"New from the Kitchen"
Recipe of the Month - October 2016
Entrees: Ravioli with Ricotta & Spinach Stuffing and Sage-Butter Sauce
Sage is a pungent herb originally from the Mediterranean and has been enjoyed for centuries for cooking and medicinal uses. The name comes from the Latin meaning safe, and the herb has a slightly bitter and musty minty taste and aroma. Most supermarkets carry the fresh herb which has oval dusty green leaves. We grow it in the herb garden here at the Inn and have it all summer and fall.
I have used it here with butter to make a sauce for a wonderful stuffed ravioli. If you don't want to take the time to make the pasta, you can use wonton wrappers.
This is a great fall dish to make on a cool Saturday afternoon. You can use it as a appetizer, accompaniment or entree, so very versatile
Ingredients
Ingredients:
For Pasta
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon water
3 ½ cups sifted all purpose flour
½ tablespoon salt
If you do not want to make your own pasta you can use wonton wrappers.
For Stuffing
½ pounds fresh ricotta cheese or 3 cups packaged whole milk ricotta
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 small leeks, white parts only, trimmed and cleaned
and chopped (about 1 cup)
½ cup minced scallions, including greens
4 cups coarsely chopped fresh spinach, cleaned and stemmed
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 large egg beaten
For Sauce
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
10 whole sage leaves
1 cup ravioli cooking water
1/4 to ½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Instructions
Instructions:
For Pasta:
Put eggs, water, salt and flour in mixing bowl, attach flat beater on speed 2 and mix for 30 seconds. Exchange flat beater for dough hook and knead for 2 minutes on speed 2. Remove from bowl and hand knead for 2 minutes and divide into 8 pieces. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Process using a pasta machine (or attachment for mixer)into sheets of pasta. Then using a ravioli press fill with the stuffing and cut into individual ravioli.
If you do not have a pasta machine or ravioli press you can use wonton wrappers (3 inch size).
For stuffing:
Spoon the ricotta into a large fine-mesh sieve or a colander lined with double thickness of cheesecloth. Set the sieve over a bowl and cover the ricotta well with plastic wrap. Let drain in the refrigerator overnight or up to 24 hours. Discard the liquid in the bottom of bowl.
In a saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the leeks and scallions and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the spinach and increase heat to medium. Season with salt and pepper and cook over moderate heat until the vegetables are tender and the liquid evaporated, about 10 minutes. Set in a strainer and cool completely.
Stir the ricotta, Parmigiano-Reggiano, parsley and sauteed greens together in a bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir in the egg. Chill completely.
For the sauce:
Melt the butter in a large skillet over low heat. Add the sage leaves and remove the skillet from the heat. Ladle out about 1 cup of the ravioli cooking water before you drain them. Remove the ravioli from the water, drain and place in the skillet. Add enough of the cooking water to make a creamy sauce to coat the ravioli and bring to a quick boil the remove from the heat. Stir in the grated cheese, salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately
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