Ravioli With Ricotta And Asparagus Recipes

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.

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.

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.

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, Parm, parsley and 2 whole eggs; mix well and season with salt.
• Dust a clean work surface lightly with all-purpose flour and lay out two sheets of pasta about 12 inches long; brush them lightly with water. Equally space 4 dollops of the ricotta mixture on each pasta sheet; then use a spoon to make a "nest" or small hole in the center of each dollop. Carefully separate the remaining eggs (reserve the whites for another purpose) and put a yolk in each ricotta "nest"--the ricotta should lovingly nestle each yolk (if a yolk breaks, scoop it out with a spoon and don't use it).
• Cover the ricotta nests and egg yolk with another sheet of pasta. Use your index fingers to press around each ricotta nest to seal the edges, then use a fluted ring cutter or dough roller to cut around each ravioli (they should be 3 to 4 inches in diameter). Reserve the ravioli on a tray generously dusted with semolina.
• Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. In a large saute pan, melt half the butter and add half of the chicken stock (you're going to use the remainder for your next batch); season with salt and toss in half the sage. Bring this to a boil (BTB) and reduce to simmer (RTS).
• Add 4 of the ravioli to the boiling water and cook for 3 minutes. Using a spider or slotted spoon, carefully transfer the ravioli from the water to the pan with butter and chicken stock and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. If the sauce reduces too much, add a few drops of the pasta cooking water. The sauce should cling to the ravioli in a buttery hug.
• Transfer the ravioli to serving plates, spoon a little extra sauce over each one, and finish with a sprinkey-dink of grated Parm. Repeat with the remaining ravioli.
• Mound the flour on a clean, dry work surface. Make a big hole (called a well) in the center of the flour pile--bigger is definitely better here. Crack the eggs into the hole along with the extra yolk, olive oil, and 2 tablespoons water; season with salt. Using a fork, beat the eggs together with the olive oil, water, and salt and begin to incorporate the flour into the egg mixture. Be careful not to break the well or the egg mixture will run everywhere and you'll have a big fat mess on your hands (and your board). When enough flour is incorporated that you can handle the dough, use your hands to combine everything really well. If the mixture is tight and dry, wet your hands a bit. When the mixture is homogeneous, start kneading...
• To knead the dough, it's VERY important to put your body weight into it, to get on top of the dough, and really stretch it. Be careful not to tear it--the idea is that you stretch the dough, not rip it. Use the heels of your palms and roll the mixture over itself. When it's done it should be smooth, supple, and velvety and look like the head of a preemie Cabbage Patch Doll. Kneading will take anywhere from 8 to 15 minutes, depending on how experienced you are. (Don't hold back: This is where the perfect, toothsome texture of your pasta is formed. Get in there and work it!)
• When the pasta is ready, wrap it in plastic and let rest for at least an hour at room temperature before rolling. If you're making the dough ahead of time, wrap, refrigerate, and bring to room temperature before using.
• To roll out the pasta, you need to run the dough through the pasta roller a bunch of times to get it long and thin. To start, cut off about a quarter of the dough (remember, the bigger the piece you start with, the longer your dough is going to get), keeping the rest wrapped up so it doesn't dry out. Squish the dough to flatten it--this will help it run through the pasta roller more easily. Where do we start? We start at the beginning! Run the dough through the pasta roller starting on the widest setting, number 1. Then dust the dough with flour, fold it into thirds, and put the dough through this setting two more times. If the dough ever feels sticky or tacky, give it a little dusting of flour. Now adjust the setting to number 2 and repeat the process again--changing the setting each time until your dough is the desired thickness. Once the dough is rolled out, be sure to keep the pasta sheets covered so they don't dry out. Depending on what I want to use the pasta for, I usually stop around number 5 or 6. For long noodles, I keep it thicker, and for ravioli or stuffed pasta, I keep it thinner. All pasta machines are different, so you need to judge how your pasta machine works and adjust your rolling accordingly. Once you get the thickness you want, repeat this process with the remaining pieces of dough.

Steps:

• Whisk the ricotta, spinach, prosciutto, egg yolks, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl to blend.
• Place 1 tablespoon of the ricotta filling in the center of a wonton wrapper. Brush the edge of the wrapper lightly with water. Fold the wrapper in half, enclosing the filling completely and forming a triangle. Pinch the edges to seal. Transfer the ravioli to baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining filling and wrappers. (Can be prepared up to 2 hours ahead; cover and refrigerate.)
• Melt the butter in a heavy small skillet over medium heat. Add the oregano and stir 1 minute. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.
• Working in batches, cook the ravioli in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes per batch. Transfer the ravioli to a large shallow bowl.
• Pour the oregano butter over the ravioli and toss gently to coat. Sprinkle the pecorino over the ravioli and serve.

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.

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.