How to/ Basics,  Main Course,  Recipes

Goat Cheese and Spinach Ravioli with Creamy Mixed Mushrooms

February 4, 2010

 

When I was a kid and into my early twenties, my mother and I would make home-made ravioli a couple of times a year, especially at Christmas. She would make the dough herself and we’d roll it out by hand into giant circles, with me holding one side of the stretchy dough to keep it from springing back. I’m not sure why, but it’s been a long time since we’ve made ravioli and I had a hankering to do it again. This time though, I wasn’t in the mood though to roll out the dough by hand. Plus, I wanted a new kitchen toy; the KitchenAid Pasta Roller Attachment for Stand Mixers. 

So, being the ever frugal one in my house, I went around and gathered up all my husband’s change. The man leaves it everywhere; in jars, on counter tops, in his pants pockets. Does he think it expires? I swear, it’s like one of those cell phone commercials where the kid doesn’t want to use rollover minutes because they’re from last month. The coins are still good the next day!
I took the change to my local Coin Star machine where I was able to redeem it, fee free, for an Amazon.com gift certificate. I used this certificate to help pay for my new toy. But wait, you ask, just how much change did you find? I found $77.45 my friends, and that goes a long way considering those rollers are on sale right now on Amazon. 

So, the day before I’m about to start a 21 day vegan/gluten/sugar/alcohol/caffeine free diet (don’t gasp too loud), what do I do? I make these ravioli for my “last supper.” They were fabulous, a wee bit decadent, and perfect served with a salad of baby greens and a wonderful bottle of white wine. 

Goat Cheese and Spinach Ravioli with Creamy Mixed Mushrooms
Printable Recipe in PDF

Ravioli Filling
4 oz goat cheese
4 oz fresh ricotta
1 egg
3.25 oz cooked spinach (5 oz raw)
.25 tsp nutmeg
salt and pepper 

Cook the spinach and squeeze out the excess water. Chop into small pieces. Combine with the rest of the ingredients. 

 

Pasta Dough Recipe
2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
2 eggs
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt 

Many recipes call for putting the flour in a mound on the counter, making a well, and mixing in the egg. I prefer to do it in a bowl because I think it’s a bit easier to control the egg and keep it from spilling out the sides. 


 

Put the flour and salt in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Mix the egg with the olive oil in a small bowl and then pour into the flour well. With a fork, gently start to incorporate the flour into the egg. As the dough comes together, use your hands to gather it into a ball. Once you can get it into one mass, knead it on your work surface for about 5 minutes until the dough becomes smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for at least 1/2 an hour. 

 

Roll out the pasta dough, either by hand or in a pasta machine according to directions. I rolled mine out to the last setting, #8. Do it in small batches because the pasta dries very quickly. Roll out a few strips of dough, put on the filling, cut the ravioli and repeat. I used about 1 tsp of filling per ravioli and cut them with a ravioli cutter like this Round Ravioli Stamp which I’ve had for years. You can use a biscuit cutter, small glass, or knife to cut them as well. Make sure you pinch the edges closed and try to push out any air bubbles. Place the ravioli on a floured sheet pan, dust with flour, and cover with a kitchen as you work. 

 

 

 

To cook the ravioli, bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 tsp salt. Add the ravioli one by one to the pot and stir gently to keep them from sticking together. They will take about 4-5 minutes to cook and generally, when done, will float on top of the water. Remove with a large slotted spoon, or pour (gently) into a colander. 

Mixed Mushroom Cream Sauce
4 oz white mushrooms, sliced
3 oz oyster mushrooms, sliced
2 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced
2 oz portobello mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup white wine
6 oz cream
fresh thyme (about 1 Tbsp)
salt and pepper 

Heat a large sauté pan on medium and add the butter. Let it melt and add the mushrooms. If your pan is not large enough, you may want to do this in two batches so as not to crowd the mushrooms. You want them to cook, not stew and they will let off a lot of water. When the mushrooms are dry and starting to brown, add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the wine and allow it to reduce by half. Add the cream and reduce by one third. Add the thyme and salt and pepper. 

Note; I put some of the sauce on a large platter. Put a layer of ravioli, another layer of sauce, ravioli, and topped with sauce. I did it this way rather than stir it all together and risk breaking the ravioli. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

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