Ravioli with Greens, or Ravioli con Verdura: This is a Sardinian recipe, with an Italianicised title: Sardinians call these Culingionis. To serve 4-6 you'll need:
Prep Time: 60 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
- For the Filling
- 1 1/8 pounds (500 g) fresh ricotta
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- The grated zest of half a lemon
- A handful of cooked greens (spinach, beet, or collard), minced
- An egg
- 3 tablespoons flour
- A pinch of saffron, dissolved in a little warm water
- For the Pasta
- 10 ounces (250 g, or about 1 1/2 cups) semolina
- 4/5 cup (100 g) flour
- An egg
- A pinch of saffron, dissolved in a little warm water
- A pinch of salt
- For The Sauce
- 1 pound ripe plum tomatoes, blanched, peeled, seeded, chopped and drained
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- Half a medium onion, shredded
- Several basil leaves, also shredded
- Freshly grated pecorino sardo (use Tuscan pecorino or Parmigiano if you cannot find sardo; romano will be too sharp)
Preparation:
Begin with the filling: crush the ricotta with the tines of a fork, then mix into it the sugar, lemon zest, egg, greens, saffron, and flour. Mix well.Next, the pasta: Combine the semolina and the flour, crack the egg into it, mix in the saffron water, and add just enough lightly salted water to make it into a dough (see instructions if need be). Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic. Let the dough rest for a half hour, then spread it dime-thin. Dot half the surface of the sheet with teaspoons of the filling, and fold the other half over it. Tamp the sheet down around the filling and cut the ravioli free with a serrated pasta wheel.
Next, the sauce: Heat the oil in a pot, sauté the onions until they are golden and translucent, then add the tomatoes, check seasoning, and simmer the sauce gently.
Finally, the cooking. Bring a pot of water to a boil, salt it, and gently slip some of the ravioli into it. They'll be done when they rise to the surface (taste a pinch off one to be sure the pasta is indeed al dente), at which point you should gently remove them from the pot with a slotted spoon and place them on a heated serving dish. Sprinkle them with sauce and grated cheese, cook the next batch, repeat the process, and continue until all is used up.
A couple of observations: These were traditionally made the day before and allowed to dry on racks over night. Also, some prefer them with just olive oil and grated cheese. And finally, if you want, you can leave out the greens.
