Of Cats and Kids

The Ravioli Chronicles

Posted by: Carol Lombardi

Tuesday, December 26, 2006 12:00 PM

My ancestors had homemade ravioli every single Christmas going back to the first one. Before that, they probably had it for solstice. When they were apes, they had banana ravioli.

I was hesitant to take on this venerated tradition, seeing as my first project of the holiday season was microwave salt dough ornaments, which ended with black smoke billowing from the microwave. Anyone who could screw up step-by-step directions for salt dough ornaments has no business taking on revered family recipes that use measurements like "heaps" and "some" and "a little if you need it."

I have witnessed the making of ravioli countless times, but it is a long process, and my memory left me with this: Make a heap of flour, put in some eggs, smoosh it around until you get bored, go do something else, come back to sample the dough and filling, go do something else, enjoy a delicious Christmas dinner.

This year, my daughter followed suit, scooping flour, breaking eggs and smooshing.

Then she went to do something else. As I kneaded (and kneaded and kneaded and kneaded) the dough, my daughter settled in to listen to a CD I had received for Christmas, the soundtrack from the Broadway play, "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee." I did not screen the CD, because what could be inappropriate about a spelling bee, right? I mean, she got a dictionary for Christmas, and I didn't read that first.

Sweet Jesus! My ears tuned in to the lyrics and I suddenly realized my seven-year-old daughter was listening to a song about& an erection. Aaack! I did not anticipate this turn of events, because I have never been a boy in a spelling bee. Who knew? I quickly sorted through my bad parenting tricks and distracted her (to her delight) with candy and cheerfully loud conversation. I just know the next time I hear about the subject will be in the line at the grocery store. I just know it.

I finally got the dough kneaded and rolled out paper thin (another task that is way harder than it ever looked.) There is a reason gym memberships caught on AFTER people stopped cooking everything from scratch. After several tylenol, we proceeded to the actual ravioli construction, which consists of cutting them out, putting in the filling and sealing them with a fork, a process my daughter termed "forking." I am so expecting a call on her first day back at school.

We did it! We made ravioli!



Update, Dec. 26: Great Christmas dinner, no food poisoning yet.

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