Homemade ravioli is definitely a signature dish. These Spinach Ravioli with cottage cheese tender pasta pillows stuffed with an amazing filling are a great way to impress your guests. You could make them in advance to save some time and when you wish to plate, it takes only a couple of minutes to cook. The possibility of making your own stuffing or filling is endless. Here I have used Cottage Cheese but you could think of more ideas to fill in.

Cooking Notes

Serves: Makes 20 pieces

Time: 1 to 1 ½ hours

Ingredients

For Pasta dough

  • 2 and ½ cups All-purpose Flour
  • 2 large Eggs
  • 1 egg Yolk
  • ¼ cup Spinach Puree
  • 1 tsp Salt

For Spinach filling

  • 1 tbsp finely chopped Garlic
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped Basil
  • 1 tbsp Butter
  • 500 gms. Spinach
  • 200 gms. Cottage Cheese
  • 3 Green Chilies
  • 1 tsp Chili Flakes
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 tbsp Cream

Directions

To make Ravioli dough

  • On a clean surface, mix the flour and salt together. Make a circle from the dough
  • Make a well in the flour and salt mixture. Pour the eggs and egg yolks into the well. Using a fork, gently beat the eggs and yolks. Slowly incorporate the flour from the edges inwards flowing into the eggs.
  • As the texture tends to become crumbly, add the spinach puree and knead to create a soft round shiny ball. If you still feel  that  the dough is wet and sticky, add a little flour. If the dough is too dry and flaky, add a tiny amount of water.
  • Cover with cling film or a cover with a damp cloth and set aside for 30 minutes.
  • While the dough is resting let’s get on to the spinach filling.

For the filling

  • Take a pan, add butter to it, on a slow flame let it turn brown. Do not burn this mixture, and this gives you a very nutty flavour.
  • Once the butter has browned, add minced garlic and basil and sauté until you smell the aroma.
  • Add the spinach and green chillies, cook and dry out the water completely. Once the water has evaporated add the cottage cheese, chili flakes and salt.
  • Stir for about 2 minutes, add the cream and turn off the stove.

After the dough has rested for thirty minutes.

  • Divide the dough into two parts and pass it through the pasta roller. (If you don’t have a pasta roller, you can roll out the dough to a ¼ inch thickness.)
  • Place a sheet of pasta dough. Then using a cookie/pasta cutter to mark the distance for each ravioli.
  • Place the filling in the centre, using a brush or your fingertips, lightly wet the edges of the pasta sheet.
  • Carefully place another rolled pasta sheet over the sheet with a filling in it. And press down on all four sides.
  • Use the cutter and cut out the shape of the ravioli, pressing down to ensure that there are no gaps.
  • Cover with a damp cloth.
  • Place a pot of water to boil. Once the water is bubbling, gently drop the ravioli into the water and cook for 3 minutes. Use a skimmer/strainer spoon (with holes) and remove after 3 minutes.

The pasta is ready to be eaten. Grate some cheese over the ravioli to get a nice garnish on top. Ravioli are all about the stuffing and allowing it to shine. A common beginner’s mistake is to make ravioli from pasta that is not thin, making the ravioli clunky rather than delicate. The sheet of pasta should be so thin that you can see through it.

Tags:  Cheese, Dinner,  Pasta, Ravioli, Recipe, Spinach, Vegetables, Vegetarian