The way in which to your Valentine’s coronary heart is straightforward with these divine heart-shaped chocolate ravioli! Crammed with ricotta, mascarpone and pears and served on a mattress of mascarpone and strawberries, these selfmade raviolis are so delectable, your dinner date will love you for making them!
Chocolate pasta.
Italians have lengthy been making chocolate pasta, and never only for Valentine’s or dessert. Chocolate tagliatelle is commonly served with recreation meat ragu like venison or wild boar, in addition to with a gorgonzola sauce. All of which pair so properly with the chocolaty noodles!
Plus, there are just a few vintage candy pasta recipes that decision for chocolate within the sauce like this chocolate and walnut pasta cake from Umbria.
Historical past.
Apparently, in keeping with italymagazine.com, Italians have been including chocolate to pasta, risotto, polenta, and meat dishes for hundreds of years.
Savory dishes with chocolate recipes had been printed in Italy as early as 1680 and included lasagna in anchovy, almond and chocolate sauce, pappardelle in rabbit and chocolate sauce, fried liver accented with darkish chocolate, and polenta topped with chocolate breadcrumbs, almonds and cinnamon!
How you can make the chocolate pasta dough.
Making chocolate pasta dough is kind of straightforward, particularly when you’ve got already made regular egg pasta and even coloured pasta. All it’s essential do is add unsweetened cacao powder to the flour earlier than including eggs, salt and olive oil. You then proceed with making and kneading the dough as you’d for any pasta dough.
Substances on this heart-shaped chocolate ravioli recipe.
For the pasta dough.
Italian ‘00’ smooth wheat flour: This finely milled white flour is what most Italians use to make recent egg pasta like lasagne or ravioli. Nevertheless, you too can use all-purpose flour.
Eggs: Eggs are what bind the pasta dough, additionally giving it a wealthy style. The same old ratio of eggs to flour in Italian pasta recipes is 1 giant egg for every 100g (3.5oz) of flour. In case you can’t discover giant eggs, chances are you’ll want so as to add an additional one or some water to get the dough to the appropriate elasticity.
Olive oil: Including a bit of oil to the dough makes the combination far more elastic and consequently extra resistant when rolling it out and shaping it. Nevertheless, not all recipes for chocolate ravioli dough embody it.
Cocoa powder: That is what offers the pasta its chocolate color and flavour. Use unsweetened darkish chocolate cocoa powder for finest outcomes.
The chocolate ravioli filling and sauce.
Mascarpone: Mascarpone is analogous in style and texture to crème fraiche or British clotted cream. It provides a extra intense creamy consistency to the filling and can be used within the sauce.
Ricotta: Creamy recent cow’s milk ricotta is the principle ingredient for the chocolate ravioli filling. It’s essential to empty the ricotta properly so the filling received’t be too watery.
Recent pears: Pears go rather well with the cheeses within the filling. They add a barely candy flavour and freshness. After all, you too can use different fruit similar to figs or strawberries. The latter are additionally used within the sauce served with these chocolate ravioli hearts.
Mint : A little bit chopped recent mint provides some coloration and taste to the ultimate dish. If mint isn’t out there recent thyme if good too.
Ravioli or cookie cutter.
I used a coronary heart formed cookie cutter to make my chocolate ravioli hearts. In case you don’t have a heart-shaped cutter you need to use a standard round or sq. ravioli cutter or reduce the pasta shapes by hand.
Step by Step Directions.
1. Make the chocolate ravioli dough.
In a big bowl, combine the cocoa powder with the wheat flour till it’s utterly included.
Make a ‘properly’ within the centre of the flour and add the eggs, salt and olive oil.
Beat the eggs with a fork after which combine the flour and eggs collectively till you have got the beginning of a dough.
Utilizing your palms, begin to knead the dough while it’s nonetheless within the bowl till it comes away simply from the edges.
Flip the dough out onto a wooden or marble work floor and proceed to knead for 7-10 minutes till the dough is clean and elastic.
Roll the dough right into a ball and wrap it in plastic wrap (clingfilm). Let it relaxation for half-hour.
2. Make the filling.
Drain the ricotta properly and mash it with a fork. Add the mascarpone, a pinch of salt and small items of peeled pear.
Combine every little thing collectively properly and put aside.
3. Make the chocolate ravioli hearts.
As soon as the dough has rested, reduce off about ¼ and reseal the remaining. Use a rolling pin or your hand to flatten the dough piece.
Then cross it by means of the widest setting in your pasta machine. Fold the pasta sheet in thirds and repeat this course of twice.
Subsequent cross the dough sheet as soon as by means of every of the subsequent 2 or 3 settings. On my machine the widest setting is 7. I then handed it although 6, 5, and 4. You don’t need the pasta sheet to be too skinny or it’s going to break simply.
Lay the sheet on a flat floured floor and place 1-2 teaspoons of the filling 2-4 occasions on one half of the sheet. It’s good to enable house to chop out the ravioli. How far aside the filling is on the sheet will depend on how giant your form cutter is.
Fold the empty a part of the dough sheet over the filling and press round every part of filling utilizing your fingers.
Then rigorously reduce out your heart-shaped chocolate ravioli. Gently press the perimeters of the pasta hearts to assist them seal and place the prepared ones on a flour dusted floor.
Repeat with the remainder of the dough.
4. Make the sauce.
Soften the butter and mascarpone collectively in a pan on a really low warmth. Add small items of strawberries.
5. End and serve.
Put a pot of water on to boil for the chocolate ravioli hearts. Add salt as soon as the water begins to boil and convey to a boil once more. Prepare dinner the ravioli within the boiling water for 5-6 minutes. Relying on how thick your dough is they could want a bit longer. Check style one earlier than draining all of them.
Both use a slotted spoon to take away the ravioli from the water and add it to the sauce, combine gently collectively and serve. OR put a few of the mascarpone with strawberries on a plate and place the prepared heart-shaped chocolate ravioli on high. Sprinkle with chopped recent mint and serve instantly.
Leftovers and storage.
Leftovers may be stored sealed within the fridge for a few days and reheated within the microwave.
You can also make the chocolate ravioli a day prematurely and preserve them within the fridge till prepared to make use of. To do that place them unfold out on a flour dusted tray (I take advantage of semolina flour for this after which cowl with oven paper or a clear, dry tea towel.
Alternatively, you may freeze the ravioli after which prepare dinner from frozen. Put them within the freezer on a tray, as above. As soon as they’re frozen switch to a freezer bag and seal.
Let me know what you suppose.
That is an additional particular ravioli recipe which is ideal for date nights, romantic events or Valentine’s. Nevertheless, you may serve chocolate ravioli on different events or use the dough to make tagliatelle. Chocolate tagliatelle are sometimes served with venison or wild boar ragu right here in Italy.
In case you do that great heart-shaped chocolate ravioli recipe, I might love to listen to what you suppose. Please depart a assessment/remark within the remark part under or submit a touch upon the Pasta Venture Fb web page.
Your suggestions means rather a lot to me.
Buon Appetito!
Pin for later.
Different candy pasta recipes to take a look at.
Date and fig cjarsons from Friuli Venezia Giulia
Ricotta and spaghetti Easter pie from Naples
Chocolate and walnut pasta pie from Umbria
In case you are all in favour of studying how you can make selfmade pasta and various kinds of gnocchi, try my store web page for some nice video on-line programs from my pals in Rome! Nothing beats studying to make pasta from Italians! Plus when you’re there why not order a duplicate of one in every of my pasta recipe cookbooks or checkout some really useful pasta making instruments?
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