Sweet ravioli are traditionally prepared during Carnival, but they are so good that we make them throughout the year. They have a crispy shortcrust pastry shell and a creamy ricotta filling. We prefer them fried, but they can also be baked or enriched with chocolate chips inside.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Affordable
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 20
- Cooking methods: Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Carnival
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp butter (room temperature)
- 1 1/2 orange zest (grated)
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp baking powder (level)
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 1/4 cups sheep ricotta
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- as needed sunflower seed oil
- as needed powdered sugar
Tools
- Pastry cutter round 2.5 inches in diameter
- Rolling pin
- Frying pan
Preparation
To prepare the sweet ravioli with ricotta, start with the base. On a work surface, sift the flour and form a well. Inside, add the sugar, a pinch of salt, orange zest, and eggs, then whisk everything with a fork to combine the ingredients. Add the softened butter and baking powder, then start kneading with your hands until you get a smooth and homogeneous ball.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest for 10 minutes.Meanwhile, proceed with preparing the filling. In a bowl, place the ricotta along with the sugar and cinnamon. Work it into a cream with the help of a fork or an electric or manual whisk.
Now proceed with creating the ravioli. Dust the work surface with a bit of flour and roll out the dough with a rolling pin to a thickness of about 1/8 inch.
With a pastry cutter, cut circles with a diameter of 2.5 to 3 inches. Place a teaspoon of ricotta cream on half of each circle, leaving the edge free. Close the ravioli by matching the top edge with the bottom edge and seal by pressing with the tines of a fork to prevent them from opening during cooking. Repeat the operation until all ingredients are used up.
In a deep pan, pour enough sunflower oil and heat it over medium flame. Test with one ravioli: if it rises immediately, the oil is ready; if it darkens too quickly, remove the pan from the heat for a few seconds or add more oil. Fry the ravioli for about a minute, turning them on both sides, until golden.
Drain them on paper towels, let them cool, and place them on a tray. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Tips
I recommend consuming them only once they have cooled.
