Ingredients
Pastry dough
1 1/2 cups flour *
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup icing sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup butter, melted (cooled)
Filling
1 cup ricotta (drained)
3/4 cup walnuts, finely chopped
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg white, beaten
For garnish
Cream
Shaved white chocolate
Directions
Sift flour, cocoa powder, icing sugar and salt together.
Add butter (softened) and eggs to make a stiff dough. Knead for 5 minutes or so (If the dough is too soft, add more flour; if it's too soft, add more butter.).
Divide the dough in half. Wrap each half in plastic wrap or place the dough in individual clear plastic bags. Place in a container, cover and let the dough rest for about an hour at room temperature.
Meanwhile make the filling.
In a bowl combine the sugar and cocoa powder.
Mix the ricotta, vanilla, and finely chopped walnuts together.
Add the mixed sugar and cocoa powder to the ricotta mixture.
Blend in the beaten egg white -- the resulting mixture should look like a thick paste. If the mixture is too soft, add more walnuts, if it's too thick, add more ricotta.
Place the mixture the fridge and make the pastry sheets.
Cut the rested dough into 1 to 2 inch squares, flatten and pass through a pasta machine (to No. 7). Or alternatively, using a rolling pin roll out the dough to 1/10 of an inch thick (A thin pastry sheet is desired, but if one risks tearing the sheet if one flattens it out too much.).
Cut pastry sheets into 2 inch squares with a cookie cutter (It's best to use a sharp knife and cut around the cookie cutter form, rather than attempt to use the cookie cutter on its own).
Place 1/2 of the squares on a prepared cookie sheet, 1 1/2 inches apart. Brush the squares with beaten egg (this will soften the dough so it will be easier to seal the edges).
Spoon about 1 1/2 teaspoons of the ricotta mixture in the middle of each square and top with another square.
Press edges of each squares together with a fork to seal.
Bake in a 325 degree oven for about 15 to 20 minutes.
Cool.
Serve at room temperature with cream and grated white and dark chocolate.
Notes
Chocolate ravioli are becoming incredibly popular. As I love to bake, I couldn't resist trying to come up with my own variation on this dessert. I can't say I particularly recommend this version, but for those who like chocolate-flavored sweet ravioli it might be worth a try. I have no idea if chocolate ravioli were popular in Northern Italy prior to World War II. All I know for sure is that they are popular in this day and age -- both in Northern Italy and in the South as well. In any case there are dozens of variations for this now classic dish on the world-wide web. Some cooks fry the ravioli, some boil them and others bake them (Frying might actually improve the flavor!). Some cooks use cream cheese, others ricotta. Some cooks use cocoa powder, others dark semi-sweet chocolate. Some cooks add orange or lemon zest, others vanilla. Some add nuts, others do not. And the list goes on. In any case, if one bakes "ravioli" as I did for this recipe, the crust will be a bit hard, so in order to have a nice presentation, the sweet ravioli will have to be served with cream. Obviously, strawberries or other berries can also be added. Even though I found the chocolate ravioli to be O.K. tasting, I can't say I would recommend this personalized version of this dessert. Nonetheless, those I gave the chocolate ravioli to raved about it for reasons unclear. Photo: Mary Melfi. |
