How to Host a Ravioli Making Party

I was raised in a household that threw elaborate dinner parties. The house was meticulously cleaned, the table was gorgeously set, and the menu was 4-5 dishes long - all of which meant it tooks days to prepare to have a few friends over. So when I became an #adult, those were the dinner parties I wanted to host, and as a result, I almost never hosted dinner parties. I rarely have time to for such an elaborate set up, but that doesn't stop me from wanting (and needing) to spend time with my loved ones enjoying food.

Lately I've been trying to just ease up a little bit. Instead of "dinner parties," I'm shooting for "casual suppers." The house will be clean, but not spotless. The table well be set, but I don't need different themed decorations for every event. And the menu can be hands on, something we create together.

Unlike the dinner parties my parents once hosted, these are more like the family meals we once made and ate together. Such menus mean less advanced prep work, and more time spent playing (because that's what making food should feel like) with your friends. I don't expect myself to make every single dish, and in fact I've learned that I have the type of friends who would probably be insulted if I told them they can't bring anything. Farm out the salad, the bread, the dessert! Nobody minds being asked to contribute - in fact, they'll thank you for it.

A ravioli making party falls perfectly into the category of casual supper. When I hosted my ravioli making party last weekend, I spent a grand total of an hour preparing the dough, fillings, and sauces ahead of time. And I cannot understate how much an evening spent with friends making food filled my soul up. 

Don't let elaborate expectations stand in the way of inviting your friends and family over to share a meal! 

You'll need:

• Two batches of our Homemade Egg Pasta Dough
• Pasta roller, such as the Marcato Atlas 180 Pasta Machine
• Pastry cutter
• Ravioli stamps or forms
• One batch of homemade filling, such as our Pumpkin Sage Ravioli Filling or simple Ricotta Ravioli Filling (see recipes below)
• Large stockpot
• Spider skimmer
• Sauce of choice, like our Brown Butter Sage Sauce (see recipe below)
• Standard 1/2 sheet pans lined with parchment paper

What to do ahead of time

To prep for your ravioli party, make the pasta dough ahead of time. If making more than an hour in advance, chill in the fridge until a half hour before you're ready to start rolling out your dough. Have your table completely set except for our pasta bowls, which will sit next to your cooking station.

Set up three stations:

1. Pasta Rolling: set up your pasta roller following manufacturer directions. My Marcato Atlas clamps directly to the edge of my counter. Place a dough cutter/bunch scraper next to the pasta roller, as well as the pasta dough. A small bowl of flour can also be helpful.
2. Filling Station: this will need to be your largest work surface. Lay out your stamps or forms. Have your fillings ready to go on the counter with cookie scoops for scooping. Small bowls of water are also helpful. Also have a parchment lined 1/2 sheet pan ready for transferring the filled raviolis from the filling station to the cooking station.
3. Cooking Station: bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. An 8 or 10 quart stock pot works best - you'll be cooking lots of ravioli. Beside the water, have a saute pan with your prepared sauce on low heat.

Start the party

When guests arrive, divide them into three teams - rollers, fillers, and cookers. I often handle the cooking so that my guests can do the more fun parts. 

Pasta should be rolled out to 1/6" thick. If using a ravioli form, sheets should be a little wider than the form itself. Rollers will transfer the sheets of pasta directly to the filling station work surface.

Fillers will fill and cut the ravioli, using either forms or stamps. Have fillers place completed raviolis on the parchment lined sheet pan. Once the sheet pan is full, you can boil these in batches. Cook only 8-10 raviolis at a time to ensure even cooking and to help prevent breakage. Use the spider skimmer to transfer the raviolis directly to the saute pan with the sauce.

If you're freezing raviolis, place the sheet pans in the freezer for a minimum of 20 minutes. You can freeze the ravioli while you cook and eat your dinner. Transfer the frozen ravioli to reusable silicone bags to send home with your guests.

Tips

• Don't overfill ravioli - a 2" ravioli requires only a scant tablespoon of filling. Overfilled raviolis are more likely to burst. To minimize mess, put filling in pastry bags with a large star tip.
• Use cold fillings, which are easier to handle.
• Dip fingers in water to help prevent filling or dough from sticking to them. 
• Cook ravioli in batches and don't over crowd. This will ensure even cooking and help prevent breakage.
• Stick with no more than two fillings and two sauces. I often do just one filling and one sauce, and no one has ever complained about a lack of variety!
• Ask your guests to bring a little antipasto platter for snacking. The whole process of rolling, filling and cutting, and cooking the raviolis takes about an hour minimum.