Spindletop Cheese Ravioli
Ingredients
Tomato Meat Sauce
¼ cup olive oil
½ cup onion, diced
¼ cup red bell pepper, diced
¼ cup celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ lb mushrooms (optional)
½ lb beef chuck
½ lb pork shoulder
1 teaspoon salt
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon sugar
2 large cans tomato paste
Dough
4 cups sifted flour
4 eggs
½ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold water
Filling
3 cups ricotta
½ cup parsley, chopped
Instructions
Tomato Meat Sauce
Heat olive oil in skillet. Sauté onions, bell peppers, celery, garlic and mushrooms (if desired). Move to a large sauce and set aside. In skillet, brown the beef chuck and pork shoulder. Mix in the salt, bay leaf, Italian spices and sugar. Add to sauce pan. Add more oil to the skillet. Add tomato paste and stir constantly over medium heat until it turns a dark red; then add to sauce pan. Add about 7 cans of water to sauce pan and cook over low heat for about 4 hours, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens. If sauce becomes too thick, add ½ cup of water. Remove bay leaf. Toss ravioli in sauce and serve.
Dough
Sift all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour. Add one egg at a time, mixing slightly after each addition, until all eggs are added. Add gradually 6 tablespoons of cold water. Mix well to make stiff dough. Set aside while making filling.
Filling
Combine all ingredients in bowl and set aside.
To Fill Dough
Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead. Divide dough into fourths. Lightly roll each fourth to ⅛-inch thick to form a rectangle. Cut dough lengthwise with pastry cutter into strips 5 inches wide. Place 1 ½ tablespoons filling roughly 1 ½ inches from narrow end in center of each strip. Continuing along the strip, place 1 ½ tablespoons of filling roughly 3 ½ inches apart. Fold each strip in half lengthwise, covering mounds of filling. To seal, press the edges together with the tines of a fork. Press gently between mounds to form rectangles about 3 ½ inches long. Cut apart with pastry cutter (or knife) and press the cut edges of rectangles with tines of fork to seal (to avoid sticking of fork, sprinkle fork lightly with flour).
To Cook Ravioli
Gradually add the ravioli to 7 quarts of boiling water with 2 tablespoons of salt. Cook about half the ravioli at one time. Boil rapidly, uncovered, until pasta is tender. Test tenderness by pressing a piece against the side of the pan with fork or spoon. Remove with slotted spoon. Place ravioli in a large serving bowl and toss with Tomato meat sauce. Spring with grated Romano cheese. Makes 3 dozen.