Thursday, January 6, 2011

Spinach & Ricotta Stuffed Ravioli An Unlikely Yet Yummy Hostess Gift


One of the many reasons we love visiting family
     We are going away for the weekend to visit my aunt and uncle and we are bringing part of Saturday night’s dinner as a gift for our hosts. I’ve spent this morning making spinach ricotta ravioli and on Saturday night all they will need to prepare are the bread and a beautiful salad.
The dough is ready to roll. Its a beautiful color and has a great texture
      I prepared the standard pasta recipe I’ve discussed in previous posts and this time I’m filling them with spinach and ricotta.
Cooking the Spinach
Pasta
3.5 cups All Pourpose flour
4 eggs
3/4 tsp salt
splash olive oil
water if needed
mix by hand  
kneed till smooth and soft
The filling is ready to use
For the filling
10 oz frozen spinach
¾ lb of part skim ricotta
¾ cup grated Parmesan
2 cloves garlic
¼ tsp black pepper
½ tsp salt
a dash of nutmeg

I sauté the spinach in butter and olive oil
with garlic and a touch of minced onion
When done I cool completely
Time to make the ravioli
Prepare the filling:
I place ricotta in a bowl
I add an egg
I add ½ cup
A touch of nutmeg
Pepper and Salt
I then add the cooled spinach

I put a small amount along the pasta
And make the pillows
I trip them with a cute little pasta cutting tool
And set them on a cookie sheet.
This pasta tool is a fun toy
I’m freezing these to take on out trip as I will not cook them till Saturday. 
To cook them I will place them in boiling salted water
When they are done they will float to the top of the water.
Total under $10.00 to feed four people

TIP OF THE DAY: Consider bringing part of the meal as a hostess gift. If you love to cook prepare a loaf of bread, a soup or even a frozen dish the hosts can enjoy during the week. Time to relax and not worry about cooking is generally a much appreciated gift.

3 comments:

Native Gardener said...

Love spinach ravioli!! Thanks for the recipe. You make it seem so simple.

Vagablonde said...

It is easy ...Once you make it you'll always want fresh pasta. :-)

Authentic Haven Brand said...

Oh, it looks as good as it sounded when we were Skyping earlier : ) Yummmy