Friday, February 4, 2011

Spinach and Mushroom Ravioli



Here is my practice Valentine's Day dinner. What's a better way of saying I love you, then by serving your loved one ravioli that was made entirely by you. Don't let the ravioli making intimidate you. Trust me its very easy, just a little kneading and rolling out needed. This meal does require a little time though, so I suggest making the Tofu Ricotta and marinara sauce the night before.

So now that my entree is planned out, I need to start thinking about what to make for dessert. I can't believe Valentine's Day is ten days away. Anyone got any special plans for that day? I loved to hear : ]


Makes about 24 Raviolis

Ingredients
Ravioli Noodles
* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 1/2 cups semolina flour
* 3/4 cup water
* 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Filling
* 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
* 8 ounces button mushrooms
* 10 ounces of frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
* 1/3 cup of vegan Parmesan, plus extra for garnish
* salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 1 recipe Herbed Tomato Sauce or 6 cups of your own marinara

Directions
First prepare your ravioli noodles...
1. Mix all the ingredients together, either in a bread maker or in a large bowl. If doing by hand, knead the dough for about 8 minutes, adding more flour if too sticky or more water if the dough won't hold together well.

2. Once you have kneaded the dough into a smooth ball, cover with plastic wrap in a slightly greased bowl and let rest for 30 minutes.

Start preparing your filling while you wait....

3. In a large saute pan, heat 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated, about 6 minutes.

4. Add spinach and cook for another 2 minutes.

5. Remove from heat and place in a food processor. Pulse until you get a coarse texture.

6. Place in a large bowl and stir in the Parmesan and tofu ricotta. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if desired. Set aside.

7. Once your dough has rested, divide it in half or in quarters for easier rolling. Begin to roll each piece on a well floured surface. Continue rolling until it is about 1/8 inch thick.

Once all the dough is rolled out its time to start assembling them. You can go about this several different ways.

The first way would be to lay out one sheet of pasta and place about 1/2 tsp of filling, two inches apart from each other. Then place another sheet of pasta on top and press down around the outside edges of the dough to seal. Cut out each ravioli using a ravioli cutter or pastry wheel.

The second way would be to cheat and use a ravioli maker ( I used this one ). You basically do the same as the step above but this way helps you to get each ravioli the exact same size.

8. Place one piece of dough and fill each ravioli with mushroom/spinach ricotta.

9. Place the top layer over the bottom layer.

10. Press and seal the outside edges using your fingers. Roll across the top to cut out.

Make sure to keep each ravioli separate from the others because if they touch they will stick like crazy.

11. Bring a large pot bring to a boil 4 quarts of salted and oiled water. Carefully add small batches of ravioli, about 4 to 5 at a time. This will prevent them from crowding in the pot and sticking together. Cook until al dente, about 7 to 9 minutes. Carefully remove using a spider strainer and place on a plate.

To Serve - Place in a large bowl and cover with marinara sauce.

27 comments:

  1. Oh yes, homemade ravioli definitely say "I love you." Those look so good, my mouth is watering for real... I'm not just saying that.

    ReplyDelete
  2. They look fantastic! I will make sure to make some soon.

    ReplyDelete
  3. You are such a good cook. This is very impressive...nice job.

    ReplyDelete
  4. The ravioli maker is a great idea. One thing I hate about making my own ravioli is how big some are and how small others are. These look nice and uniform.

    ReplyDelete
  5. What gorgeous ravioli! I've never made my own, but you're inspiring me.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I would be so proud - those look lovely!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Very clever to do a practice Valentines day! Your dining parter has lots and lots of good meals, though. These ravioli look good - I need to try them again, and you make it look pretty easy!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Jacklyn - You have a Bloggie Award awaiting you at http://t.co/xTVccVw

    Cheers,
    Zen

    ReplyDelete
  9. Yum! If someone served me homemade vegan ravioli for dinner I would be in love! :) Looks so good!

    ReplyDelete
  10. holy cow those look amazing! good job!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Impressive! This has inspired me to try to make ravioli, which I've never done, because it seems so intimidating!

    ReplyDelete
  12. that is really cool! i've never made my own pasta before. it looks delicious :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Yum they look so delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  14. These look amazing! I am definitely intimidated by the ravioli process, but you have made it look so easy.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Thanks for sharing; those look wonderful! Homemade ravioli have been on my "to do" list for ages, and you've made it looks so simple that I'm going to try it this week. Happy Valentine's Day!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hi there!

    I just made these for my partner for Valentines day (my requirements when searching for a recipe: Has mushrooms, is vegetarian, is easy :-) ), and it turned out really nice, thank you so much for writing this up!

    I made them tortellini-shape instead, because I didn't have a ravioli-maker (although cool tip: Use an ice-cube tray!) and because I like tortellini shape, and I also got a few big portabello mushrooms that I fried whole to make a 'base'.

    She was very happy, thanks again :-)

    ReplyDelete
  17. Aww that's so nice to hear Will. I am glad you and you're partner enjoyed them. I haven't made tortellini yet but that is a very good tip. I must try that.

    ReplyDelete
  18. You always have such great pictures! I love the step by step pics and the ingredients all laid out! Well done!

    ReplyDelete
  19. You make making ravioli look so easy!! Now I want to try. Your little ravioli are so perfect looking, I love the little bump of filling.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Just tried this recipe. Goodness! Yum yum!! Had something similar at 'Blossom' in New York. So am very pleased i can recreate ravioli as good all the way away in the U.K. in my very own kitchen.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Great looking recipe, have to try it! But I hope you know the parm cheese you have pictured isn't vegan because it has casein in it. I made the same mistake though cause its placed right next to all the vegan cheeses!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Does it really? The rice one? I know the one in a green container had casein but after learning my mistake there, I thought this one was okay. Esh I am going to have to take a closer look next time I plan on buying some.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Thanks for this.
    I've got about 5kg of pumpkin to use, and I always loved pumpkin ravioli, pre-veganism; so i'll be adapting your recipe.

    ReplyDelete
  24. I just made this recipe (including the Tofu Ricotta), and it is AWESOME! I highly recommend it and will make it again. Thank you so much. My advice to others is to roll the dough *really* thin - I may not have gotten it to the 1/8 inch thickness you recommended, and it was just too much dough when they were finished (overshadowed the yummy filling).

    ReplyDelete
  25. Scrumptious! I used whole wheat pastry flour, and semolina, and a touch of white flour, and the raviolis were hearty and dee-lish!

    ReplyDelete
  26. This looks delicious. I will definitely give it a try soon.

    ReplyDelete