There are some cooking dates when bringing my toddler along simply isn’t an option. Making ravioli at Lou’s house is one of those times. Pasta making requires full attention and multiple hands. Shaping, smoothing and passing fresh sfoglia (a thinly stretched sheet of pasta dough) through the pasta press is timeless and artistic. As a magic carpet of fresh pasta emerges from between the rollers, I am soothed, almost hypnotized. With my rather chaotic life as it is, the deliberate pace of pasta making is a welcome getaway. Any tugging, pulling or nudging from my toddler breaks the meditation and returns me to the mechanics of the process. I’ll take that at times, but when possible, I prefer to travel where the magic carpet of dough may bring me.
Lou, Christina and I made two kinds of fresh ravioli the other day: veal and spinach. To make things more efficient, I prepared the fillings in advance and Lou made his dough ahead of time. Together we rolled fresh sheets of pasta through a press and filled ravioli molds. With his homemade veal demi-glace, a few fresh herbs and a touch of butter, Lou whipped up a gourmet ravioli-tasting for lunch. After “fresh freezing” 120 ravioli, we each took home two family dinners.