Gnocchi Ravioli With Sausage Spinach Filling Recipes

SPINACH AND RICOTTA RAVIOLI

Steps:

• Combine the flour and salt on a flat work surface; shape into a mound and make a well in the center. Add the eggs and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to the well and lightly beat with a fork. Gradually draw in the flour from the inside wall of the well in a circular motion. Continue to incorporate all the flour until it forms a ball. Wrap the ball in plastic wrap and let rest 30 minutes.
• While the pasta is resting, prepare the filling. Steam the spinach and drain well, pressing the spinach to remove all excess liquid. Chop finely. Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil and heat until hot but not smoking. Add shallots and cook for about a minute, stirring so that they do not brown. Add the shallots to the spinach, along with the ricotta, Parmesan cheese and egg. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt, pepper as needed.
• Cut the ball of dough in 1/2, cover and reserve the piece you are not immediately using to prevent it from drying out. Dust the counter and dough with a little flour. Press the dough into a rectangle and roll it through a pasta machine, 2 or 3 times, at widest setting. Pull and stretch the sheet of dough with the palm of your hand as it emerges from the rollers. Reduce the setting and crank the dough through again, 2 or 3 times. Continue tightening until the machine is at the second narrowest setting; the dough should be almost paper-thin.
• Dust the counter and sheet of dough with flour, lay out the long sheet of pasta, and brush the top surface with a little water, which acts as a glue. Drop 1 tablespoon of the filling on 1/2 of the pasta sheet, about 2-inches apart. Fold the other 1/2 over the filling like a blanket. With your fingers, gently press out air pockets around each mound of filling. Use a sharp knife to cut each pillow into squares and crimp the 4 edges with the tins of a fork to make a tight seal. A fluted pastry wheel also works well to make an attractive edge around the pasta. Dust the ravioli and a sheet pan with cornmeal to prevent the pasta from sticking and lay them out to dry slightly while assembling the rest. If not using within an hour or two refrigerate until needed.
• To prepare the sauce, heat the two tablespoons of oil in a heavy pot and cook the garlic for just a minute. Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper, and pepper flakes and cook over medium low heat for 10 minutes. Add the chopped basil, and mix well. Cook over low heat an additional 10 minutes. Keep warm while you cook the pasta.
• Cook the ravioli in plenty of boiling salted water until tender. They will float to the top when ready, so be careful not to overcrowd the pot. Drain the ravioli and return to the pot. Pour half of the sauce mixture into the pot and carefully stir until the ravioli is lightly coated. Serve the ravioli with a spoonful of additional sauce and a sprinkling of grated cheese. Serve hot.

SAUSAGE, SPINACH AND GNOCCHI

Steps:

• Cook gnocchi according to package directions; drain. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat; cook sausage 5-7 minutes or until no longer pink, breaking up sausage into crumbles. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain. Add spinach and tomatoes; cook and stir just until spinach is wilted., Stir in gnocchi and spaghetti sauce; heat through. Freeze option: Freeze cooled gnocchi mixture in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through in a skillet, stirring occasionally and adding a little water if necessary.

GNOCCHI RAVIOLI WITH SAUSAGE-SPINACH FILLING

Steps:

• Cook and rice the potatoes following the preceding dough recipe. While they are cooling, make the offelle filling.
• Melt the butter in the skillet over medium heat, and stir in the chopped onion. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt, and cook until the onion wilts. Crumble in the sausage and ground veal. Salt again lightly, and fry the meats for a couple of minutes, stirring and breaking up any lumps, until browned. Heap the spinach in the pan, raise the heat, sprinkle the remaining salt over, and toss well. Drizzle a few tablespoons of water into the pan, and stir steadily as the leaves soften and release their liquid. Cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently (and scraping up any caramelization in the skillet), until the spinach is fully cooked and all of its moisture has evaporated. Remove from the heat and let cool (to cool rapidly, spread the filling on a plate).
• While the filling cools, mix the potato dough. To form the offelle, cut the dough in four pieces; work with one and keep the others covered. Dust the work surface and rolling pin liberally with flour, and roll out the dough to a 12-inch round or slightly larger. Keep the dough from sticking by sliding a spatula or dough scraper under it and flouring the surface frequently. Cut 4-inch circles in the dough, using a round pastry cutter or the rim of a container or jar, dipped in flour. Remove the scraps of dough between the circles and loosen circles with the spatula.
• Drop 2 teaspoons of filling on each circle, and fold the dough over, into a half-moon, with the filling enclosed. One at a time, pick up the offelle and pinch the edges of dough together with floured fingers. Turn the edges inward, in small overlapping folds, and crimp to seal. Place completed offelle on a floured tray in a single layer, spaced apart. Press the scraps into another piece of dough, and form offelle the same way.
• Meanwhile, bring 8 quarts of water with 2 tablespoons salt to a rolling boil, as you want to cook offelle right away. (Otherwise, freeze them solid on the tray, then pack in airtight containers.)
• To make the sage butter for the offelle, put the butter in the big sauté pan or skillet, set it over low heat to melt, toss in the sage leaves, and grind in a generous amount of black pepper. Keep the sauce warm-but not cooking-so the sage leaves infuse the melted butter.
• When the water is at a rolling boil, quickly brush off excess flour and drop half the offelle into the pot. Stir, cover the pot, and return to the boil over high heat. As the offelle rise to the surface, turn and stir them occasionally so they cook evenly and don't stick to each other. Boil for about 6 minutes, until cooked through- check for doneness by biting into one on the edge where the dough is thickest.
• Lift out the offelle with a spider, drain briefly, and spill them into the warm butter in the pan. Tumble them in the pan, and shake it so the butter flows all around them. Return the water to the rolling boil, and cook the remaining offelle. Drain and drop them in the pan, on top of the first batch. Raise the heat slightly, turn and tumble the offelle, and shake the pan, until all are hot and coated with sage butter.
• Turn off the heat, and sprinkle half of the grated cheese on top. Spoon portions of offelle onto warm plates, drizzle any hot sage butter left in the pan over each portion, and serve right away. Pass more cheese at the table.