Handmade ravioli filled with haloumi and cherry tomato sauce

I am always excited about pasta! I simply love it. And particularly when it is homemade pasta, I just feel I have gone that extra mile. While this recipe might take some extra time to be prepared, it is definitely worth it. It is an amalgam of the Cypriot version of a dish called ‘ravioles’  (ραβιόλες) or else ravioli filled with haloumi cheese and herbs. The most common herb used for ravioles is mint, however for this recipe I used basil simply because this is what I had in my fridge. For the sauce, I roasted cherry tomatoes and served with some grated pecorino at the top.

If you want to keep some ravioli for a later date, you can simply freeze them. I would suggest to first freeze each ravioli separately (e.g. in a tray) and put them all together in a bag (to save space in your freezer) only when they are completely frozen otherwise they tend to stick together. 

Ingredients

(for 28 ravioli, approximately 4-5 servings)

For the pasta dough:

• 3 eggs
• 400 gr 00 flour (pasta flour)
• approx. 50ml of water

For the  ravioli filling:

• 2 eggs
• 1/4 of a bunch of basil
• 225 gr of haloumi cheese

For the sauce:

• 200 gr cherry tomatoes
• half yellow pepper (completely optional)
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 tea spoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 tea spoon of sugar
• 1/4 of a bunch of basil
• 5 tbl spoons of olive oil
• salt and pepper to your preference

 

Method

I would suggest that you first start with the pasta dough. Place 350 gr of the flour in a clean surface (keep 50 gr for later use) and create a small hole in a middle as shown below. Place the eggs and start beating them with a fork whilst gradually mixing with the flour.  

  

Once eggs have been mixed with the flour, it is time to damp the fork and get your hands dirty. Start kneading the dough and add a little bit of water gradually (would recommend a couple of table spoons each time and then check the resulting consistency-the dough should neither be dusty nor sticky.).  Form a ball and let the dough rest covered in a towel for at least 1/2 hour.

Whilst waiting for the pasta dough to rest, prepare the ravioli filling. You will just need to put all filling ingredients in a blender and blend. 

Going back to the pasta dough, I used a pasta machine. However if you don’t have one you can use a rolling pin to open the pasta sheets.

Split the dough into approx. 10 equal pieces, flatten with your palms and pass each piece from the pasta machine 4 times (or roll with the rolling pin accordingly). The first time you pass the pasta dough through the pasta machine use the widest setting and gradually decrease the wideness. Try and keep each pasta sheet in a rectangular shape by folding the edges before passing through the pasta machine. Also dust each pasta sheet with some of the remaining flour to allow it to pass smoothly through. 

To prepare the ravioli, take each pasta sheet and place one table spoon of your filling at across the bottom part of the wider side by allowing some space in between. Fold the top part of the pasta sheet and push around the fillings to take the air out. To cut each ravioli, I used a ravioli stamp but if you don’t have one, you can use a glass with a small diameter or egg stand-improvise! 

For the sauce, cut the peppers in small cubes, the garlic in thin slices and the cherry tomatoes in half. Then put all ingredients in a pan and mix with your hands by squeezing the cherry tomatoes to release their juices. Roast for 20mins in 180^oC.

Place ravioli in boiling salted water for approximately 4 mins (fresh pasta need very little time to prepare). Serve ravioli with the sauce and some grated pecorino cheese. 

Bon appetit!