Pesto Tofu Basil Ravioli floating in a pot of new Fences, Japandroids and Winter Gloves

When I think ravioli, I think painstaking attention and Chef Boyardee. On one side you have homemade ravioli (and pasta in general) which are very time consuming to make and require a great attention to detail (which I am not always that great with) but have an outstanding taste. The other side of the spectrum is ravioli that comes in a can. Sure it feels slimy and weird when it goes down, but the amount of time required to make it is much less. As a kid my mom would cook us up a batch of Chef Boyardee Ravioli like once a week. Ten minutes to done. Time or taste, what's more important?

Pesto Tofu Basil Ravioli

(printable version)

-2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (more for dusting)

-1 1/4 cups very hot water

-3/4 cup tofu basil ricotta

-1 egg

-2 oz Parmesan, grated

-1/2 tsp. salt

-1/4 tsp. pepper

-tomato sauce

-pesto

-basil leaves

1. In a large bowl combine the hot water and flour. Stir, using a wooden spoon, until dough is combined. Roll into a large ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for ten minutes.

2. Meanwhile combine the tofu ricotta, egg, Parmesan, salt and pepper in a bowl. Stir to combine.

3. Unwrap the dough and separate into four even pieces. Dough should be slightly sticky, add extra flour if necessary for rolling but don't add too much. Form one of the pieces of dough into a rectangle. Re-cover the other three.

4. Roll the dough out, keeping in the shape of a rectangle. Place 8 teaspoons of filling about an inch apart down the center of the dough. Using the back of the teaspoon spread the filling almost to the edge, covering one half of the dough. Fold the side of the dough with no filling over the other. Press down on the edges of the dough to seal. Begin cutting the ravioli into small squares. Seal the edges of the small squares. Place on a baking tray and repeat until all filling and dough has been used.

5. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add one-third of the ravioli to the water and cook until ravioli floats to the top (around three minutes). Scoop the ravioli out with a slotted spoon and place in strainer. Add the next batch of ravioli and repeat until all ravioli has been cooked.

6. Arrange the ravioli on a single layer around the outside of a plate. Place a dab of pesto on top of each ravioli. Add tomato sauce and basil leaves to the center of the plate. Dip ravioli into tomato sauce and enjoy thoroughly.

I've included new tracks from Fences, Japandroids and Winter Gloves, all of whom have appeared on past playlists (like this one, this one and this one). Each of the bands recently put out a new track, which would work perfect with an evening of ravioli (as long as you are going for the taste over time thing).

Fences-Girls with Accents (via Consequence of Sound)

Japandroids-Heavenward Grand Prix (via Pitchfork)

Double shot of Winter Gloves. The first part of the video is "Factories" from their first album. The second part of the video is "Plastic Slides" which is from their new album, All Red. All Red came out this week on Paper Bag Records.