheet.  Trim off any remaining dough with a sharp knife.

6.  Turn out the raviolis onto a baking sheet or plate and cover with a damp cloth as you prepare more.

7.  Boil for 6-10 minutes and top with a sauce of your liking.  To accent the country flavors in this recipe I blended 2 parts spaghetti sauce with 1 part ranch dressing.  The flavor seemed to have just the right “kick”.