SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:

Soft pastry or clean bristle paint brush

Fine strainer- to sprinkle masa onto dough and paper, for a much finer and even layer.

Bench scraper or metal spatula- to scrape up masa and put in strainer for re-use.

DIRECTIONS:

SAUCE:

Mix 1 tablespoon of the oil with the diced, raw chicken with half of the salt and pepper. Mix well then cook in sauté pan until just cooked. Remove from pan to cool slightly in a small bowl. Add chopped shallots to pan with 1 TBSP oil and sauté on very low heat until soft and translucent. If chicken is not chopped fine enough for ravioli, do it now with scissors in the bowl or a knife. Keep any juices from the chicken and add it back to the pan with the shallots along with the chopped chicken. Turn heat to high and de-glaze the pan with the chicken in it to make a bit of sauce to coat the chicken. Transfer to a large bowl and mix in the crumbled cheese. Set aside.

Return the same skillet to high heat and add the remaining oil. Cook the tomatoes, stirring frequently, until the tomatoes are starting to softened and split their skins in spots. Reduce the heat to medium, add the vinegar, 2 TBSP butter, and remaining salt and pepper, and cook for one more minute or until sauce smooths together. Remove from heat until ready to use. (Reheat if desired before serving). Chop basil or parsley to sprinkle on top of ravioli just before serving.

DOUGH:

Cut 10 or more parchment sheets, 10 x 15 inches. In a 1 cup measuring cup; put egg, oil then fill with warm water to ¾ cup line. Mix together with a fork.

Whisk together Bread Mix and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer with whisk attachment. Make a well in the center and add the liquid. Turn mixer on low, it will have a hard time mixing at first, but keep going and scrap down the sides and bottom from time to time until all is incorporated. Turn up speed to medium-high and beat for 3 minutes (after a minute or so the dough will smooth out and run nicely in the machine). When done mixing, scrape all dough to center of bowl and divide into 5 pieces. Keep covered while not working with the dough so it does not dry out.

Dust a parchment covered cookie sheet, a piece of parchment on your work surface, and a rolling pin with masa. Drop one-fifth of the dough in an elongated shape onto your dusted parchment work surface. Using lots of masa, sprinkle it all over raw dough, then pat dough down to a rectangle shape, Cover with a second sheet of parchment, re-dusting when ever needed and flipping dough back and forth between the two pieces of parchment when rolling, re-dusting each time to prevent sticking. This dough will absorb a lot of masa, which gives it a different texture. Sprinkle masa on dough and press out, then roll to almost cover 10 x15 parchment. It will be quite thin, but easy to handle with the paper or spatula or other tool. Using a pizza cutter or knife make a fairly clean rectangle as large as possible with the rolled dough. Cut off scraps and discard. Before cutting, brush of excess masa (remove all the loose or caked-on masa). Now cut strips with the help of a straight edge to make 2-inch strips, then 4-inch sections. Makes about 10 to 12 ravioli per sheet.

Using a spatula to lift dough move it to a work space to assemble the ravioli. Put about a heaping teaspoon of filling in the lower half of the dough strip and fold dough over leaving all edges clean. Press with a fork gently to seal the ravioli on the 3 sides. When finished move to a parchment covered sheet pan that has been dusted with masa. Repeat until all ravioli are made.

When sheet pan is full, dust tops with masa, cover and refrigerate 2 or 3 days. They cook much better on the second or third day (the first day they are too soft and fragile). Make sure to dust off masa from both the tops and bottoms with soft brush before cooking. They are easy to handle at this point.

There are 4 ways to cook these: Brush the excess masa off before cooking ravioli.

BOILED RAVIOLI: This is the hardest way to cook them, because they become fragile in water. They are best at 3 days old for this method. Simmer water in a low and wide pan that has only about 1½ inches water; add salt and oil. With water simmering, carefully add ravioli one at a time, cooking only a few at a time, for approximately 2 minutes. No need to flip; they do not need to cook on both sides. Remove one at a time with a slotted spoon, as to not tear them. They are delicate. Place in a bowl with a bit of sauce in it, so noodle does not stick to the bowl. Top with tomato mixture and sprinkle with fresh herbs. Repeat until all ravioli are cooked.

SAUTEED RAVIOLI—POT STICKER STYLE: Heat one TBSP butter at a time on medium-high heat in an extra-large non-stick skillet. Add ravioli one at a time, leaving some room around each one (do not crowd). Cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Turn each one carefully and press down lightly and cook 1 more minute until lightly golden brown. Turn the heat to high, add 1 or 2 TBSP chicken broth and cook until evaporated. This will slightly soften the ravioli. Place in a pasta dish with a bit of balsamic tomato glaze and serve immediately topped with a few more tomatoes.

SAUTEED RAVIOLI: Just cook ravioli until both sides are slightly golden, put on a serving plate and top with a few tomatoes in glaze, or whatever you want as a topping.

BAKED RAVIOLI: Pre-heat oven to 350º with rack in center. Line a cookie sheet pan with parchment and lay ravioli on it with a little space in between. Bake for 13 to 17 minutes until golden. Serve immediately with a sauce or dip or cool on a rack to prevent bottoms getting soggy, and serve room temperature with a dip. This makes a great appetizer !

They store well in the refrigerator, sprinkled with masa for 3 to 4 days before cooking.

They can be filled or topped with anything you like; it’s a great way to use up little bits of extra ingredients. Also they make great appetizers or small plate dishes.

© Pamela's Products, Inc.