Homemade Ricotta and Spinach Ravioli

Since I was a little kid I, pasta used to be my favorite dish: all different kinds; boxed pasta, tri-colored pasta, homemade pasta... I loved every kind and I still do. But my favorite is the homemade one. My grandmother used to prepare pasta in summer and dried it so that we could use it through autumn. I did not want to cook the pasta because I wanted the pasta to last forever since it was sooo delicious. 

A couple of months ago, I bought a pasta machine for a really good deal but unfortunately it doesn't work properly anymore. So, my father bought a pasta rolling set for my stand mixer which I have been loving it since the first time I used it. 

Today I am going to share a ravioli recipe that was inspired from a restaurant called "Carluccio's". Whenever I go there, I order the classic ravioli and I just love it. I wanted to try that at home for a while and this weekend was the perfect time. 

Ravioli is not hard to make but it takes some time. However as much as time and effort you put in, the dish will get more and more delicious. So, I highly recommend that you spare some time on weekend to cook some ravioli. Plus it is a great cause to get your friends and family in the kitchen and help you. They can easily cut the ravioli for you while you are working on other batches. 

I hope you'll enjoy these raviolis and I can guarantee that you will because mine were gone in 10 minutes. Here is the recipe: 

Easter Bread

This recipe was meant to go on Easter but unfortunately my computer had a problem with iMovie. I had to put a tiny video clip to go with this recipe because the kneading part is a little bit different than other recipes. In order to get the perfect airy consistency, you need to fold the dough in a particular way that the air is incorporated in the dough. This is why I couldn't post the recipe without the video and it took me a while to fix iMovie. 

If we get back to the topic, Happy late-Easter everyone, 
I do not celebrate Easter but I love to bake things for my friends who do.
In middle school, one of my best friends' mother used to bake this in easter season. We loved the soft and sweet easter bread and enjoyed every crumb. I got the recipe from her mother but I did not have the chance to bake it own my own until I started a course in MSA, the culinary arts academy, during my winter break in MSA. I learned a lot and this recipe was one of them.

This time of the year, you can easily find easter bread also known as "paskalya çöreği" on the shelves of every single bakery in town with different variations but I like mine with mahlep (mahaleb) and topped with almond flakes. I believe that mahlep gives it a unique fragrant and a sweet taste. I hope you'll like this recipe: