GOURMET ARUGULA AND GOAT CHEESE RAVIOLI

[Guest guest]

It looks like a lot of work, but its just a lot of steps if you

organize everything ahead of time and use wontons. The payoff is

terrific!

 

 

@@@@@

GOURMET ARUGULA AND GOAT CHEESE RAVIOLI

For Pasta Dough:

2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour plus additional for kneading

4 large egg yolks

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup water

For filling:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 lb arugula, trimmed

1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest

1/2 cup soft mild goat cheese (4 1/2 oz)

1/2 cup ricotta (preferably fresh; 4 1/2 oz)

For sauce:

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter

1/3 cup pine nuts (1 1/2 oz)

1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup chopped arugula

 

 

 

 

 

Special equipment: a pasta maker

 

To make pasta dough in a food processor:

Blend together all dough ingredients in processor until mixture just

begins to form a ball. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface,

incorporating only as much additional flour as necessary to keep dough

from sticking, until smooth and elastic, 6 to 8 minutes. Wrap dough in

plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature 1 hour (to make rolling

easier).

 

To make dough by hand:

Whisk together flours in a bowl, then mound flour mixture on a work

surface, preferably wooden, and make a well in center. Add yolks, oil,

salt, and water to well. With a fork, gently beat yolks, oil, and

water until combined. Gradually stir in enough flour to form a paste,

pulling in flour closest to egg mixture and being careful not to make

an opening in outer wall of well. Knead remaining flour into mixture

with your hands to form a dough (it will be soft and sticky). Knead

dough until smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes. Cover with an

inverted bowl and let stand 1 hour (to make rolling easier).

 

Make filling while dough stands:

Heat butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until foam

subsides, then add garlic, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring

occasionally, until garlic begins to turn golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Add

arugula and zest and cook, turning with tongs, until arugula is

wilted, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer arugula mixture to a fine-mesh sieve

and press with back of a wooden spoon to extract excess liquid, then

finely chop.

 

Stir together arugula mixture and cheeses in a bowl.

 

Make ravioli:

Cut dough into 8 equal pieces. Cover 7 pieces with plastic wrap and

pat out remaining piece into a flat rectangle. Generously dust with

flour.

 

Set rollers of pasta maker on widest setting. Feed rectangle, a short

side first, through rollers. Fold rectangle in thirds, like a letter,

and feed it, a short side first, through rollers. Repeat 6 or 7 more

times, folding dough in thirds and feeding it through rollers, a short

side first each time, dusting with flour to prevent sticking. Turn

dial to next (narrower) setting and feed dough through rollers without

folding, a short side first. Continue to feed dough through without

folding, making space between rollers narrower each time, until the

second to narrowest setting is used. (Do not roll too thin or pasta

will tear when filled.)

 

Put sheet of dough on a lightly floured kitchen towel (not terry

cloth) with a long side nearest you. Drop 5 or 6 rounded teaspoon-size

mounds of filling 1 1/2 inches apart in a row down center of right

half of sheet, then lift left half of sheet and drape over mounds.

Press down firmly but gently around each mound, forcing out air. (Air

pockets increase the chance that ravioli will break during cooking.)

Cut pasta (between mounds) with a sharp knife into roughly 2 1/2-inch

squares. Line a large shallow baking pan with a clean dry kitchen

towel (not terry cloth), then arrange ravioli in 1 layer in it. Make

more ravioli with remaining pieces of dough and remaining filling in

same manner, transferring to lined pan.

 

Make sauce:

Heat butter in cleaned 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until

foam subsides, then cook pine nuts, stirring frequently, until pale

golden, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, pepper, and salt and cook,

stirring frequently, until garlic begins to turn golden, about 2

minutes. Add lemon juice and oil, swirling skillet to combine, and

remove from heat. (Leave sauce in skillet.)

 

Cook ravioli:

Bring a 6- to 8-quart pot of salted water to a boil over high heat,

then reduce heat to a gentle boil. While water is heating, reheat

sauce over low heat if necessary.

 

Add half of ravioli to gently boiling water, carefully stirring to

separate, and cook, adjusting heat to keep at a gentle boil, until

pasta is just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Lift cooked ravioli with a

slotted spoon, draining well over pot, then transfer to skillet with

sauce and gently swirl skillet to coat pasta. Transfer ravioli to a

platter with half of sauce and sprinkle evenly with half of chopped

fresh arugula. Repeat with remaining pasta, sauce, and arugula.

 

Cooks' notes:

• Dough can be made (but not rolled out) 6 hours ahead and chilled,

tightly wrapped in plastic wrap.

• Ravioli can be made (but not cooked) 4 hours ahead and chilled,

covered with plastic wrap, in towel-lined baking pan.

• Filling can be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered.

 

Makes 8 (first course) servings.

 

Gourmet Magazine: Menus, February 2007

Fromatted by Chupa Babi in MC: 02.14.07

 

Homemade ravioli are well worth the effort, and making them is the

perfect task to share with a kitchen full of cooks (even novices can

get in on the fun). Mixing the pasta dough is a breeze in the food

processor, but if you don't have one, don't worry — we've given the

method for making the dough by hand as well. A brown-butter pine-nut

sauce is light enough to let your efforts on the pasta really shine

through.

 

ChupaNote: I use wonton wrappers and save myself the aggravation. I

used baby arugula, greek feta (soaked in milk), and replaced the 3/4

t. black pepper with 1 t. red pepper flakes. Next time I might use

roasted garlic and spinach for less bite. Or make a tahini yogurt

dressing to take the edge off the arugula (which I love!).