with creamy sage butter sauce
These homemade spinach ricotta ravioli feel extra special thanks to the sweet-nutty combination of garlic and pine nuts. Sauté in olive oil before adding spinach and ricotta, makes their filling seem restaurant-worthy. And let’s not forget the creamy sage butter sauce, perhaps the most magical element of this recipe, the one that will make your ravioli sing.
Looking at the length of this recipe, you might feel a little intimidated but I promise you, these homemade ravioli are easier to make than it looks and it is so worth it. Not only they are packed with deliciousness but knowing you’ve made everything yourself (yes! even the ricotta cheese), your level of self-esteem might just reach the sky.
Serves 20 ravioli
300g all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1 tbsp of olive oil
4 tbsp of water
4 cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
2.5 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeeze (about 1 lemon and half)
1/4 tsp salt
Convenient to have: Cheesecloth and strainer
150g fresh spinach leaves, approx. a bunch
1 tbsp pine nuts
2 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp homemade ricotta
4 tbsp butter
5 sage leaves, chopped
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/3 cup chicken stock
1/2 tsp heavy cream
Salt and pepper
1 egg, beaten
Parmesan (optional)
1. Make a nest of flour on a clean working surface.
2. Add eggs, water and olive oil to the centre.
3. Gently start mixing with your hands. Try to mix keeping the flour walls intact at the beginning, this helps!
4. Continue working the dough to bring it together into a shaggy ball. Then, knead for 5 minutes.
5. Form a ball, cover it with a tea towel and let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
6. Over medium heat, place the milk and heavy cream together in a saucepan.
7. Stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, heat until the milk is close to boiling. You should see a lot of steam and the edges of the saucepan should become frothy when it’s ready. This should take only 5 to 10 minutes.
8. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and salt. If you do not see any white curd chunks forming, add in more lemon juice, 1/2 tsp at a time.
9. Cover with a lid and let it rest for 10 minutes.
10. Double layer a cheesecloth (or thin kitchen towel works just fine) and place it into a strainer.
11. Pour the milk into it and let it drain.
12. Tie the ends of the cheesecloth together and hang it on your sink faucet. Let it drain for 10 minutes.
The more it drains, the firmer your ricotta will be. You can always help it by pressing gently with your hands, careful it’s hot.
13. Wash your spinach leaves in a large bowl filled with cold water then drain them well.
14. Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
15. Add garlic and pine nuts and sauté for about 30 seconds, until the garlic and pine nuts just begin to brown.
16. Add the spinach leaves, salt and pepper and stir well. Cook until all excess of liquid has evaporated.
17. Once evaporated, transfer the spinach onto a chopping board. With a large knife, finely chop the spinach (don’t worry if the pine nuts are not all chopped), then place a sheet or two of paper towel on top and gently press to absorb the excess of liquid.
18. Transfer into a bowl. Add 2 generous tablespoons of homemade ricotta. Season to taste and combine.
19. After you’ve let the dough rest, slice it in half using a sharp knife. You will only need one half, the other half can be kept in the fridge or in the freezer for another day.
20. Cut the half you are going to use into three roughly even pieces.
21. Add flour to your working surface and gently flatten one piece at the time using a rolling pin.
22. Set your pasta maker to its widest setting.
23. Feed your piece of dough through the machine to flatten it further into a sheet.
24. Once you pass setting 2, fold the dough like this: take each end and fold them so they will join at the middle of the sheet. Press with your hand to make them stick together and run the dough again through the machine. Now your sheet should have the rectangular shape needed for ravioli.
25. Pass the dough through the next setting and repeat the process until your sheet of dough is the right thickness. I like going until number 7. Make sure to dust the sheet of dough with flour several times during the process to prevent it from sticking to the machine or your working surface.
26. On a clean flat surface, sprinkle flour, lay out your sheets of dough.
27. Place 1 teaspoon of spinach/ricotta filling 1/2 inch from one edge, then continue to place spoonfuls of filling along the dough 1-inch apart from each other.
28. I found using egg works best as “glue”, but you can always use water if you prefer. Dip your finger into the beaten egg and swipe a square shape around each spoonful of filling, then gently fold the unfilled portion of dough over the filling.
29. Time to seal your ravioli. For that, start pressing the left side of the filling, then gently flatten the filling, bringing the excess of air towards the opposite edge. Press the right side making sure there is no air left inside.
30. Take a large sharp knife and cut the ravioli into three-inch squares.
31. Transfer the ravioli onto a piece of parchment paper dusted with flour.
32. While bringing a large pot of water to a boil, prepare the sauce.
33. In a medium size skillet over medium heat, melt butter cut into large pieces. As soon as the butter starts to foam up, add the chopped sage leaves and cook together for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the butter starts turning brown and brown flecks form at the bottom. Watch carefully, we don’t want the flecks to burn.
34. Remove from the heat, and carefully add the chicken stock and lemon juice.
35. Return to low heat, and stir constantly with a whisk for about 3 minutes, the time for the sauce to reduce a little and thicken.
36. Remove from the heat, add the heavy cream and season to taste. Stir well to combine.
37. Salt your boiling water, and add ravioli. Cook for 4 minutes. Reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water.
38. Place the skillet with the sauce over low-medium heat. Add the cooked ravioli to the sauce with the pasta water and gently toss using a wooden spoon to coat. Wait 1 or 2 minutes for the sauce to reduce and thicken.
39. Divide ravioli among plates; cover with some more creamy butter sage sauce. Some top it with freshly grated parmesan, I prefer it without. Up to you.
Cheers Xx
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