Now fold the top half of the ribbon over the lower half that holds the filling (figure 1 below).
With gentle pressure, seal the pasta, taking care to push out any air pockets that might form. Your pasta will now resemble small pillows. Cut the ravioli with a pasta cutter or a knife along the two outside edges and the bottom length of the ribbon (figure 2). Then cut between the fillings to form the individual ravioli (figure 3).
Place the prepared ravioli on a lightly floured pan or plate and cover with plastic wrap. These ravioli can be refrigerated for a few hours before cooking or carefully wrapped and frozen for later use.
• Your machine comes with a few cutting attachments. Choose the shape you want and attach it to the machine. Sprinkle some flour on the cutter and roll it a few times without any dough in it. Take up a sheet of the dough and position yourself almost facing the cutting blades. Hold the pasta with the side of your hand along an outstretched forefinger. Feed the dough into the cutters and turn the rolling crank. When you have fed about
half the dough through, drop the uncut portion behind the machine and pick up the cut dough emerging from the machine. Lift it up slightly as you finish cutting. You will have a section of cut noodles. Spread them back over the broom handle to dry slightly and continue working in this manner until you have finished all the dough.
• Lift up a portion of the noodles, wrap them in a loose, circular nest around your first 2 or 3 fingers, and lay them on a flour-dusted baking sheet. They are ready to be cooked.
• I believe in cooking pasta to order. The cook who would precook and chill pasta would precook and chill rice. You've worked so hard to create this wonderful pasta, why diminish your own efforts by precooking (or overcooking) it?
• When you are ready to cook your pasta, bring a large pot of water to boil. When it is boiling rapidly, add a little salt and then stir in the pasta with a wooden spoon. Swirl it once and allow the water to return to a boil. For fresh pasta, begin testing the strands for doneness after 30 seconds. Fresh pasta can cook amazingly fast in comparison with the dried commercial pasta that you may be used to cooking. Drain thoroughly and, if it
is not going into some other type of sauce, twirl in a little butter to prevent it from sticking together.
• Any fresh pasta you will not be cooking immediately can be stored in an airtight container for a few days after the nests have dried thoroughly.
XSACKED BLACK PEPPER BRIOCHE
This bread is best made over the course of two days. It is delicious with sweet butter. Makes 2 loaves
4 packages yeast
V4 cup sugar
l3/4 teaspoons salt
6 tablespoons lukewarm water
33A cups flour 5 eggs, at room temperature 1 pound butter, at room temperature
IV2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper, preferably freshly ground
1. Measure yeast, sugar, and salt into mixer bowl. Add water. Mix briefly, on low speed, using the paddle. Allow to sit for 15 minutes.
2. Add the flour all at once and mix on low speed.
(recipe continues)
3. Add one egg on low speed and mix thoroughly.
4. Switch to medium speed and continue adding eggs, one at a time. Be sure each egg is completely incorporated before adding another. Scrape down sides of bowl as necessary.
5. Add the butter, approximately 1 tablespoon at a time. When all the butter has been incorporated, continue beating 1 minute longer. Add the black pepper and mix thoroughly.
6. Scrape the dough into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1V2 hours. (Do not place the bowl in too warm a spot or the butter will separate from the dough.)
7. When dough has doubled, punch down, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
8. The next day, punch the dough down and divide it in half. Butter two standard loaf pans. On a lightly floured surface, shape the dough into two 9- by 4-inch rectangles. Starting at a long side, roll each rectangle tightly and place seam side down in the pans. Allow to rise until doubled, from 1 to 2 hours. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
9. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until well browned and hollow-sounding when tapped. Remove the brioche from the pans and cool on wire racks. Cool completely before slicing.