National Ravioli Day

Ravioli (plural; singular: raviolo) are a traditional type of Italian filled pasta. They are composed of a filling sealed between two layers of thin egg pasta dough and are served either in broth or with a pasta sauce. The word ravioli is reminiscent of the Italian verb riavvolgere (“to wrap”), though the two words are not etymologically connected. The word may also be a diminutive of Italian dialectal rava, or turnip. (Wikipedia)

Five Fun Facts:

The earliest mention of ravioli appears in the writings of Francesco di Marco, a merchant of Venice in the 14th century.
In India, a popular dish called Gujiya is similar to ravioli, however it is prepared sweet, with a filing of dry fruits, sugar and a mixture of sweet spices, then deep fried in vegetable oil. The dish is a popular food prepared during the Holi festival, mainly in the northern, northwestern and central parts of India.
Typically, ravioli are boiled and served with a rich sauce, although some parts of Italy bake their ravioli in cream sauces after boiling them.
All ravioli starts with a pasta dough, typically made by mixing egg, flour, salt, olive oil, and water. The dough is kneaded and worked to a smooth, moist consistency, and then allowed to rest while the filling is made.
The filling is usually cooked and mixed with egg so that it stays together, and after it cools the dough is rolled out into a flat sheet to make ravioli. Small spoonfuls of dough are placed approximately half an inch (one and a half centimeters) apart before another sheet of rolled out dough is carefully placed on top. A ravioli rolling pin is rolled over the two pieces of dough and the filling, sandwiching the filling into small pockets of dough which can be gently cut apart and cooked.

Five Ravioli Recipes:

Florentine Ravioli– Refined flavors don’t have to be difficult to make. Just see what this recipe does with store-bought frozen spinach and ravioli.
Ravioli & Vegetable Soup– Turn your usual vegetable soup into a main course by adding fresh or frozen ravioli or tortellini.
Ravioli with Fire-Roasted Tomatoes and Olives– deliciously filling!
Pumpkin Walnut Ravioli– not your traditional ravioli, but you will love them.
Three Cheese Wonton Ravioli– These are so cheesy and simple to make. Simply use prepackaged wonton wraps!