Homemade Ravioli with Spinach and Ricotta Cheese

Homemade ravioli filled with fresh ricotta cheese and organic baby spinach

If you are looking for an easy-to-follow recipe to learn the art of making stuffed pasta, 
you've come to the right place

Last week I posted my recipe on how to make basic homemade pasta. Today I'm using that recipe to prepare handmade ravioli with spinach and ricotta cheese.
As I said for the tagliatelle, making stuffed pasta is actually easier than you might think. All you need are a rolling pin, or pasta maker, a ravioli cutter, about two hours of your time, and some passion... or as we say in Italian, some "voglia di fare" (willingness to do it!).
Even if making ravioli can be a bit time consuming, it's really rewarding. Freshly made ravioli, filled with organic baby spinach and delicate ricotta cheese are simply amazing.
So when you have some free time, and feel like experimenting something new, here is a great activity for you. Maybe your kids can join in the fun too!
With this recipe you can make around 45 ravioli, 2.5 inches in diameter, serving at least 4 people.
For the sauce, I suggest drizzling the ravioli with sage infused melted butter and sprinkled with lots of fresh grated Parmesan cheese. This way the sauce will not take away any of the ravioli delicate flavor. Buon appetito!

Ingredients: to make around 45 ravioli, 2.5 in diameter, serving 4
for the pasta:

• 400 gr flour
• 4 eggs

for the stuffing:

• 10 oz (280 gr) of fresh organic baby spinach 
• 8 oz (225 gr) ricotta cheese (I used whole milk)
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup (25 gr) of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon of grated nutmeg grated
• salt

Preparation time: about 2 hours
Directions:
1. Prepare the dough  following this recipe.

2. For the stuffing: cook the spinach in boiling water until tender. It should take only a few minutes.
Drain the spinach and try to squeeze as much water out as you can.

3. Chop the spinach and add to a large bowl, with the ricotta cheese, egg, Parmesan cheese, nutmeg and a bit of salt. Mix well.

4. Divide the pasta dough in two parts. Keep the half that you are not using in the plastic wrap.
Roll the dough in a thin layer, about 1/8 of an inch, or as thin as you can. When you roll, always make sure the pasta doesn't stick to the counter. Move and rotate the dough as necessary.

5. Cut the dough halfway. Using your cutter and starting from one end, measure and mark (do not cut) the distance between the ravioli, on half of the dough only. You should be able to get 20-22 ravioli. Place about one teaspoon of filling on the pasta in the middle of each of the ravioli At this point you should used only half of the ricotta/spinach filling.

6. Place the other half of pasta, and press down around the filling with your fingers. You want to get most of the air out so that your ravioli will seal nicely.

7. Cut the ravioli using your cutter. Set aside on parchment paper lightly floured. Make sure the ravioli don't touch each other or they will stick together.

8. To cook: bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the ravioli for a couple of minutes after they start to float. This time is based on how thin/thick you made the pasta.Taste before removing the ravioli from the water. Serve immediately with your favorite sauce.

Enjoy!

Healthy and Fresh Pasta Salad with Spinach and Ricotta Cheese

Fresh and easy pasta salad, filled with healthy ingredients and Mediterranean flavors

Happy first day of fall!
Even if the temperature cooled down a little bit in the last couple of days, here in Southern California, it doesn't really feel like fall at all. No gray sky and chilly weather. No orange and red leaves (mostly), and no need to snuggle under a blanket around the fireplace... well, I could still do that anyways! Maybe I do miss a bit the change of seasons, as I was used to growing up in Italy. But the sunny and blue skies and perfect beach weather year around is what I love most about Southern California. Nowhere else I lived, I could play tennis and beach volleyball any day of the year!
Yesterday, it was another great day at the beach. The ocean water was still quite warm and boogie boarding was great. After the super hot days last week, I still felt like preparing a picnic lunch very fresh, easy, and requiring very little time around the stove. This dish is filled with healthy ingredients and Mediterranean flavors: organic spinach and tomatoes, fresh ricotta, and some delicious olives .
You can use your favorite olives in this recipe. Anything, like kalamata or Greek olives, with a strong taste that will complement the sweet flavor of the ricotta, tomatoes and spinach. You can also substitute the ricotta with feta cheese for a bolder flavor.
Looks amazing, right?


Ingredients: serving 4

• about 3 oz of organic fresh baby spinach
• 2 fresh, organic tomatoes
• 1/3 cup of pitted olives (Kalamata or Greek)
• 1 cup of fresh ricotta cheese (or feta cheese)
• salt and pepper to taste
• few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 12 oz farfalle pasta, or other short pasta, like penne or conchiglie

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Directions:
Step 1: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. As soon as the water boils, cook the pasta as directed in the box.
Step 2: Cut the spinach in thin strips, cut the tomatoes in small cubes, and slice the olives. Add all in a large bowl. Salt to taste and sprinkle with olive oil.

Step 3: Drain the pasta and run it under cold water to stop from overcooking. Toss in the bowl and mix with all the ingredients. Wait a couple of minutes and mix in the ricotta cheese (or feta) crumbled into pieces.

Enjoy!