Ravioli Dolce (Italian Sweet Ravioli)
Many countries have special treats to celebrate Mardi Gras or Carnival and these ricotta and chocolate filled ravioli dolce, sweet ravioli, are one you will find in Italy. They are crisp on the outside, with a delicious filling, and well worth enjoying more than one time a year.
The period before Lent is a celebration in many countries.
In the US, New Orleans Mardi Gras celebrations are probably the most famous. In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the Carnival parades draw a huge number of visitors each year.
Italy also has celebrations in various parts of the country.
The history of Carnevale in Italy
In Italy, this celebration is called "Carnevale".
Carnevale literally translates as "remove meat", so named because meat is one of the things traditionally fasted from during the 40 days of Lent.
Carnevale is when things like meat, sugar, and butter are used up, as well as a period of more general indulgence before the more somber and restrictive Lenten period.
Carnevale/Mardi Gras, while a Christian celebration, has much older roots. Some of those are Pagan, celebrating the end of winter and the start of spring, while others can be traced back to Greece and celebrations of Bacchus, the God of wine, and Saturn.
Early Christians took these existing celebrations and gave them Christian meaning that carried forward to the celebrations we know today.
Carnevale celebrations in Italy
In Italy, the Carnevale celebrations are a little different in different places, though many have some common themes, like parades and costumes.
Venice is probably one of the best known outside the country due to its age and the famous masked ball. The idea of wearing masks was introduced to help people celebrate no matter their social class or religion. At various points over history, however, the masks were banned. Today, many of the traditions are alive and well, including a water parade and mask competitions.
Viareggio in Tuscany and Acireale in Sicily are two other cities known for their Carnivale celebrations. Both are famous for their parades with elaborately decorated floats. Viareggio artisans can work the whole year designing the floats that are often as impressive for their engineering as their creativity. In Acireale, they have both large papier-mâché floats as well as flower floats.
Ivrea in Piedmont celebrates with a battle of the oranges, while Putignano in Puglia has the longest celebration, starting on December 26th each year. It is also one of the oldest in Europe.
Sweet ravioli for Carnivale
For many, Carnival is about indulgence, and you find that reflected in the food. You will find various places with their own local traditions. Many of these traditions include some kind of cake or fried pastry (like king cake in New Orleans and paczki in Poland).
Sweet ravioli exist in a few regions of Italy with slight variations.
Some fry them, others bake them. Some cook them like regular ravioli, in boiling water. In some areas, you fill them with jam rather than a sweet ricotta filling.
The version here is one of the more common variations, with sweetened ricotta and chocolate chips in the filling.
The dough is a little different from your typical ravioli dough, using fewer eggs and some milk, butter, and sugar in the mix.
Once formed, you fry them in oil before serving them sprinkled with powdered sugar.
Tips for making ravioli dolce
There are two main things to watch for in making these sweet ravioli: don't fill them too full and try to seal them really well. Both will help to avoid them bursting open during cooking, though they are not a failsafe.
Using a fork is a great way to press the two layers of dough together. However, I found that sometimes, it wasn't quite enough unless I did it a second time.
If they do happen to burst during frying, though, don't panic. As long as they are partly cooked, you may find that only a small amount of filling escapes, if any. Sometimes, just a little chocolate sits at the edge and nothing more.
And certainly, while they may not be quite as pretty, they will still be tasty.
Enjoy a Carnivale treat!
These ravioli dolce are a wonderful tasty treat.
The combination of sweet and creamy filling with bursts of chocolate, and the crisp pastry outside works so well. And the small amounts of lemon zest and cinnamon are the perfect flavor additions.
Yes, they may be a little indulgent. But that's part of what Carnival is about. Embrace it and enjoy!
Ravioli Dolce (Italian Sweet Ravioli)
These ricotta and chocolate filled ravioli dolce, sweet ravioli, are a special treat for Carnival in Italy.
Ingredients
For the pastry dough
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (or 00 flour)
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoon butter, softened
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoon milk, or a little more as needed
For the filling
- ¾ cup ricotta cheese (whole milk)
- 3 tablespoon sugar
- Zest of ½ a lemon*
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 egg yolk (or only part, see below)
- 3 tablespoon semi-sweet chocolate chips
To seal the ravioli
- 1 egg white (reserved from the filling - you won't need all)
To cook the ravioli dolce
- Vegetable oil - you will need a lot for frying, but can save it after and re-use
To serve
- Powdered/confectioner's sugar (around 2 Tbsp)
Instructions
- Combine all of the pastry dough ingredients together either in a stand mixer with paddle attachment or in a bowl and mix by hand. Bring everything together into a smooth dough; it should not be sticky. Knead for a few minutes (around 3-5 in mixer or 5 - 8 by hand) then cover with plastic wrap and set aside at a cool room temperature to rest. Leave for around 30 - 45 minutes.
- While the dough is resting, drain the ricotta in a fine strainer set over a bowl, or in a slightly less fine strainer lined with a paper towel. Towards the end, you can squeeze a little to help remove excess liquid.
- Combine the drained ricotta, sugar, lemon zest and cinnamon in a bowl and mix well. Add some of the egg yolk, or all if needed, and mix through. It will become a little runny with the addition of the egg, so you may not want all of it as it may be too much liquid (a lot of this will have to do with how dry the ricotta is), but the egg helps the texture as it cooks. Fold in the chocolate chips to distribute relatively evenly.
- Place the filling in the refrigerator or simply set aside as you roll out the dough. Start with half of the dough and leave the rest covered. Roll it out as thinly as you can - it should look around the thickness of a lasagna sheet, if possible, as it will likely spring back and become a little thicker as you fill and seal it.
- Use a large round cutter, around 4 inches diameter, and cut out circles from the dough - try to cut them close together to minimize scraps needing to be re-rolled. Remove the scraps and loosen the circles of dough from the work surface.
- Place a teaspoon of the filling in the middle of each circle of dough. Drain off any excess liquid from the filling as you scoop it, before placing it on the dough.
- One you have the filling on the dough round, lightly brush the edge of the dough with the reserved egg white, and then fold one side over the other to form a half-moon shape. (If your dough has been shrinking, it can be good to stretch it back out a little as you fold over.) Use the tips of a fork to press the edges together tightly and seal in the filling. You may want to lift the ravioli from the work surface and then repeat sealing it with the fork to make sure the edge is well-sealed.
- Repeat forming the ravioli with the rest of the dough and filling (you can join the scraps of dough and re-roll, but take care they are well-kneaded back into a ball before rolling). Meanwhile, warm a pan with a good depth of oil to fry the ravioli. You want the oil to be deep enough that the ravioli will be covered.
- Once the oil is hot (around 350F), fry in batches of two or three at a time so that the oil doesn't cool too much. Turn the ravioli over, as needed, during cooking until both sides are golden brown. Remove them from the oil with a slotted strainer and drain on a paper towel, then repeat with the rest of the ravioli.
- Dust with powdered sugar before serving, ideally while still warm.
Notes
*When using the zest of citrus, we prefer to choose organic fruit, to avoid consuming the pesticides and chemical color preservatives that are sprayed on the fruit.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
4 ravioliAmount Per Serving: Calories: 577
Caroline lived and traveled various places before settling in Cambridge, MA. She still fits in some travel with her family, but often settles for traveling through food instead. She shares her recipes at CarolinesCooking.com, where there's plenty of international inspiration using seasonal ingredients, as well as creative recipes for all to enjoy. Caroline is originally from Scotland, where she grew up hiking and skiing, both things she still loves to do when her two young boys give her a chance. You can follow along with her cooking adventures on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest.
