spinachravioli

Spinach Ravioli

The Perfect Spinach Ravioli need not be perfectly round or square. These Ravioli were simply dressed with unsalted butter and Parmigiano Reggiano grated cheese.

Ravioli is the Jewel of Italian Pasta and is easily the signature dish of any accomplished cook. Although it is not difficult to make home made ravioli, it will take a time commitment and a gentle touch to make a great one. Due to the moisture from the spinach, this dough is much wetter than traditional pasta dough. You will need a lot of bench flour to make the dough workable.

Recipe and directions for making Home Made Pasta Dough

Prima Festa Spinach Ravioli dough being formed by a pasta attachment on an electric mixer. Bench Flour should always be within easy reach. CAUTION: This operation is not as neat as it appears here.

Begin with a Basic Hand Made Pasta dough recipe and add pureed spinach to the flour mix. Use the well method for mixing the flour to the eggs, oil, salt and pureed spinach. Roll the pasta to a 4" wide by 1 to 1 1/2 foot long piece. Crank to a thin setting, but not the thinnest so that the ravioli will not fall apart while the water boils.

Spinach Ricotta Ravioli Filling

1 cup Ricotta cheese
2 large egg yolks
¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Small pinch of freshly grated nutmeg.
Pinch of white pepper
2 Tbs cooked pureed spinach

Spinach preparation.

Cook frozen spinach, frozen bags are suggested; squeeze dry and pat with paper towel to remove as much moisture as possible. Finely chop or grate in a food processor. Then add spinach to the mixture. The amount of spinach added to the mixture may vary according to your taste. For fresh spinach, remove stems, blanch and remove moisture as you would for frozen spinach.

Mix all ingredients well and then refrigerate for about 15 to 30 minutes or until firm.

Egg wash for sealing dough layers.

Mix 1 egg yolk with 1 tablespoon water. Because fresh pasta may be moist enough to stick together by itself, an egg wash may not be needed.

Making the Ravioli

Bottom row of spinach dough with 1 tablespoon of Spinach Ricotta filling.

Place 1 tablespoon of the filling, about 4" apart, on the bottom layer of pasta. If the pasta is not moist, brush all around the filling with the egg wash for sealing to the top layer. Lay the top layer of pasta over the bottom layer. Be sure to remove any air pockets around the filling. Cut each ravioli to your desired size. They may be cut into 3 or 4" squares, or use a large glass to press down around the filling for a round shape. Seal the Ravioli by pressing down with a fork around the edges.

Top row of Spinach Dough pressed over filling before final shaping and sealing. Spinach dough is usually so moist, that it can be rolled up and used for making additional Ravioli.

Cooking Ravioli

Place Ravioli in a large pot of salted gently boiling water for about 1 to 2 minutes. Stir them gently so that they do not stick together. Do not over cook. Be very gentle while boiling fresh ravioli. They may also be frozen and stored in an air tight container. Vacuumed plastic bags also may prolong the freshness, and are ideal for a six-pack gift of frozen home made Ravioli.