Homemade Ravioli's - Part 1

It's Hump day you all!  And what a better way to teeter over that ledge to the weekend, with a two part blog.  Today we are tackling the first part of making homemade ravioli's with the filling.  This is an easy make ahead recipe that I grabbed online from Alton Brown.  It is a quick mixture of two types of beef, and the best part is, whatever is leftover, you can freeze.  Or if you choose not to freeze it, switch up the dish completely and make a meatloaf out of the remaining mixture.

In the Part 2 that I will share tomorrow, it will be about making the ravioli noodles from scratch, assembling them with the mixture below, and what the final product looks like (and tastes like).

I have NEVER made Ravioli's in my life, so this was a huge accomplishment in my eyes for tackling something new.  I might not ever buy packaged noodles again!

Ingredients:

6 ounces garlic-flavored croutons

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 onion, roughly choupped

1 carrot, peeled and broken

3 whole cloves of garlic

1/2 red bell pepper

18 ounces ground sirloin

18 ounces ground chuck

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 egg

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons grated Parmesan

1/2 teaspoon dry oregano

Directions:

1. In a food processor bowl, combine croutons, black pepper, cayenne pepper, chili powder, and thyme.  
2. Pulse until the mixture is of a fine texture. Place this mixture into a large bowl.
3. Combine the onion, carrot, garlic, and red pepper in the food processor bowl.
4. Pulse until the mixture is finely chopped, but not purred.
5. Combine the vegetable mixture, ground sirloin, and ground chuck with the bread crumb mixture.
6. Season the meat mixture with the kosher salt.  
7. Add the egg and combine thoroughly, but avoid squeezing the meat.
8. Add balsamic vinegar, Parmesan, and oregano, mix will and set aside for making the ravioli's (part 2).