Cypriot ravioli with halloumi

Cypriot ravioli with halloumi (aka rafkioles) literally gives me all the feels! It’s a taste like no other and I hadn’t had the chance to eat them since I was in Cyprus last. I now have batches in the freezer to use and you yourself can make them using this easy to follow recipe and photos to guide you!

Halloumi filling

The filling for the Cypriot ravioli with halloumi also includes ricotta, eggs and dry mint. The ricotta is added for extra texture but also to balance out the saltiness of the halloumi, as in itself ricotta has a very mild not salty flavour. To make sure though that the mixture for the Cypriot ravioli with halloumi is balanced, before you add the eggs just taste it to check the saltiness. There are a variety of halloumi brands you can find at the supermarket and one may be saltier than the other.

Pasta dough and assembly

Now the pasta dough for the Cypriot ravioli with halloumi… Not quite like the Italian egg pasta, instead the dough is more similar to that of a dumpling as there as are no eggs in it. The ingredients include flour, water, salt and a bit of extra virgin olive oil for flavour. Once the ingredients are mixed, you will need to allow the dough to rest.

To assemble the ravioli I use my pasta machine to thin out the pasta sheets. I find it convenient as it means all my ravioli will have the same thickness and it is a fast process. When you start shaping the Cypriot ravioli with halloumi it is important that the surface on which the filling is placed doesn’t have too much flour otherwise the ravioli filling will not seal well. To cut the ravioli you simply get a round pasta cutter or any cup with a small opening to form half moon shapes.

Cooking the Cypriot ravioli with halloumi

To cook the ravioli you need to bring plenty of water to the boil in which you can add stock cubes (vegetable/chicken or whichever you prefer) or make your own broth. If you are cooking them fresh then they only need 4-5min of boiling. However, if you are cooking them after you have frozen them, then without thawing boil for 8-10min.

For more pasta recipes traditional and non, check out this link!

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Cypriot ravioli with halloumi

Prep Time

1 hr 30 mins

Cook Time

5 mins

Resting time

1 hr

 

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Cypriot

Servings: 40 ravioli

Author: Eleni Georges

Ingredients

Pasta dough

• 500 g “00” pasta flour, extra for dusting
• 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup water 250mL, may vary slightly with each flour

Filling

• 500 g halloumi cheese, grated
• 200 g ricotta cheese, firm
• 2 eggs, whisked
• ½ tbs dry mint
• salt if needed
• grated halloumi for serving

Instructions

Pasta dough

1. To make the pasta dough by hand add the sifted flour in a bowl, the salt and then the extra virgin olive oil. Rub the flour in between your hands so that that the oil spreads as evenly as possible. Then slowly add the water and keep mixing and kneading the dough with your hands until all the ingredients are well incorporated. This may take up to 10min. You know you are done once a smooth surface is achieved. Form the dough into a ball and place it in a bowl, dust and rub flour on the surface then cover the bowl with a towel. Allow the dough to rest for an hour.

Filling

1. To make the filling mix the grated halloumi and ricotta together in a bowl. The ricotta you use should be well strained and firm as you don’t want liquid released on the pasta dough during assembly. Taste to see if you need to add salt, as the saltiness of the store bought halloumi varies. Then add the eggs and dry mint into the cheeses. Mix well until a consistent mixture is formed.

Assembly

1. Take the pasta dough, cut it in 4 pieces and use one piece at a time to stretch and form the pasta sheet needed. Return the other pieces in the bowl and cover well with the towel. Dust the bench with flour and then use a rolling pin to stretch out the dough, enough to help it pass through the pasta machine.

2. My pasta machine has numbers 1 to 7, 7 being the wider setting (hence thicker dough). After I roll out the dough with the rolling pin, I put it through the pasta machine 3 times at different thicknesses, first at 6, 4 and then lastly at 2. Each time you roll the dough through the pasta machine ensure your working bench is well floured as well as the pasta sheet so that it doesn’t stick. The pasta sheet should be about 14cm in width.

3. Use a tablespoon and add the filling on the top half of the pasta sheet, 3 cm apart. At this stage you want to avoid having a pasta sheet with flour on the top surface as the dough will not seal well. If there is extra flour then brush some water around the filling.
4. Fold the pasta sheet over the filling and use your hands to press the dough around each cheese mixture. That way you remove any air and help seal the ravioli. Then use a pasta cutter or a small cup like an espresso glass and cut out the ravioli forming half-moon shapes. The diameter of the pasta cutter I used was 6cm long. Refer to the photos above as a reference for the steps to follow.

5. All the excess dough cut out may be repressed to form pasta sheets again. Repeat the assembly process until the all the dough and filling is finished. Approximately 40 ravioli may form.

6. Line a tray with some flour and place each prepared ravioli on it. Set aside covered with a towel until you are ready to use. If you wish to freeze the ravioli then line a tray with baking paper, dust with flour and place the ravioli on it. Cover the tray well with cling wrap and place it in the freezer. Once the ravioli is frozen you can place them in a container or a sealed bag if preferred.

Cooking

1. Bring 6L of water to a boil and add a stock cube of your choice. Typically we tend to boil chicken to make chicken broth and then cook the ravioli in it. You may choose whichever method you prefer. If you cook the ravioli fresh then it needs 4-5min of cooking, whereas from frozen (without thawing) it requires 8-10. Serve warm with some extra halloumi grated on top. After boiling, the ravioli expand quite a bit and i find one batch is enough for 4 adults to eat.