Sweet ravioli with ricotta, crispy fried bundles, filled with ricotta and chocolate chips typical during the Carnival period but delicious all year round.
To prepare the sweet ravioli there are many recipes; personally, I use the dough from my frappe as a base, a dough that does not require resting in the refrigerator with guaranteed results.
The key to successfully making sweet ravioli is to seal them well, pressing firmly on the edges before cooking, which will prevent annoying leaks during frying.
Another very important tip is to fry them in abundant oil but using a wide-bottomed pan so they don’t submerge completely in the oil to avoid them opening.
Sweet ravioli are loved by adults and children because their flavor is truly unique.
They are a pleasant treat at various times of the day, from snack time to after dinner; great warm and perfect at room temperature. Preparing them requires a bit of skill and experience with frying but they are not an exceedingly laborious or lengthy task.
With this recipe, if you have an hour of time, you can prepare this unique dessert that we unfortunately make too little outside the Carnival period.
I also remind you of other recipes to make your snacks cheerful and genuine
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 40 Minutes
- Portions: 40 ravioli
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Carnival
- Energy 202.76 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 14.74 (g) of which sugars 3.72 (g)
- Proteins 3.42 (g)
- Fat 14.45 (g) of which saturated 3.07 (g)of which unsaturated 10.53 (g)
- Fibers 0.33 (g)
- Sodium 14.68 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 37 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp sugar (heaping)
- 1 tbsp lard
- 1 cup white wine
- 1 shot pure alcohol (or grappa, vodka)
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- to taste lemon zest (or preferred flavoring)
- 2 cups ricotta cheese (approximately 500g)
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 tbsps sugar (heaping)
- 3 tbsps dark chocolate chips
- to taste vanilla extract
- to taste powdered sugar (for serving the ravioli)
- 2 cups vegetable oil (approximately 500ml)
Tools
You can knead by hand on the board but I recommend using a stand mixer with a dough hook.
To roll out the dough, it is very useful to use the “pasta maker”.
- 1 Stand Mixer Howork
- 1 Pasta Maker
- 1 Frying Pan
- 1 Cooling Rack
- 1 Pastry Wheel
Preparation
Place all the ingredients for the dough in the stand mixer bowl, attach the hook for stiff doughs, and start mixing at medium/low speed until a firm dough forms. It should be quite “firm”, not sticky, and firmer than typical shortcrust pastry. It resembles fettuccine dough.
When the dough is ready, place it on a lightly floured work surface and form a ball.
Now set up your pasta maker on the work table and set it with the widest space you have.
Slice the dough into 1 inch slices and pass each slice through the pasta maker.
Each slice should be passed at least 2 or 3 times because the pasta maker not only smooths and stretches the dough but also helps finish it correctly. I pass it once, then fold it over itself and pass it again, repeating two more times. Lightly flour the dough each time before passing it through the pasta maker rolls.
In the end, you will have 5/6 thick sheets on your work table ready to be thinned and filled.
The first step is to put the two egg yolks in a large bowl with the sugar and beat them with a fork or hand whisk until they whiten. Add the vanilla extract and continue mixing, then add the ricotta and mix the mixture by hand to make it homogeneous. Finally, add the chocolate chips.
Once the ricotta is seasoned, take one of the sheets and pass it again through the pasta maker to thin it out. I set the thickness to 3 because it should be thin but not too much. Every pasta maker has its own scale, stay a bit below or at the midpoint; hopefully, the photo gives a sense of the thickness.
Use two teaspoons to scoop the ricotta and place it on the pasta. They shouldn’t be too large but not small like savory ravioli.
Fold one edge of the dough over to cover the entire mound of ricotta you’ve placed, using your fingertips to press along the entire edge to seal the half-moon you’ve created. Now cut it with the pastry wheel and press again along the edge after cutting to seal it. As you prepare your first ravioli, it’s time to put the oil on the stove for frying because you should prepare the ravioli as you fry, otherwise the ricotta will soften your dough.
The oil is ready for frying when testing with a toothpick shows it covered in bubbles as if to fry it. The oil in the pan should be abundant but not exceed 0.4 inches in height. Place the ravioli in the oil only when it’s well-heated.
Brown the ravioli on both sides, being careful not to open them while turning; if sealed well with the wheel and fingers, they won’t open. A simple trick to turn them is to use a regular fork and turn them by lifting the seam which will be free of filling, so if you accidentally puncture it, nothing will spill out.
As you cook the ravioli, drain them on a cooling rack, conveniently placed over another tray covered with a paper towel for any oil drips.
The paper towel should not touch the ravioli, which should dry on the rack to remain crispy. Then you can gather them on serving plates. I recommend dusting them with a bit of powdered sugar before serving.
NOTES
With the leftover dough from the ravioli, you can make some excellent frappe to serve with the ravioli or you can keep re-kneading it to make more ravioli until the dough is used up.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I add cocoa to the ricotta?
I’ve suggested a filling that’s suitable for everyone, adults and children, but you can fill the ricotta as you like. Some add cocoa, others just a few spoonfuls of Nutella or other spreads.
My mother, for example, simply filled it with sugar and Sambuca for a unique flavor, though perhaps not suitable for younger children.
