Spinach and Goat Cheese Ravioli

Armed with my new pasta maker attachment for the KitchenAid (again, thanks Mom and Dad!!), we set out on a Sunday ravioli-making experience. Making homemade ravioli is very time-consuming, but you get to choose exactly what goes inside and bonus: no preservatives or extra crap you see in store-bought ravioli ingredients! I'm always amazed by the paragraph of unrecognizable ingredients in a lot of store-bought food, so I try to make things at home as much as possible. Of course, it's not always feasible, but I think that every little bit counts. Who knows what all that stuff is doing to us?? A couple easy things to make at home where store-bought is usually filled with high fructose corn syrup or other unappetizing ingredients are dressings and marinades. There are gazillions of awesome and easy dressing and marinade recipes out there. But, I digress... to the ravioli!

We ate the ravioli with brown butter sauce which is delicious, but I probably won't make it again. The ravioli would be just as good in a lighter tomato or olive oil-based sauce without all the extra saturated fat. For a splurge, though, it's great!

You don't need a pasta maker attachment to make ravioli, but it does make it easier.

Spinach and Goat Cheese Ravioli in Brown Butter Sauce
adapted from Gourmet

For the dough:
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
4 eggs
2 tbsp olive oil

For the filling:
1 tbsp unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 lb spinach or baby spinach
t tsp lemon zest
1/2 cup soft goat cheese
1/2 cup ricotta

For the sauce:
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1/3 cup pine nuts
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and sliced to 1/2 inch bits

To make the dough, combine the flour and salt. In an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook (or by hand), add in the eggs one by one, mixing between each. Drizzle in the oil and continue to mix until the dough forms a ball. Remove from the mixer and knead by hand for about 10 minutes, adding flour as needed, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 30 minutes.

Cut the ball in half, and cover one of them while you work with the other. Form the dough into a thin rectangle, and roll through the pasta maker on the largest setting 2-3 times. Then, roll it through the 2nd largest setting 2-3 times. You may need to break the dough into smaller pieces to be more manageable; you can also add flour as needed. Finally, roll through on setting 5 (on the KitchenAid) or whatever setting is recommended for ravioli on yours. Lay out on a flour-dusted table, then repeat with the 2nd half.

To make the filling, heat the butter in a large skillet on medium heat. Add the garlic, salt, pepper, spinach, and lemon zest and sauté until spinach is wilted, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat, let cool slightly, then chop and squeeze out the water well (you can do this by hand, which I do, or you can roll it up in a paper towel or cloth and squeeze). Combine with the goat cheese and ricotta in a large bowl.

To make the ravioli, place small spoonfuls (~ 2 tsp) of filling on one sheet of dough about 2 inches apart from each other.  Cover with a second sheet, and seal each ravioli well, working carefully to push out air bubbles, which can cause the ravioli to break when cooking. You may want to use a little bit of water to form a good seal. Cut the sheet into individual raviolis and ensure that each is sealed. Place on parchment paper until ready to cook.

Heat a large pot of water to boiling. Meanwhile, make the sauce. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat until foam subsides, then add pine nuts and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until pale golden. Do not let them burn. Add garlic, salt, and pepper and cook for another 2 minutes. Add lemon juice and oil and swirl to combine. Remove from heat until ready to use.

Add asparagus to the boiling water and blanch for 2 minutes, then remove and add to sauce. Cook ravioli in gently boiling water in batches for about 3 minutes, until pasta is just tender. Immediately remove with a slotted spoon and add to the skillet with the sauce. Coat the pasta with the sauce - repeat until done and serve hot. I didn't want to coat all the ravioli since we weren't eating it all, so some of them I just put into tupperwares after they were cool, tossed with a tad of the sauce to keep them from sticking, and froze for later.