Gluten Free Ravioli with Port-Poached Pear Filling

After getting my amazing Repast Supply Co. Fonde ravioli rolling pin (read more about that here), I decided to try my best to be an equal opportunity ravioli recipe maker. So after the basic ravioli recipe came the whole grain ravioli, and now we’re on to gluten free ravioli. I tried several blends, but Bob’s Red Mill gluten free all purpose flour seemed to work best for me (note: it does not include xanthan gum in the blend).

There’s a reason why there is gluten in most baked goods: it makes things stick together. Ravioli dough needs to be very pliable, so the loss of gluten makes things a little tricky. The good news? You don’t have to let your dough rest for around an hour (which helps the gluten do it’s thing). My advice is to work quickly and gently. It’s best to have your filling ready to go before you start the pasta dough so it doesn’t dry out and get brittle. Like all pasta making, it takes a little bit of practice and a healthy dose of patience.

Even though it hasn’t cooled down here in Atlanta, I’m still loving all of the fall produce coming into season. A bin of pears at the market inspired Port poached pear sauce, which made its way into ravioli. If you’re lucky enough to still have peaches in season, you can try a honey-broiled peach + rosemaryfilling. If you want to go down a more traditional road, try a lemon-basil-ricotta filling with tomato sauce or pesto. This recipe makes 18-24 ravioli.

 
Ingredients for pasta dough:
2 c Bob’s Red Mill gluten free all purpose flour
2 eggs + 1 yolk
1 Tbsp olive oil
water
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon (optional)

 
Ingredients for filling and sauce:
1/3 – 1/2 c port poached pear sauce
olive oil or butter

 
Special equipment:
regular rolling pin
ravioli rolling pin, ravioli stamp, ravioli tray, some other ravioli-making contraption, or a fork
zig-zag pasta cutter or regular pizza cutter

 
Make the pasta dough:
Start with 2 c Bob’s Red Mill gluten free all purpose flour in a bowl or in a mound on your counter. (For the record, I think it’s way more fun to do it on the counter like they always do in cooking shows.) Form a well in the middle of the flour by making wide and shallow indentation.

Add 2 eggs + 1 yolk, 1 T olive oil, and 1 T water in well. Using a fork, gently whisk wet ingredients in a circular motion, gradually incorporating flour. Be careful not to break the “walls” of the well so the wet ingredients don’t spill out! Once about half of the flour is incorporated, the wet part is thick enough not to spill out.

Continue mixing with your hands until most of flour is combined into the dough. Add more water as necessary. If using a bowl, turn dough out onto a floured surface. Continue to mix until everything is combined, but dough should be a little sticky.

Proceed to making ravioli immediately.

 
Make the ravioli:
Cut dough into 2 even pieces. Flour a clean surface and roll each piece of dough into very thin, similarly sized sheets.  You should be able to see through the dough.

To form the ravioli, follow the instructions with whatever tool you’re using, or use the following outlines:

Ravioli rolling pin: Evenly spread the ricotta mixture over one sheet of pasta dough, leaving at least a 2 inch buffer area around the edges. Place the second sheet of dough on top. Roll ravioli rolling pin over dough and filling, applying firm but even pressure. Using a pasta or pizza cutter, cut individual ravioli apart.

Ravioli tray: Lay one sheet of pasta dough over the ravioli tray. Using your thumb, gently press the dough down into each indention. Spoon ricotta filling into each spot. Roll pin over tray to seal and cut ravioli.

Fork or ravioli stamp: Using a pizza or pasta cutter, cut evenly-sized squares (about 2″ x 2″ or the dimensions of your stamp) of pasta dough. Spoon a small amount of ricotta filling onto a square of dough. Cover with another square and press with stamp to seal edges, or use the tines of a fork to seal edges. Alternatively, you can place ricotta filling in the center of a square piece of dough, fold it over into a triangle and seal the edges with a stamp or fork.
If not cooking right away, see notes for instructions on storing ravioli.

 
Cook the ravioli:
Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Once boiling, generously salt water and bring back to rapid boil.

Add ravioli to water and cook 3-5 minutes or until pasta rises to top of water. Cook in batches if necessary to avoid crowding.

Coat cooked ravioli with olive oil, brown butter, or your favorite sauce. Add a splash of cooking water to help bind the sauce with the pasta.

To serve, I recommend shaved chocolate if you want to go the sweet route or crumbled bleu cheese for a sweet-and-savory dish.

Source: http://kitchen1204.com/fall/gluten-free-ravioli-port-poached-pear-filling/