Spinach Ricotta Cavatelli With Tomato Sauce Recipes

CAVATELLI WITH TOMATO SAUCE AND RICOTTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the cavatelli and cook as the label directs. Reserve 1/4 cup cooking water, then drain.
• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the red pepper flakes and cook until the garlic is soft but not browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the basil and tomatoes with their juice. Increase the heat to high and cook until the sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes.
• Add the cavatelli and the reserved cooking water to the skillet; cook, tossing, until warmed through, 2 to 3 minutes. Divide among bowls and top with the ricotta and pecorino. Season with salt and pepper.

SPINACH RICOTTA CAVATELLI WITH TOMATO SAUCE.

Steps:

• Make the cavatelli: Put the ricotta, spinach, egg yolk and olive oil in a food processor and process to a paste.
• Add the flour, semolina, salt and white pepper and process until the mixture comes together to form a ball.
• Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead briefly.
• Wrap the dough in plastic and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Make the sauce: Cover the sun-dried tomatoes with hot water and let soak until plumped, about 25 minutes. Drain well and coarsely chop, then transfer to a mini-processor and puree.
• Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add the fresh tomatoes and garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the tomatoes release their juices, about 3 minutes.
• Add the basil and Chicken Stock, cover and simmer over low heat until the tomatoes are very soft, about 5 minutes. Strain the sauce, pressing on the tomatoes to extract as much sauce as possible. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes and season with salt and black pepper.
• Cut the cavatelli dough into 10 equal pieces. On a lightly floured work surface, using both hands, roll out each piece of dough into a 1/2 -inch-thick rope.
• With a fork, cut the rope into 1/2 -inch pieces. Press the side of the fork lengthwise into the center of each piece. Set the cavatelli on a lightly floured baking sheet.
• In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the cavatelli in batches, stirring, until they rise to the surface, about 4 minutes. Drain the cavatelli and divide them among 8 shallow bowls.
• Pour 1/2 cup of the hot tomato sauce over each portion and sprinkle each with 1 teaspoon of the Parmesan cheese.

RICOTTA CAVATELLI RECIPE

Steps:

• In a bowl mix together flour, salt, ricotta and water with hands. At first the dough may seem sticky, but work the dough squeezing it together for about 2 minutes.
• After 2 minutes the dough should be relatively formed together - enough that you can make a big ball.
• Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for another 1-2 minutes. This helps the dough to become much smoother.
• Set the dough aside and add more flour to your surface.
• Take about 2 tablespoons of dough and roll into a thin strip (about ½ inch thick)
• Using a scissor or knife cut the strips into small balls (smaller than a dime)
• Toss the balls with flour and then use the pasta tool or fork to shape (see above for step by step tutorial.)
• We use the pasta block and press firmly with our pointer or thumb, rolling the pasta downward. Be liberal with the flour when rolling/shaping!
• Place the cavatelli on a floured baking sheet as you're making them - shaking the sheet every few minutes to make sure they're not sticking to one another
• Put the cavatelli on the baking sheet in the freezer for 1 hour.
• When the cavatelli are frozen, pour them into a mesh strainer. Shake the excess flour off of them. *Do not skip this step, if you do you will wind up with gummy pasta water that is not tasty!*
• Store in a ziploc bag or container in the freezer until ready to eat.
• When ready to cook - boil water. Add cavatelli to boiling water and cook for about 4-5 minutes, or until cavatelli float to the top of the pan.
• Serve however you like!

SPINACH-RICOTTA DUMPLINGS WITH GARLIC TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and mash into a chunky sauce using a wooden spoon. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, about 12 minutes. Stir in the basil and season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and transfer to a blender; puree.
• Dust a rimmed baking sheet with flour; set aside. Mix the spinach, ricotta, parmesan, egg yolks, nutmeg and 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the flour and stir until just combined. Drop tablespoonfuls of the dough onto the flour-dusted pan, shaking the pan from side to side to coat the dumplings in the flour and smooth out their edges. Refrigerate 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a steady simmer. Add the chilled dumplings and cook until they float to the top and are tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper towel¿lined plate to drain. Serve on top of the tomato sauce and drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Sprinkle with more parmesan.

PASTA WITH HERBED RICOTTA, TOMATOES AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Blanch the rinsed spinach leaves in a large pot of well-salted boiling water until limp, about 1 minute. Drain the spinach and cool completely under cold running water. Pat dry and chop.
• Put the ricotta cheese in a large bowl and beat with a fork until smooth. Stir in the spinach, scallions, basil, tomatoes, parsley and olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Cook the penne until tender in well-salted boiling water. Drain, toss with the ricotta mixture, garnish with the pine nuts and serve immediately.