Ravioli With Ricotta And Asparagus Recipes

RICOTTA-FILLED RAVIOLI (RAVIOLI DI RICOTTA)

Steps:

• To make the ravioli filling:
• 1. In a large bowl combine the ricotta, nutmeg, lemon zest, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and 1 egg. Season to taste with salt and pepper, stir well, and set aside.
• To make the ravioli dough:
• 1. Mound the flour on a clean work surface and create a well in the center. Place the eggs, egg yolks, and oil (if using) in the center. Using a fork, whisk the eggs and oil together and slowly start dragging the flour into the egg mixture. Knead by hand until all the ingredients are well combined and the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. (Alternatively, place all the ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. With the mixer on medium speed, knead the dough until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.) Wrap the dough in plastic wrap or place it in a covered bowl and let it rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
• 2. Set up a pasta machine and turn it to the largest opening. Cut off pieces of dough about the size of an egg. Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll the dough into sheets about 1/8-inch thick.
• 3. Lay 1 pasta sheet flat on a lightly floured work surface and determine approximately where the halfway point is lengthwise. Use a pastry brush to lightly wet one half of the dough with the remaining egg lightly beaten with water. Spoon mounds of the filling, about 2 teaspoons each, onto half of the wet side of the dough, leaving about a 1/2 inch between the mounds. Fold the dry half of the sheet over lengthwise to cover the filling. Press the pasta sheets together to seal the edges around the filling, and press out any excess air. Use a pastry cutter or knife to cut individual ravioli. As you cut out the ravioli, place them on a plate or baking sheet sprinkled with flour to keep them from sticking. Repeat with the remaining pasta and filling.
• 4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the ravioli all at once and stir a few times to submerge and separate them. Cook, uncovered, at a gentle boil until the pasta is just tender to the bite, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain the ravioli thoroughly and serve with a desired sauce or cheese.

RAVIOLI WITH RICOTTA AND ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• 1. Blanche and chill asparagus if using fresh. Skip if using frozen. Cut into 1 inch pieces. Dry with paper towels. Save 1/4 cup for garnish.
• 2. In a bowl mix the asparagus, ricotta, Parmigiano-Reggiano, olive oil, salt and pepper. Stir well to combine and set aside.
• 3. Place a scant tablespoon of ricotta mixture on center of half of the wonton wrappers. Run a wet pastry brush around the edge and place a second wrapper on top and press with your fingers to seal.
• 4. In a large saute pan, heat butter over high heat until the foam subsides. Add reserved asparagus and remove from heat. Cook ravioli in boiling water until they are tender and cooked through, about 3 minutes.
• 5. Drain ravioli reserving 3 tablespoons pasta water and add them to the pan with butter. Add 3 tablespoons pasta water and toss gently over high heat for 1 minutes.
• 6. Season with salt and pepper. Divide evenly between 8 pasta bowls and serve immediately with Parmigiano-Reggiano grated over the top.

RICOTTA RAVIOLO WITH GARLICKY GREENS

Steps:

• Ravioli: Stir together both cheeses, oil, and lemon zest in a medium bowl; season with salt and pepper and set aside.
• On a floured work surface, roll out one square of the rested pasta dough to an approximately 16-inch square. Using a ruler and bench scraper or knife, lightly score a 12-inch square in center of dough, then score that 12-inch square at 4-inch intervals in both directions, to form a 3-by-3 grid of nine 4-inch squares. (Do not cut dough all the way through.)
• Spoon a scant 1/4 cup ricotta mixture evenly into center of each square. Using back of spoon, create a small well in the center of each mound. Gently drop an egg yolk into each well.
• Roll out remaining piece of dough to an approximately 16-inch square. On filled dough square, lightly brush water around cheese. Loosely drape second dough square over first. Working from the center outward, gently press any air pockets out from between doughs and press together around fillings.
• Using a fluted pastry wheel, pizza wheel, or knife, cut out ravioli. Transfer to a rimmed sheet dusted with flour (preferably semolina).
• Garlicky Greens: Whisk together lemon juice and mustard to combine, then slowly whisk in 1/3 cup oil to make a dressing; season with salt and pepper and set aside.
• In a large straight-sided skillet over medium heat, cook pancetta with 1 tablespoon oil until browned and fat renders, 7 to 9 minutes. Transfer pancetta to a paper-towel-lined plate.
• Return skillet to medium heat, add garlic, and cook until fragrant and sizzling, 15 seconds. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil, then kale and dandelion greens, a handful at a time; season with salt and pepper and cook until wilted. Cover and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until greens darken and become tender, 8 to 10 minutes more.
• Meanwhile, cook ravioli in a large pot of generously salted boiling water until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. Reserve 3/4 cup pasta water; drain.
• Add reserved pasta water to greens in skillet and cook, uncovered, until water has mostly evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat; stir half of reserved lemon dressing into greens.
• Serve each raviolo over a bed of greens, drizzled with remaining lemon dressing and sprinkled with pancetta, Pecorino, and pepper.

RAVIOLI WITH LEMON, PEAS AND PANCETTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, cook the pancetta in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, turning, until browned and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and wipe out the skillet.
• Add the ravioli to the boiling water and cook as the label directs. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then drain gently.
• Combine the butter and lemon zest and juice in the reserved skillet over medium heat. Add the peas, ravioli and 1/4 cup of the reserved cooking water; toss to coat. Stir in the pecorino and toss. Season with salt and pepper. Add more cooking water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to loosen.
• Divide the ravioli, peas and any sauce among shallow bowls. Sprinkle with more pecorino. Crumble the pancetta and scatter over the ravioli. Top with basil.

RAVIOLI DI RICOTTA E ASPARAGI CON SALSA DI PISELLI

Steps:

• Bring first 4 ingredients to boil in small saucepan. Cook uncovered until peas are just tender, about 3 minutes. Cool slightly. Transfer mixture to blender; puree until smooth (sauce will be thin). Season with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 6 hours ahead. Cover and chill. Rewarm before using.)
• Cut top 3 inches off asparagus; cut into 1/2-inch lengths. Cook in saucepan of boiling salted water until tender, about 3 minutes. Drain; place in bowl of ice water. Drain; pat dry. Mix cheese and mint in medium bowl. Stir in asparagus. Season with salt and pepper; mix in egg.
• Follow directions for making and rolling Fresh Egg Pasta dough into sheets. Starting 1 inch from 1 short side of 1 pasta sheet, drop ricotta filling by rounded teaspoonfuls down center of sheet, spacing mounds 2 inches apart. Brush pasta edges and between mounds of filling lightly with water. Cover with second pasta sheet, pressing down around filling to eliminate air pockets and to seal. Using fluted pastry wheel, cut pasta between filling, trimming sides to form 2- to 2 1/4-inch ravioli. Repeat with more pasta and remaining filling, making about 36. (Reserve remaining pasta for another use, cutting into shapes and drying on floured work surface.) Place ravioli on floured baking sheet; let dry 30 minutes. (Can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover; chill.)
• Working in 2 batches, cook ravioliin very large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, stirring gently, about 3 minutes. Drain ravioli. Divide hot pea sauce among 6 plates. Top with ravioli. Drizzle with olive oil and serve.

MEYER LEMON-RICOTTA RAVIOLI

Steps:

• Put flour and salt in a large bowl. Add yolks, and use a fork to mix them into the flour. Turn dough out onto a floured surface, and knead for about 8 minutes or until dough is smooth. If dough seems sticky, add up to 2 tablespoons more flour. Knead dough a few times by hand to form an elastic ball, wrap it in plastic, and let rest for a half-hour.
• Stir together all ingredients for filling.
• Set up a pasta roller, and spread a large work surface with kitchen towels. Divide dough in thirds, and pass each through widest setting twice. Reduce roller width one setting, and again run each piece of dough through twice. Continue through each setting until all three pieces of dough have gone through rollers at narrowest setting (No. 7 on most pasta machines). As you work lay sheets of pasta on towels, covering them with more towels to keep them moist.
• To fill ravioli, place a teaspoonful of filling at 1 1/2-inch intervals about 1 inch from edge of one length of dough. Dip a pastry brush in water, and brush dough around filling, moistening all the way to edges. Fold dough lengthwise over filling, and press around each scoop, pushing out any air and sealing ravioli. Use a crimped pasta wheel cutter (or press down with blade of a serrated knife) to slice through dough halfway between each scoop of filling, then trim edges to create 2-inch squares. Press edges to seal completely. Dust finished ravioli with semolina or cornmeal. Cover with a kitchen towel and refrigerate for up to 1 day if not using immediately.
• For sauce, melt butter in a large skillet with lemon zest and salt and pepper to taste.
• To cook ravioli, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add ravioli and cook just until very al dente, about 2 to 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon or skimmer to scoop ravioli into a colander. Measure 2/3 cup pasta cooking water and gradually whisk it into butter sauce until it is smooth and creamy. Add ravioli, toss to coat with sauce, and simmer for 1 minute. Serve immediately, passing more Parmesan cheese at the table.

RAVIOLI STUFFED WITH RICOTTA AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Spoon the ricotta into a large fine-mesh sieve or a colander lined with a double thickness of cheesecloth or a basket-type coffee filter. Set the sieve over a bowl and cover the ricotta well with plastic wrap. Let the ricotta drain in the refrigerator at least overnight or up to 24 hours. Discard the liquid in the bottom of the bowl.
• In a wide braising pan or deep skillet, heat the oil over medium-low heat. Add the leeks and scallions and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the chopped spinach and increase the heat to medium. Season lightly with salt and pepper and cook over moderate heat until the vegetables are tender and the liquid is evaporated, about 10 minutes. Set in a strainer and cool completely.
• Stir the fresh ricotta, Parmigiano-Reggiano, parsley, and sautéed greens together in a bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir in the egg. Chill thoroughly.
• While the filling is chilling, make the pasta dough and let rest.
• Form and cut the ravioli according to directions on page 190. The ravioli should be cooked immediately or refrigerated up to 4 hours. (The ravioli may also be frozen: Place the sheets of ravioli onto a freezer shelf and freeze until solid to the touch. Carefully transfer the ravioli to resealable plastic bags or airtight plastic containers.)
• Bring 6 quarts of salted water to a boil in an 8-quart pot over high heat. Slip the ravioli into the water a few at a time, stirring gently as you do. Cook until the edges of the pasta are tender but still firm to the bite and they rise to the surface, about 6 minutes after the water returns to a boil.
• While the ravioli are cooking, divide the tomato sauce, olive oil, and basil between two large skillets and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Fish out the ravioli with a wire skimmer or large flat slotted spoon, drain them well over the pasta pot, and slide them into the pans of sauce, dividing them evenly. Simmer, stirring gently with a spoon until the sauce is lightly reduced and the ravioli are coated. Remove the pans from the heat, check the seasoning, and add salt and pepper if necessary. Spoon the ravioli into warm bowls or onto a warm platter, sprinkle with the grated cheese, and serve immediately.
• Variation: Butter-Sage Sauce (Conditi all Burro e Salvia)
• Melt one stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter in a large skillet over low heat. (The heat should be low enough to melt the butter slowly, without its separating or turning clear.) Add eight to ten whole sage leaves and remove the skillet from the heat. Ladle out about 1 cup of the ravioli-cooking water before you drain them. Either fish the ravioli out of the pot with a large wire skimmer or drain them gently. Add the ravioli to the skillet. Pour in enough of the cooking liquid to make a sufficient amount of creamy sauce to coat the ravioli generously. Bring to a quick boil, then remove from the heat. Stir in grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, salt, and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Serve immediately.