Homemade Ricotta Cheese and Spinach Ravioli

A few years ago, I was fortunate to do a "cooking class" in the summer kitchen of one of my Italian friends' aunt's house. Zia and Nonna taught us how to make pasta, gnocchi and lemon cookies AND sent us home with bags of delicious gnocchi for our dinner. (Thank you Cathy!!) Since then, I've branched out from the basics I learned from them and adapted their recipes.  Well, not really recipes, since nothing was written down, but I did my best to capture the "cups of" this the "pinch" of that and the the feel of the dough when it's been worked enough.  

If you have the chance to receive in-person pasta making instruction, do it.  But given COVID restrictions, give these instructions a try.  Fresh homemade pasta is sooooo delicious, and surprisingly easy. Keep in mind that the flour you use will make a difference. I used enriched this time, but prefer the results of unbleached. We also decided to make our own Ricotta, inspired by an Instagram post from a friend who was making her own (thanks Bonnie!!) Again, it was very easy to make and a rewarding COVID activity!

Pasta

​3 cups flour 
3 tbsp semolina flour
2 eggs
1 cup cold water (approximate)

1. Put flour on countertop and make will in middle.  Add semolina flour and mix into centre.  (I have used my stand mixer to do this, mixing with the dough hook attachment.)
2. Add eggs and mix with a fork or fingers, bringing in a little more of the flour.  Add cold water, a little at a time (1 cup is approximate) drawing in more of the flour from the outside of the well and mixing to make a dough. You may not need all of the flour, or you might need a bit more, depending on the size of your eggs.
3. Knead for about ten minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic adding more flour as needed.  Dough should be stiff, but not dry.
4. Let rest for approximately half an hour.
5. Cut into chunks and roll with a rolling pin to make an oblong shape.  If you have a pasta machine, you can use it to roll  each piece thinner or cut into spaghetti or fettuccini. Each piece should go through the machine from thickness 2-5.  
6. Dust with flour and put on a flour dusted cookie sheet.

Ravioli Filling

1 batch homemade ricotta (see link to recipe below)
10 oz spinach or a frying pan full
4 green onions, whites and greens, chopped
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 egg
freshly ground pepper (to taste)

Wilt spinach then squeeze out any excess water. Chop coarsely. (You can use frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well-drained.) Mix together in a large bowl with the other ingredients.  Season to taste and use to stuff ravioli, cannelloni or large pasta shells. 

Assembly and Cooking

1. Divide pasta dough into eight chunks and cover with a clean towel. Working with one chunk at a time, roll thin or run through a pasta machine from setting "2" to "5".
2. Generously sprinkle a ravioli mould with flour to make the removal of the pasta easier and lay the dough on top, pressing into each indent. If you don't have a ravioli mould, lay the bottom layer on the counter. 
3. Fill each dent with ricotta spinach filling, being careful not to overfill. If doing without a mould, place about a teaspoon of mixture in rows on the dough.
4. Beat one egg with a little water and brush the edges and between each ravioli with the mixture. This will hep seal the dough and keep the ravioli from opening up while boiling.
5. Place a second layer of dough on top, being careful to avoid bubbles of air. Press into the dents. If not using a mould, be sure to press around each bump of filling to seal and get rid of air pockets.
6. Use a rolling pin to "cut" the edges of each ravioli (if using a mould) or cut between each piece of pasta (if you don't have a mould.) 
7. Tap the mould on the counter to release the ravioli. Place on a lightly floured cookie sheet and cover with a clean towel until ready to cook.  You can freeze the pasta at this point.
8. Continue until you've used up the dough and filling.
9. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. While stirring to prevent sticking, add ravioli to the boiling water in batches, making sure not to overcrowd the pot. Cook for about five minutes and drain.
10. Toss with olive oil or your favourite pasta sauce.  We used a quick sauce made with oven roasted tomatoes, garlic, basil and cream, and topped with more parmesan cheese.

Easy Homemade Ricotta Cheese

There are different ways to make ricotta cheese, but this is simple and I usually have the ingredients on hand.  I've only made this a couple of times, but found it became an immediate favourite.  The recipe is from Chatelaine Magazine and can be found here . After I made this a few times, I began to puzzle over how I was going to use the whey left over after making the cheese. Because it contains lemon juice, I didn't want water plants with it, so I decided to use it in my bread.  The results were delicious!! Here's the bread recipe: No-Knead Bread

Use whey leftover from making ricotta cheese as a replacement for the liquid in my easy overnight no-knead bread.