Friday, December 16, 2022

food prep for Friday lunch

Haven't seen this in a long time:

pasta sheets a-hangin'


horrific-looking "ravioli"

But they taste great. 

closeup

the leftover pasta (long-john look not intended)

ugly apple galette

I have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to ravioli. Years ago, I watched my buddy Charles make a perfect batch. I think my problem is impatience and a lack of respect for the geometricity required to do the job right. So: more slowly and carefully next time. And maybe get one of those funky ravioli cutters. Also: work faster because the pasta will dry on you, which means it will crack when you fold it. Meanwhile, I think I'm going to make a small lasagna with my remaining pasta.



3 comments:

John Mac said...

Literally shaking my head in amazement at those hanging sheets of pasta.

Charles said...

Ravioli are more forgiving than you might think, provided you've got the right technique. The best way to do it, I've found, is to roll out a double-width strip of pasta (that is, twice as wide as you want the final ravioli to be), then place dollops of the filling evenly spaced along one side. Use a little water to wet the pasta in between and around the filling dollops, then fold the hold thing over and press down between the dollops and around the edges. Once everything has been sealed, cut the ravioli into squares.

This method has the advantage of being both easy and quick--so no pasta drying out or anything like that.

The galette looks beautiful, though. I don't think there is anything like an ugly galette.

Kevin Kim said...

Charles,

Yeah, I remember your technique from years ago, and a recent Brian Lagerstrom video shows the exact same technique. I'm just too slow and fumble-fingered right now. Chef John, on YouTube, always warns that the food can sense fear, so move decisively. He also says you never let the food win. I'll keep those pearls of wisdom in mind next time.