I Miei Ravioli Di Sogno (My wonderful ravioli filled with prawns and fresh basil)

Today I felt really creative! I wanted to invent, create a new pasta dish that no one had made before! Could I do that? I am not a natural pasta maker, as my pasta usually comes out of a packet and, when my mum used to make orecchiette or cavatelli, I would sit next to her and use pasta dough to make snails and crocodiles out of it! I never wanted to learn!

But the dough smelt fresh and good and I would eat it, when I thought my mum couldn't see me! She had eyes everywhere, and regularly, I got told off, but with a smile...

My recipe, you won't find in any book, as it's "MINE!" and I'm very proud of it, as the flavours are well balanced and so are the textures. The flavour of my dish is ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS and I'm very proud of it!

I Miei Ravioli Di Sogno

( My Gorgeous Prawn and Basil Filled Ravioli

with a Basil and Chilli Oil)

Ingredients:

Serves 4

250 g plain (all purpose flour)

2 eggs

pinch of salt

warm water

16 peeled prawns (shrimps)

2 tbsp olive oil

handful fresh basil

handful fresh rocket

1 cloves garlic

few slices red chilli (optional)

salt

pepper

Pecorino cheese

For the Chilli Oil Sauce:

4 tbsp olive oil

1 clove garlic

some red chilli

2 handfuls mixed

rocket and basil

Generous grating of Pecorino Romano Cheese

salt

pepper

I began my "adventure" by making my pasta dough. I made mine by hand, because I am very lazy when it comes to using machines. I made a well in my flour and added my eggs, some salt and enough water to make a firm, but soft dough.

And I almost forgot the eggs! If you have a mixer, you can just throw the ingredients in and switch on to mix till you have a soft dough.

I covered my your dough and left  it to rest for 30 minutes.

In the meantime...

I took 16 prawns, a few extras, to use as garnish. I put a couple of glugs of olive oil in a frying pan. When hot, I added  1 clove of finely chopped garlic and some chilli pepper (this is optional, but I LOVE IT!)

When the garlic turned a lovely golden colour, I added my prawns (shrimps) and cooked until they turned a sort of pinky orangey colour. At this point, I added two handfuls of rocket and fresh basil. I quickly stirred and turned off.



I was now ready to make my ravioli. I rolled  out my pasta dough, making sure my pasta sheet wasas thin as paper ( it really wasn't, but don't tell anyone!)

I didn't use my Nonna Papera (pasta machine) so my dough was slightly thicker than I wanted it to be!

Anyway! I cut 16 pasta circles using a big glass (About 2 1/2'' diameter- 6 cm)

and placed one prawn and some basil, plus a small piece of chilli pepper in the middle of it. I then wet the edge of my pasta circle with water, placed another round over the top and sealed, all the way round, by pressing with a fork. They looked very pretty!

I only made eight ravioli and froze the rest of my dough, but my recipe will make 16!

As you normally do, I cooked my ravioli in boiling salted water, then drained and poured my pasta in the pan where the prawns had been cooked.

I added another very generous handful of rocket and basil, plenty of grated Pecorino cheese, pepper and more chilli pepper, as I love it so (did you know you can buy chilli pepper flavoured chocolate?) and a small cup of the water in which my pasta was cooked.

I stirred very proudly as the aroma told me I was onto a winner, then grated a lot of Pecorino over my dish (I find that it goes well with some fish dishes, as it's pungent, strange enough!)

I served my lovely dish, tasted it and felt very proud of myself!