Straight out of Italy, Marcato has given all home cooks the opportunity to make high quality Italian food, the easy way! Marcato as a brand for pasta machines to Italians is what Ugg boots are to Australians for slippers. The name is synonymous in Italy with pasta making at home and as such, they've earned the reputation for being the benchmark both in quality and performance. It's safe to say that many brands come close, but nothing can match the final product, a testament to the amount of energy the company places in their product development. Purists, including those who tend to make pasta by hand will be pleased to know that Marcato also manufactures all of their pasta making products in Italy. The Wellness focus Marcato places on its products allows you to make the food you love with nothing to worry about. Their ethos is about maintaining food preparation as an art form and source of enjoyment, utilising fresh ingredients for healthier and more enjoyable eating. With continuous research and testing, Marcato is constantly developing new products committing to health, both in terms of material safety and diet! Thanks to this, heavy metal emissions have been eliminated and the entire range of rollers are made using special grade light aluminium alloy guaranteeing wholesome and safe pasta. The Marcato Ravioli Set is part of this Wellness unit and comes with the tablet, a cutting overlay and a rolling pin to make perfectly shaped ravioli. It also comes with an instruction booklet and Italian recipes for healthy pasta dough and fillings. The Ravioli tablet can make 10 (5cm x 5cm) ravioli with the stuffing of your choice in one go. It’s quick and simple to make, especially when combined with the Marcato Atlas 150.

How to make Fresh Ravioli with the Marcato Ravioli Tablet

1. Once the pasta dough is ready, begin rolling out a piece into two thin sheets.
2. Place one layer of fresh pasta on top of the tray, hollow out the indent using your thumb and begin filling. I made a ricotta, spinach and wild mushroom filling with thyme and nutmeg for extra flavour.
3. Cover with final layer, dust with flour and using the rolling pin, roll the pasta. This will cut 10 individual raviolis. Remove the excess pasta and flip tray to release. Continue this process with the rest of your pasta dough.
4. When ready, bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the ravioli for 1-2min.

Well worth the effort, nothing comes close to the taste and silky texture of freshly made pasta. For the sauce, I used Gino’s butter and sage sauce. Delizioso!!

Tips when making the ravioli:

• Don’t roll out too many sheets in one go. They will begin drying out making it harder to stuff the sheets without breaking.
• Make sure you flour the surface of the tray before the first layer of pasta sheet and at the end before removing the pre cut ravioli. This will prevent sticking to the tray and breaking.
• Use egg wash or water to baste the prefilled sheet before toping with the final sheet and cutting. The sheet may not stick together very well and will open up while cooking.
• If not cooking straight away, make sure you leave on a well floured surface to avoid sticking to the surface (and breaking when trying to lift).

To view the entire range of Italian pasta making machines and accessories by Marcato click here About the Author: Nicole Dangoor is a photographer and filmmaker born and raised in London. With a love for food, she’s always in the kitchen with her camera or busy eating. @lonelyhippoproductions