First attempt at homemade pasta

When Broc and I went to Red Rock we got this delicious number. Remember, the cheese ravioli with portobello mushroom cream sauce? Well, I haven't been able to get it out of my head. I had been wanting to attempt homemade pasta for some time now. Of course, I had made the classic chicken soup egg noodle, but I wanted to try something different, something like ravioli. So I guess you could say, this dish was my inspiration for trying a new recipe in an attempt to make ravioli.

I purchased a few items in Roseau (a town about an hour away, where we do most of our shopping here), and then tried to find a way to actually use them all. I had researched a few recipes, but never found the one. I found a lot of cheese ravioli fillings, but felt that I wanted to spice it up a bit more. I used a few ideas from a few different recipes and came up with the winning masterpiece...

Spinach Artichoke Ravioli with Portobello Cream Sauce

So here is the recipe that a few of you have requested! I just sort of threw some things together so I am not 100% sure of exact measurements. However the pasta recipe is exact, from Tyler Florence at Food Network. Oh and please note, I am in no way an expert on ravioli making. This was my first attempt. Really, I didn't know what the heck I was doing, just sort of made it up while trying to make sense of his recipe. I didn't have a fancy schmancy pasta making machine (although it is on my wish list!), so everything was done by hand.

Pasta Dough for Ravioli

Tyler Florence: www.foodnetwork.com

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1 tsp. salt

3 eggs, plus 1 for egg wash

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Cornmeal, for dusting (I didn't have this so I just used flour)

To make the pasta dough: In an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook*, combine the flour and salt. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and continue to mix. Drizzle in 1 tablespoons of the olive oil and continue to incorporate all the flour until it forms a ball. Sprinkle some flour on work surface, knead and fold the dough until elastic and smooth, this should take about 10 minutes. Brush the surface with the remaining olive oil and wrap the dough in plastic wrap; let rest for about 30 minutes to allow the gluten to relax.

*Alternatively if you don't have an electric mixer: Combine the flour and salt on a flat work surface; shape into a mound and make a well in the center. Add the eggs and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to the well and lightly beat with a fork. Gradually draw in the flour from the inside wall of the well in a circular motion. Use 1 hand for mixing and the other to protect the outer wall. Continue to incorporate all the flour until it forms a ball. Continue as directed above.

Cut the ball of dough in 1/2, cover and reserve the piece you are not immediately using to prevent it from drying out. Dust the counter and dough with a little flour. Press the dough into a rectangle and roll it through a pasta machine, 2 or 3 times, at widest setting. Pull and stretch the sheet of dough with the palm of your hand as it emerges from the rollers. Reduce the setting and crank the dough through again, 2 or 3 times. Continue tightening until the machine is at the narrowest setting; the dough should be paper-thin, about 1/8-inch thick (you should be able to see your hand through it.). Dust the sheets of dough with flour as needed.

{Ok time for what I did, since I didn't have a pasta machine! I divided my dough in half and shaped one half of the dough into a rectangle. Then rolled it out lengthwise. Keep rolling and stretching and rolling and stretching and rolling some more, until it seems to be as thin as Tyler describes. It was about 3 ft[ish] long and 4-5 inches wide.}

Beat 1 egg with 1 tablespoon of water to make an egg wash. Dust the counter and sheet of dough with flour, lay out the long sheet of pasta, and brush the top surface with the egg wash, which acts as a glue. Drop tablespoons of your favorite filling on 1/2 of the pasta sheet, about 2-inches apart. Fold the other 1/2 over the filling like a blanket. With an espresso cup or fingers, gently press out air pockets around each mound of filling. Use a sharp knife to cut each pillow into squares and crimp the 4 edges with the tins of a fork to make a tight seal. Dust the ravioli and a sheet pan with cornmeal to prevent the pasta from sticking and lay them out to dry slightly while assembling the rest.

{I would recommend letting the ravioli dry on a cooling rack or a greased surface. I just put them on a pan and they almost didn't make it off when it was time to cook them.}

Cook the ravioli in plenty of boiling salted water for 4 minutes; they'll float to the top when ready, so be careful not to overcrowd the pot. {I also added a little EVOO to my water so they didn't stick}. Lift the ravioli from water with a large strainer or slotted spoon. Bath the ravioli in your favorite sauce to lightly coat and serve.

Cheesy Spinach Artichoke Filling

{I love spinach artichoke dip and figured you can't go wrong with that combo. It felt like it was a great twist on your usual cheese ravioli. Next time I think I would like to add toasted pine nuts or walnuts. I think that would make it perfection. They are just too expensive here.}

1- 15 oz. carton Ricotta cheese (I used the whole carton but you could definitely use just half. The filling made a ton. Next time I will either double the pasta recipe or half the filling, depending on the number of mouths I am feeding.)

Mozzarella cheese (I just eyeballed this, maybe about 1-2 cups)

Parmesan Cheese (about 1/2 cup~ whatever looks good)

1 egg

1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

Spinach (I used fresh, but you could use frozen)

3 garlic cloves, minced

Combine everything!

Portobello Mushroom Cream Sauce

6 Tbsp. butter, divided

Green onions, chopped (I think I would typically would have used shallots, but they are nowhere to be found here)

4-5 cloves garlic, minced

chives

1 portobello mushroom, diced

1 cup heavy cream

Parmesan cheese (maybe 1/4 cup)

juice from 1 lemon

1/4 cup water

salt

pepper

Melt 4 Tbsp. of butter in pan. Sauté green onions/ shallots and garlic. Add mushrooms and chives. Season with salt and pepper. Add heavy cream, remaining 2 Tbsp. butter, water, Parmesan cheese and lemon juice. Whisk together and bring to a boil. Cook for a few minutes. Then, turn to low and simmer until you are ready to serve. Serve over Spinach Artichoke Ravioli. Garnish with chopped chives.

{Note to self for next time: make the filling before you make the pasta dough, then it is ready to go when you get your pasta rolled out. Let the pasta dry out while you make the sauce. It only takes a few minutes for the ravioli to cook so this would be great to do for a party. Just make the ravioli and sauce ahead of time, then throw the pasta in and warm the sauce! Fast and super easy! Perfect for entertaining.}

I can't wait to try new combinations with the ravioli and cream sauce. Options are limitless. Hope you enjoy! If you make it, let me know if you change anything up.

For those of you in Dominica, wondering where I found some of the ingredients:

heavy cream~ IGA

Ricotta cheese~ IGA

Portobello mushroom~ Save-A-Lot (in their produce section)

can of artichoke hearts~ Astaphans

Spinach, green onion and chives~ the market