My daughter enrolled in a Cooking and Baking Camp over the summer, where the focus was on varied and different cuisines – and cleaning the kitchen as you go. At the completion of the classes, she offered to make pasta for dinner – and chose a Ricotta Basil Ravioli, making the dough and filling from scratch – and leaving behind a reasonably clean kitchen.
rolling out the pasta dough
cutting out the ravioli
cooking the ravioli
I am yet to attempt homemade pasta – but the fabulous pasta maker given to us by a dear friend – and my daughter have inspired me to try – an elegant enhancement and upgrade from the usual noodle dish I place before my family, which tends toward a cheesy sauce over one of the 310 known forms of pasta – dried and store-bought of course.
SIX CHEESE BAKE
1 (16-ounce) package small pasta
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded gruyere cheese
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
8-ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup cream
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Heat oven to 400F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain.
In a large bowl, toss together mozzarella, gruyere, parmesan and cheddar. Remove 1/2 cup for topping and set aside. In a separate bowl, stir together ricotta, cream cheese and cream. Season with parsley, thyme and salt and pepper.
Pour ricotta mixture and pasta into bowl with cheeses and toss lightly. Pour into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle reserved cheese over the top.
Bake in oven until cheese is melted, about 10 minutes, then turn oven to broil. Broil for about 5 minutes to brown the top.
Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from allrecipes
