Aunt Lena's Raviolis
Makes 4 dozen raviolis, 6-8 servings.
Every Christmas, raviolis have been a cherished Mazzoni tradition, lovingly anticipated by our family for generations. Now, five generations later, the joy of savoring the original recipe continues to bring us together. Zia Lena led the way, but it was the collective effort—many hands rolling, filling, and hand-stamping each ravioli—that made the experience so special. These precious memories of food, festivity and togetherness are the very essence of why we chose raviolis as the symbol of our wine brand. Pair with Dad’s famous garlic bread or Grandma Mazzoni’s spaghetti sauce.
Ingredients
- Ravioli Filling
1 large boiling chicken
½ c parsley, chopped fine
1 onion, halved
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 large stalks celery, whole (including leaves)
1 tsp allspice
2 large carrots, whole
½ tsp nutmeg
½ c canned tomatoes
¼ tsp cinnamon
⅔ loaf stale French bread
2 lbs frozen spinach, thawed
2 c Parmesan cheese, grated
4 eggs
1 ½ lbs lean ground beef
½ lb finely ground veal
Salt & pepper to taste
- Ravioli Dough
2 ½ c flour
Pinch salt
3 eggs
Cold water to proper consistency
Directions
- To make ravioli filling
- Make chicken broth by simmering chicken for two hours with the onion, celery, carrots, and tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste. Drain off broth; let set overnight in the refrigerator. Skim off accumulated grease. Reserve chicken breast for filling.
- Soak two-thirds loaf of French bread, sliced paper thin, with one quart of the broth, heated to boiling. Add grated Parmesan to the bread mixture. Stir well.
- In frying pan, slowly brown beef and veal. To meat, add parsley, garlic, and the reserved breast of the boiling chicken, minced. Stir together. Add salt and pepper to taste; add allspice, nutmeg and cinnamon.
- Squeeze thawed spinach until very, very dry, chop fine and add to bread mixture.
- Add the frying pan mixture and four beaten eggs to the bread mixture. Stir well. Let cool overnight.
- To make dough
- Place 2½ cups flour in a large bowl.
- Beat 3 eggs with a pinch of salt. Pour into a hole in the center of the flour.
- Mix well with hand, adding cold water slowly, just enough to hold it together.
- Then knead by hand or in the bowl of a stand mixer it until it’s a smooth, yellow ball. Let rest 30 minutes.
- Cut pieces off and roll out paper thin. Place filling by teaspoons in a row on the dough. Fold the dough over the filling, and cut each resulting pocket of dough-covered filling out with an appropriate sized glass or, use a ravioli cutter like Aunt Lena.
- Go around the edges of the dough and press together with a fork. Place on lightly floured cookie sheets and let rest for a few hours before cooking or freezing.
- To cook
- Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add olive oil and salt to taste.
- Add raviolis and cook until they rise to the top.
- Remove from boiling water with slotted spoon.
- To freeze
- Flour lightly and place in a single layer in zip-top plastic bags. Freeze flat.