Moreover, these ravioli are not that hard to make, just a bit time consuming. For me, they are a bit of an [art] project, that is, a deliciously, edible art project. Besides, I find rolling pasta to be soothing.

The repetitive nature of making pasta/ravioli has a calming effect on me. One of the few moments I can shut my brain off and just concentrate on the task at hand (get lost in the moment). I love the whole process, from kneading the dough, to forming the sheets, to piping the filling, and forming the ravioli.  Even more fun, if you pour yourself a glass of wine and turn up the music while doing so.

Added bonus — you can make a bunch of ravioli and freeze them. They freeze well. You don’t even need to defrost before cooking, just pop them straight from the freezer into a pot of [salted] boiling water and the ravioli cook within minutes.

You can save time and skip the squid ink. If you can’t find squid ink, you could use beets, spinach, etc., to make different colored pastas. However, for those of you who are curious, this is how I made the striped pasta sheets for my ravioli…

1. Roll out a sheet of yellow pasta (the pasta will be thick at this point, roll to the second thickest setting on your pasta machine).

2. Roll out a sheet of squid ink pasta (second thickest setting) and cut into strips (as shown below).

3. Lightly spritz the yellow sheet with water and evenly space out the squid ink strips on top of the yellow pasta sheet. Gently press down so the strips stay in place.

4. Carefully run the pasta through your pasta machine to the thinnest setting. You want the sheets as thin as possible for ravioli. You may need to trim the pasta with a knife if the sheet gets too wide to run through your machine.

With me so far?

5. Cut into rounds. Work quickly and keep any pasta you’re not working with covered in plastic to prevent it from drying out.

7. At this point, the ravioli are ready for a quick dip in boiling salted water. Or, you can freeze them for a later date. If you opt to freeze, spread the ravioli out in a single layer and place in the freezer for an hour or so. Thereafter, portion and place in ziplock bags, and store in the freezer — and enjoy at your convenience.

For the filling…

The filling is what makes this dish sing. It’s a smoky eggplant filling. Made a version of this when I was at the Dublin Cookery School in Ireland earlier this year. Have been thinking about it ever since.

Was fortunate to spend a week with the talented Matt Sigler [formerly of Flour and Water in San Francisco, CA] making pasta, among a slue of other things, to include head cheese :-). It was one of the best (and most delicious) weeks I can remember having in a long time.

The eggplant were roasted until charred on the outside and tender and smoky on the inside, as if you were making make baba ghanoush, Next,  I mixed in cheese, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, and sea salt, and processed (food processor) until smooth.

Transfer the filling to a piping bag and the fun begins…

To finish the dish…I added pesto, cherry tomatoes, shaved Parmesan, toasted pinenuts, and lemon zest.

Smoky Eggplant Ravioli with Pesto and Tomatoes

5-6 ravioli per serving as a first course
Smoked Eggplant Ravioli
Smoked cherry tomatoes (4-5 minutes in stovetop smoker with cherry wood), halved
Extra virgin olive oil
Basil pesto
Parmesan cheese, shaved
grated lemon zest
toasted pine nuts (optional)

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the ravioli for ~2 minutes.

Heat a non-stick pan over high heat. Add a little pasta water and a splash or two of olive oil to the pan. Add the tomatoes and a generous spoonful of pesto to the pan. With a slotted spoon, transfer the ravioli to the pan, shaking the pan to prevent the ravioli from sticking. Cook a minute or two, until the sauce is thick and reduced. Taste and season with salt. Serve hot with shaved Parmesan, grated lemon zest, and toasted pine nuts (optional).

Smoked Eggplant Ravioli

2 pounds eggplant
2 ounces fresh mozzarella
1 ounce Parmesan
Juice and zest of half a lemon
1 teaspoon red chile flakes
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Prick each eggplant with a fork a few times. Place eggplants over the flame of a gas stove top. Turn the eggplants from time to time with metal tongs, until the skin is completely charred and the flesh is very soft, about 10-15 minutes. Alternatively, grill the eggplant over a charcoal grill or grill pan. 

When cool enough to handle, cut the eggplant in half and scoop out the flesh, making sure not to incorporate any charred bits. Place the eggplant flesh over a colander to drain. 

Add the eggplant, along with the mozzarella, Parmesan, lemon juice, red chile flakes, and salt to a food processor. Pulse a few times, until it forms a smooth puree (don’t overmix). Transfer the filling to a piping bag.

See instructions above for forming the striped pasta sheets.

Striped Pasta Sheets for the Ravioli

For the yellow pasta:
1 cup 00 flour
1 egg yolk
1 whole egg
1/2 teaspoon milk
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
pinch of salt

Add the flour, egg yolk, whole egg, milk, olive oil, and salt to your stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Mix until the dough forms a shaggy ball. Lightly flour your work surface and dump the dough mixture on to your work surface. Knead the dough several minutes until the dough comes together. Wrap in plastic and let rest at least 1 hour.

Squid ink pasta
For the squid ink pasta:
1 cup 00 flour
1 egg yolk
1 whole egg
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
2 packets squid ink (like this); 0.14 ounces each
pinch of salt

Add the flour, egg yolk, whole egg, milk, olive oil, squid ink, and salt to your stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Mix until the dough forms a shaggy ball. Lightly flour your work surface and dump the dough mixture on to your work surface. Knead the dough several minutes until the dough comes together. Wrap in plastic and let rest at least 1 hour.

See instructions above for forming the striped pasta sheets.