Thanks to Santa: Whole Wheat Raviolis

Santa has been very kind to me, he got me something, or more precisely, he got something to Nigella, my Kitchenaid: a pasta maker! I'm no jewlery kind of girl, but this shiny piece of equipment has putted little stars in my eyes. It contains one pasta roller, to roll out the dough as thin as possible, a fettucini or tagliatelle cutter (haven't really measured it) and a spaghetti cutter.

It takes a bit of practise to get the hang of it, but it's really fun and efficient to use. So after the first time trying it, I would advice you not to do too much at a time, I'd say about 60gr of dough is enough and it will stretch out quite a bit in the end.
For having rolled out my dough with a pin for a while now, I have to say the result is better with the machine, but that also may be because I don't have the upper body strenght of an italian mama.

And to stay on the healthy side before having to party again this week-end, I thought I'd try whole wheat pasta for a change. It is also a vegetarian recipe, in case christmas brought too much roasts or big birds on your plate that you can handle.
I've only used 1/3 of the pasta dough for this recipe, but I've made tagliatelle with the rest of the dough. If you let them dry you can keep them a few days in the refrigerator or longer in the freezer.

Whole Wheat Raviolis with Herbs (based on "Vegetarische Küche" Bassermann 1997)

Serves 2

For the Pasta:
250gr Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 Teaspoon of Salt
1/2 Teaspoon of Nutmeg
2 Eggs
2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons of Water

For the filling:
50gr of Butter
1 Big Onion
3 Tablespoons of Parsley, chopped
2 Tablespoons of Chives, chopped
100gr of Bread Crumbs
1 Egg
Salt, Pepper

Also:
1 liter of Vegetable Broth
1 Egg Yolk
20gr of Pecorino Cheese

Put all the ingredients of the pasta dough in the bowl of the kitchenaid with the dough hook, and slowly combine. When it has a crumble consistency, tip it on your worksurface and work the dough until it forms a ball that is smooth and shiny. Put it in a clingfilm and leave it at least 30 minutes.

In a heavy based pan, on a low heat, warm up the butter and add the finely chopped onion, let them get transparent. Add the herbs and the bread crumbs.
In a bowl, break the egg and beat it lightly, season it with salt and pepper. Add the beaten egg to the pan and keep stiring so you dont have an omelette. Set aside to let it cool.

Roll out the dough (as said above, I only used 1/3 of the dough) to two long stripes. Place four tablespoons of the herb mixture on one stripe, leaving enough space in between to make four big ravioli.
Using a brush, cover the area around the herb mixture with beaten egg yolk, so you will be able to seal the raviolis more easily.
Place the second stripe of dough on top of the first one, and press it down around the filling first, then toward the edges to seal them together. Now separate the four raviolis with a knife or a wave cutter, place them on a floured surfaced for the moment.

In a big pan, heat up the vegetable broth (you can also use chicken broth if you prefer). When it's close to the boil, place the raviolis in the broth and let them cook for 4 to 5 minutes.

Serve them in a soup bowl with a bit of broth and grate some cheese on top.