Spinach & Ricotta Ravioli in Creamy Tomato Sauce

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Between the edits, I found myself making Pasta!

In this recipe I chose to go for a basic egg pasta for making the ravioli (see how to make Ravioli from scratch on this link).

For the filling, I chose local fresh ricotta, the flavour of which is very freshly milky and sweet. Seasoned with the earthy and slightly peppery fresh spinach then complemented with the fruitiness of Parmesan cheese, the filling becomes absolutely gorgeous, seducing your palate and urging it to keep going for more.
I was after the creamy texture too; and while the filling already offered creaminess from the ricotta, to celebrate this texture a bit more, I went with a tomato-cream sauce. A pure cream sauce seemed too heavy, too rich, while this duo of cream and tomato offered a contrast – where the ever so slightly tangy tomato tricks your palate into thinking the sauce is lighter. Further still, the tomato offers a contrast to the ricotta’s sweetness, balancing out the whole experience. Perfection!

Finally, I always look for a bit of crunch, and find food dull without that action and bite! So, I had toasted some walnuts and sprinkled them around, for a little extra thrill. It was succulent, it was balanced, it was fresh, it was creamy, it had a bite, it was fun, it was comforting and it was all that I had thought of when I got that pasta roller out of the cupboard! It is, the perfect dish to tuck into, especially on these days of endless paperwork, cups and spoonfuls, edits, and page orders, layouts and designs (working on my cookbook)… It was the comfort of knowing, I produced something marvelous at the end of it all!

You too can make your own pasta and have it; the way you like it!
Here is the recipe for mine 🙂

Ingredients

  • 1 recipe Fresh Spinach & Ricotta Ravioli (recipe on this link)
  • 3 tbsp toasted walnuts
  • 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
  • Freshly cracked black pepper
For the Tomato-Cream Sauce
  • 1 Kg ripe tomatoes, peeled, deseeded and finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp DS Premium Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • Salt & Black pepper to taste
  • 1 tsp raw honey
  • 1/2 cup double cream
  • 1/4 cup fresh ricotta cheese

Make the Tomato-Cream Sauce. Saute the crushed garlic in the olive oil, just until translucent, add the chopped tomatoes and honey and stir well to combine. Season with salt and black pepper then bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiled, reduce the heat and simmer to slightly reduce and thicken.

In the meantime, in a small bowl, mix the Ricotta cheese to loosen.

Stir the Ricotta into the slightly reduced tomato sauce. Add the cooking cream and stir well. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Fresh Ricotta Cheese

While the tomato sauce is reducing, cook the raviolis in salted boiling water: Bring water to a boil in a medium pot, salt the water and bring it back to a boil. Drop the raviolis, in small batches in the boiling salted water and cook for 4 minutes. Remove from the water and place in a large bowl. Sprinkle the cooked Raviolis lightly with olive oil. Repeat until you have cooked all the Raviolis.

Add the Raviolis to the Tomato-Cream Sauce and shake the pot to cover the Raviolis with the sauce. Simmer for 2 minutes, then pour all into a large serving bowl. Sprinkle with freshly cracked black pepper, the toasted walnuts and grated Parmesan.

Serve immediately, with a side of assorted leaves dressed with a simple vinaigrette, and long strips of toasted garlic bread (these are gorgeous dipped into the sauce!). Heaven on a plate!

 

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