One of my favorite family Christmas traditions is making homemade ravioli for Christmas Dinner. While we could go to a local grocery store to buy it, we take time to make it from scratch once a year because there is something meaningful about slowing down and creating a meal together. 

After we open our gifts, eat our brunch, and have some time for rest on Christmas Day, I start to pull out ingredients: Flour. Oil. Eggs. Salt. These are the simple ingredients mixed together for the pasta dough. 

We start by measuring the flour, making a little pile right on the clean counter. Then we add the sea salt, and form a circle with our fingers in the center like a volcano. Next, we crack the eggs and gently add them to the center. A few tablespoons of olive oil are drizzled over the eggs.

I encourage my daughters to start commingling ingredients. One daughter takes a fork and gradually brings the flour into the eggs and oil, adding the water toward the end. She forms the dough into a ball, and begins to knead. Another cousin might take a turn forming the dough with his hands for several minutes. Then my brother often steps in to knead a little more before letting it rest in a bowl. 

The process of shared work and passing the dough from hand to hand is intentional. Natural oils in each of our hands influence the texture and help to balance the consistency of the dough. 

Meanwhile, I mix together the filling ingredients for the ravioli. This part invites creativity. Our traditional ravioli filling includes ricotta cheese, eggs, parmesan cheese, salt, and chopped parsley. I also like to make variations – sometimes adding butternut squash, pumpkin, and a dash of nutmeg, or spinach to the mixture.

My niece is the queen of quality control. She gets out the pasta maker and helps us press the dough into very thin sheets for ravioli. Of course, in the old country, our nonnas probably rolled the dough by hand. 

Everyone gets involved in the next part – spooning filling onto long sheets of pasta in neat rows, then topping with another sheet of pasta. We use a small drinking glass or ravioli cutter (like a cookie cutter) to press the sheets of pasta together and cut the ravioli. Placing them on a tray with parchment paper, we freeze them until we are ready to boil them for the meal. 

Part of the magic of handmaking ravioli is in the way we work together. Each person plays a part. This could be tedious work, but when we do it together, it feels light. The time flies when many hands are shaping the dough, mixing the filling, and cooking the sauce. 

This past year has felt heavy and uncertain in many ways. Brokenness in families, violence in communities, and division among political parties continue to plague our daily lives and the country’s headlines. I keep praying for a pathway forward. 

The book of Acts includes a contrasting description of the early church living, working, and flourishing together: 

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common.”
‭‭Acts‬ ‭2‬:‭42‬-‭44‬ ‭ESV‬‬

This serves as a reminder that when we are devoted to working together and sharing in community, miracles multiply. 

Through the years, I’ve learned a few meaningful lessons from making ravioli with my family: 

Pivot away from perfectionism. While it’s important to pay attention to measurements and technique in cooking, we have to keep our expectations realistic. Sometimes it’s easy to get short with each other if our focus is perfection. I am learning to savor the process of cooking in community more than how perfectly the parts are executed. 

Give everyone a chance to participate. From the time my daughters were very young, I’ve invited them to create in the kitchen with me. This is something my mama modeled for me. When each person has a chance to contribute in some way, she appreciates the meal more. Now I think ahead about the different jobs I can delegate to family members and friends so everyone is included and can experience the wonder of working together.

Provide something to feed the body, and it will nourish the soul. Nourishment is not just in what we eat, but also in the way we share it. With harsh words, we wound the human spirit. When we tell stories and engage in meaningful conversation around the kitchen island, this can nourish both our bodies and souls. God’s provision expands.

As we enter the Christmas season, you might be baking with neighbors, making a traditional recipe with your family, or inviting people to your table. Let me encourage you to use this time to cook up more than food. Every time we gather, we have the opportunity to push back the darkness of division and welcome the light of community. This points to precisely why Jesus came to earth as a baby. He moved into the neighborhood in a tumultuous time to bring the light of salvation.

My family will sit down again this year on Christmas to savor tender ravioli topped with tomato meat sauce and meatballs as our first course. Each bite serves as a testament to the wonder of working as a team and the miracle of the season.

Dorina is offering a weekly Advent devotional this month through her weekly Glorygram on Substack. Join her as she helps people feast on the glory of God in all seasons!

 

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