Earlier we explained why pasta is a great, low-cost entree for a large dinner party, guaranteed to please and simple enough to prepare by hand. What if you want to take it up a notch, though? For a slightly more impressive meal, stuffed pastas make a striking centerpiece. They remain low-cost (depending on the filling one selects), and once again are palatable to even the pickiest eaters.
Before embarking on a pasta-stuffing voyage, do consider time: once you’ve got the dough assembled plan to spend at least a minute on each individual tortellino, raviolo, or capelletto. That doesn’t sound like much until you calculate, say, six ravioli a piece for ten guests - you’re spending an hour on assembly! In terms of hosting, then you have two options:
1. Prepare in advance and set them aside before cooking. This is the best approach for a formal dinner, or for an event that will require you to interact with guests before the meal (shaking hands is awkward when you’re covered in flour). Then, escape for a mere three minutes, throw them in the boiling water, and voila!
2. Make it a pasta-stuffing party: if it’s an informal affair and your guests are fun-loving types, it will be so much fun to prepare the dinner as a group. We certainly found this to be true when cooking for our friends at Tulane: leading the busy, glamorous lives that we did (haha), we inevitably ran late while preparing meals; the more punctual guests might arrive before we’d even started! Asking them to help in the kitchen sped up the process, while also distracting them from their rumbling stomachs. While the maxim “too many cooks spoil the stew” is certainly worth remembering, the assembly-line nature of pasta stuffing benefits from as many sets of (competent) hands as possible. Chances are your guests will feel very proud to have participated, adding to the overall satisfaction of the evening.
We both agree that the shape of a pasta determines the nature of the dining experience it produces. The ways in which the dough is folded and stuffed are almost as numerous as those in which it may be cut.
As a casual diner, you could amuse yourself for hours experimenting with all the possible shapes. When hosting, however, given that the presentation can transform a commonplace meal to into an unforgettable one, it’s worth devoting some thought to form. Here are a few shortcuts for deciding on a shape:
1. What will your guests be wearing? It would be embarrassing (and potentially inflammatory!) to invite your boss over for dinner, only to have ricotta cheese explode on his Rolex. Larger pastas, such as ravioli or agnolotti, are more likely to burst and become messy. They are also more awkward to transport to the mouth in bite-sized pieces. Tiny tortellini or capelletti, which have much less filling and are often already bite-sized, facilitate a composed, formal meal. Larger pastas can certainly be elegant when presented correctly, so if you do opt for this route when hosting a formal dinner at least make sure each diner is equipped with a sharp knife and a lap napkin.
2. What kind of filling will you use? Possibilities abound, but many of the most exciting flavors carry with them unmanageable texture. Consider ravioli di pesce - while flaky white fish in a buttery lemon sauce make a scrumptious filling, this is difficult to fold into tiny tortellini, or any other more twisted form. Smaller pastas can be stuffed with certain very finely ground meats, but in general these are better showcased in the central pouch of ravioli or agnolotti. Conversely, a simple cheese-based filling may really shine in a tightly wrapped nugget. And stronger flavors, such as tartufo or gorgonzola, are better in dime-sized quantities.
3. What kind of sauce will you prepare? The centrality of the interaction between pasta shape and sauce is well acknowledged - in fact, that’s the inspiration for many creative forms (gnocchi, for example, have a central indentation designed to catch sauce). There is nothing more awkward than finishing one’s meal by scooping residual sauce up like soup because the pasta didn’t hold it. For thinner, slippery sauces, therefore, select a convoluted or twisted shape - the more indentations, the more opportunities to catch pockets of sauce. For a thick sauce or one with substantial texture, prepare large or simple shapes that can be cut and layered into the sauce on a fork. In the image below, for example, these large sweet potato mascarpone ravioli are more filling than dough; this soft texture contrasts well with the parmesan sauce that has melted into a crisp layer on top.
4. What shape are your dishes? This may seems arbitrary, but not if you want to wow your guests. Typically, triangular or quadrilateral pastas can be arranged most artfully in oval or circular dishes; rotund pastas contrast well with square plates; tiny tortellini fit comfortably in bowls.
Assembly is completely a matter of time. The more time you have, the easier it is to devote ample attention and care to each little fold and crease of your pasta. Consider each as a work of art deserving of all the love you would give your firstborn child (really!).
The possibilities for fillings are countless; really anything that will be firm enough to fit on a fork but soft enough to conform to the pasta’s shape will work. Here I’ve photographed a ricotta-based filling with parmesan, chopped parsley, and garlic (the last two ingredients can be sauteed for several minutes to soften their flavor).
This filling can be mixed up in minutes and due to its consistency can be piped into the pasta, a technique that helps standardize portions. Fill a ziplock bag and snip of one of the corners.
When it comes to deciding how much filling to use, less is more. This is because the edges need to be tightly sealed to avoid leakage during boiling. Begin by piping on half the amount you think is necessary; if you are able to seal that in satisfactorily try a little more on the next one.
If you plan to cook the pasta immediately, set them in a dish of ice water before boiling. This firms them up to reduce the risk of rupture while boiling. If you plan to wait a while, place them in the freezer on a dish until they are firm enough not to loose their shape; then tumble them all into a plastic bag and seal it tightly. Avoid letting your guests see you take it out of the freezer, however: even if the pasta was hand-made to begin with, a frozen meal never gives the impression of fine dining.
These cook just as quickly as other stuffed pastas, which compounds their ability to make you, the chef, shine: not only do you know how to prepare a dish that many find intimidating, you can also do so with speed! Remove them gently from the boiling water with a slotted spoon rather than pouring them into a strainer, to avoid the risk of rupturing. If it is a small enough party, we recommend arranging the pastas with deliberation on each individual’s dish. This gives you the opportunity to add that extra bit of flair - and artful drizzle of sauce, an herb sprig, a dollop of glistening butter - that makes your guests feel they are indulging in truly haute cuisine.
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| Ricotta Ravioli with Pistachio Sauce |
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