Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli – Tastes of Tuscany Dinner
When I go to the time and effort of preparing homemade ravioli, I do it because I really care about the people I’ll be serving it to. Making homemade ravioli is an act of love. It’s made even more fun if you get a helper or two. You and your guests will be rewarded with the most tender, silky, cheesy, plate of deliciousness there is!
What a thrill it was to spend the day in a small hilltop village in the Chianti region of Tuscany. Cooking under the watchful eyes of Nonna Maria and her granddaughter, Stephania was priceless. We were surrounded by so much breathtaking beauty, it made it hard to concentrate.
One of the methods our lovely Italian instructors taught us was the method of cutting out a rectangle shape of pasta. Wet all edges with a light egg wash or water. Then you’ll put a nice dollop of cheesy, spinach filling in the center and then fold it over in half. After that, you will only have to crimp three sides with a fork – making sure to seal the edges so none of the cheesy filling comes out when you boil them. This “folding in half” method works great and is quicker than using two separate squares of pasta dough…laying one on top of the other. You end up with larger ravioli that are about 3 x 3 inches. When serving this as a “primo” dish, all you need is about 3 or 4 per plate as they are very rich with the addition of the brown butter/sage sauce.
So here are two pictures of the finished dish…the one we made in Tuscany and the one we prepared for our Tastes of Tuscany dinner. Both equally delicious.
With each bite, my heart and mind floated back to this foodie’s dream trip and the time spent in an authentic Chianti farm house kitchen. It was an overwhelming experience being surrounded by treasured friends, and the gorgeous Tuscan landscape. The pride that Tuscan cooks take in using local ingredients and showing their love and care through feeding others was Bellissimo!
Spinach and ricotta ravioli in a brown butter sage sauce
Ingredients
- 1 batch handmade pasta *see my website for handmade pasta recipe
- 8 ounces fresh spinach
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 1 extra large egg
- 1/2 cup finely grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
- 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- salt and pepper to taste
Brown butter sage sauce
- 1 stick butter
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced thin
- 3 tbsp capers, drained
- 1/3 cup fresh sage leaves (whole or chopped)
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
Instructions
Ricotta Cheese Stuffing
- In a skillet over medium high heat, add one tablespoon of olive oil.
- Toss 8 ounces of fresh spinach leaves in skillet and stir until wilted. Only 1 or 2 minutes.
- Remove spinach from skillet and place on paper towels. Let cool and then squeeze spinach between layers of paper towels until most of the excess water is removed. Roughly chop. Set aside.
- In a medium size bowl, add spinach, ricotta cheese, egg, nutmeg, parmigiano-reggiano cheese. Stir to combine.
- Taste cheese mixture and add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside until ready to assemble raviolis.
Assembling the ravioli
- Roll out sheets of fresh pasta very thin (if using a pasta roller – roll it to a number 7) on the machine. Aim for sheets of dough that are about 4 inches wide.
- Lay sheet of pasta dough on counter long ways. Using a pizza cutter, cut dough into 4 x 4 inch squares.
- Place a large dollop of ricotta cheese mixture in center. Wet the edges with water or egg wash and then lift the pasta from the bottom edge and fold over the top of the cheese mixture. Carefully seal the 2 sides and top by using the tines of a fork or a fluted pastry cutter.
- Place stuffed raviolis on a large sheet pan lined with a clean kitchen towel.
- Either cook at once or cover with plastic wrap, place in a cool place or refrigerator for up to 1 day before cooking.
Cooking the ravioli
- When ready to cook, bring large stock pot of water to boiling. Add 1/4 cup of kosher salt. Yes…1/4 of a cup at least. Italians say the pasta water should taste like the sea.
- Gently place ravioli in boiling water. Place lid on top and allow pot to return to a boil. Remove lid and then cook, uncovered for 4-5 minutes. Take one out and tests it for doneness.
- Gently drain the ravioli and slide them into a large, deep skillet that has the browned butter/sage sauce.
- Shake the pan around for about 1 or 2 minutes to make sure all of the ravioli is coated with the sauce.
- Plate the ravioli and top with additional parmigiano-reggiano cheese.
Making the brown butter-sage sauce
- Once you start to add the ravioli to the boiling water, begin making the sauce.
- In a large, deep skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Stir occasionally. Watch the pan closely as you see the milk solids begin to get a bit of color/golden brown. (If it seems to be browning too quickly or too much, simply remove from heat).
- Add garlic and capers and saute about 1 minute. Do not brown garlic.
- Add fresh sage leaves, salt and black pepper, saute about 1 minute.
- Gently add cooked ravioli to pan. Shake pan for a minutes to coat all of the ravioli with the sauce.
- When plated, sprinkle with additional parmigiano-reggiano cheese.
