Spinach and Ricotta Tortellini with Asparagus, Leeks and Pancetta

Spinach and Ricotta Tortellini with Asparagus, Leeks and Pancetta

For me, this is all about redemption.

Inspiration Behind the Dish

Last month I published my first attempt at a tortellini dish that I made from scratch. Everything about the dish was satisfactory to me except for the shape of my pasta. I'll be honest and note here that the flaw haunted me, so I needed to exorcise my demon to retain my sanity. In addition, I also used the opportunity to document with more detailed pictures the process of making the tortellini.

Dish Details

I used my tried and true pasta dough recipe which can be found on pages 102 to 104 of Cook Like A Rock Star by Anne Burrell with Suzanne Lenzer. I pulled from a number of sources for the tortellini filling including Two Peas and Their Pod, food.com and Cooking with Manuela. In addition, I relied upon a number of YouTube videos in order to shape each tortellino. I paired my tortellini with a seasonal vegetable side dish from page 174 of Michael Chiarello's Casual Cooking By Michael Chiarello with Janet Fletcher. I would hope that this dish would be at home at any Italian trattoria.

Ingredients

For the filling:
8 ounces chopped spinach, rinsed
10 ounces ricotta cheese, drained overnight
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 egg
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

For the pasta dough:
4 large eggs
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons water, plus more as needed
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt

For the vegetable side:
1 1/2 pounds medium asparagus, tough ends broken off, then cut into 1-inch lengths
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 ounces pancetta, cut into 1-inch lengths
1 cup leek, thinly sliced, white and pale green sections only
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Prepare the filling. Place the wet spinach into a nonstick skillet and season with salt, then place over medium low heat and cover until wilted, approximately 5 minutes. After the wilted spinach has cooled, combine the it with the ricotta, parmesan and egg, then season with salt and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside while the pasta dough is prepared.

2. Prepare the pasta dough. Whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, olive oil and water in a small bowl, then set aside. On a clean flat surface (I recommend a rimmed baking sheet in the event the well breaks), place the flour and dig a well in the middle so the flour resembles the shape of a volcano. Add the salt to the well, then pour in the wet ingredients. Using a fork, stir the eggs in a circular motion while simultaneously adding flour to the eggs slowly until the eggs are thick enough not to spill over the side of the well. Add the remaining flour to the eggs, and once it has become a homogeneous mixture, knead the dough by rolling it over onto itself with the heels of the palms of your hands, then turning it 90 degrees and repeating the process until it is tacky but not sticky adding more flour or water, as needed. While kneading the dough, ensure its consistent throughout by periodically piercing it with your finger to test the inside. Once the dough is kneaded, wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest for one hour, however the dish can be prepared one day ahead up to this point.

4. Roll the dough. Open the setting of a pasta roller to its widest. Cut off a portion of the pasta dough and flatten it, ensuring to re-wrap the remaining pasta dough that isn't being rolled. Dust a clean working surface with flour and pass the portion of the dough through the pasta roller, then fold it into thirds and pass the dough through the roller a second time at its widest setting, dusting the dough with flour if it feels too sticky, as needed. Fold it into thirds again, passing the dough through the pasta roller a third time at the widest setting and again, dusting the dough flour if necessary. Adjust the pasta roller to the next thinnest setting (i.e. if the roller is widest at setting 1, switch it to setting 2), and pass through the pasta roller just once at that setting. Continue to pass the dough through the roller once at the next thinnest setting, dusting the dough with flour as required, until your pasta sheets have reached the desired thinness. (My Atlas machine has six settings, but I rolled my dough to setting 5.)

5. Shape the tortellini. Once the pasta sheets have been rolled to the desired thickness, use a ring mold to cut circles into the pasta sheets and retain the excess for another use.

Place 1/2 teaspoon of filling in the center of each, then using your finger, wet with water the edge of one-half of the circle, as demonstrated by the grey shaded area in the picture below.

Fold the circles in half and seal the filling inside, ensuring that no air has been trapped inside the tortellini.

Fold one corner towards the center and, using a finger, wet the tip as demonstrated by the grey shaded area in the picture below. Fold the second corner towards the center to seal the two corners so they stick together.

As you finish each tortellino, place them onto a flour dusted sheet pan and put the sheet pan in the freezer so the pasta doesn't dry out.

6. Prepare the vegetable side; boil the pasta and finish the dish. Bring two pots of salted water to a boil over high heat-one medium and one large. While waiting for the water to reach its temperature, render the pancetta in olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-low heat until slightly crisp, approximately 5 minutes. Add the leek to sweat.

While the leek sweats, add the asparagus to the medium pot and cook until tender, approximately 3 or 4 minutes then drain and add the asparagus to the skillet with the pancetta and leek. Season with salt and pepper to taste and toss to coat the seasonings.

Add the tortellini to the large pot and boil until they float to the top, approximately 2 minutes. Remove the cooked tortellini with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate. To present, spoon a tablespoon or two of the vegetables onto a plate, then top with 4 to 5 tortellini, then serve immediately.

Final Thoughts

Unlike my previous tortellini attempt, I am pleased with the shape of the pasta I made. In addition, my suspicions were correct! By using a ring mold with a larger diameter, I was able to have better control over the final shape of the tortellini. Also, I might suggest to make the tortellini gradually, as each pasta sheet is rolled to the desired thickness before rolling more pasta dough so it doesn't dry out. Lastly, Mrs. Stuntman thought the vegetable side was seasoned perfectly and paired well with the spinach and ricotta filling. She even requested I prepare it again.

Presenting: Ravioli di Ricotta con Burro Bruno e Salvia

Ravioli di Ricotta con Burro Bruno e Salvia

I might have fibbed a little when I published my #WeekdaySupper dish. I noted that the ingredients used to compose it are ones that should be already on hand. Well, I must admit, I had to purchase the ricotta specifically for the dish. When I went to do so, the smallest container I could find was about 2 cups so I had a lot leftover. I didn't want the extra ricotta to go to waste so I used it for ravioli filling.

The Challenge

Practice my photography and plating.

The Source

I used the pasta dough from page 102 to 104 of Cook Like A Rock Star by Anne Burrell with Suzanne Lenzer; the filling from epicurious and the sauce from page 20 of Fabio's Italian Kitchen by Fabio Viviani with Melanie Rehak.

Ingredients

For the filling:
1 pound fresh ricotta, drained if wet
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest (from about 1/2 a lemon)
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for garnish
1 large egg
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the pasta dough:
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
4 large eggs
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons water
kosher salt

For the sauce:
1 stick unsalted butter
12 to 14 sage leaves, chopped plus more for garnish
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Prepare the filling. Combine the first five ingredients in a large bowl, then season with salt and pepper. Cover and set aside in the refrigerator until the pasta dough has been rolled.

2. Prepare the pasta dough. Use the pasta dough ingredients and steps 1 and 2 of my other ravioli dish.

3. Make the ravioli. If you have a ravioli mold, use it according to the manufacturer's instructions. If you don't, follow step 4 in this dish.

4. Cook the dish. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat. Combine the butter and sage in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Melt the butter and continue to cook until it turns brown and gives off a nutty aroma. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Drop the ravioli in the boiling water and once they float to the surface, remove with a slotted spoon and add to the butter sauce until combined. Plate the ravioli in warmed bowls, spoon some sauce over and garnish with grated parmesan.

Successful?

I've learned through experience that the key to a good brown butter sauce is to season it well. My daughter is rather picky and she even enjoyed it. One other note I'd like to make is that I have been able to resolve my issues with the ravioli mold that I had earlier in the year. I discovered that the pasta dough I used previously was too dry and needed more wet ingredients.

Spaghetti Ubriachi for a Thanksgiving #WeekdaySupper

Spaghetti Ubriachi

Earlier this year, the team at Sunday Supper Movement expanded their reach by introducing #WeekdaySupper. The concept is very similar to my Light Stunt series: quick and easy meals that can be prepared after returning home from a long day at the office. A different member of the Movement publishes a dish each weekday, Monday through Friday.

The Challenge

There are several motivations for this dish. First, I wanted to update a similar dish I profiled in the summer of 2012 with an easier method. Second, these ingredients are staples and it wouldn't be a stretch to already have them on hand especially this week. Third, this is a good way to use leftover wine and finally, I recently accepted the position of moderator within the Sunday Supper team, but hadn't participated in a Weekday event and needed to so I could advise other members, should the need arise.

The Source

Adapted from page 80 of Fabio's Italian Kitchen by Fabio Viviani with Melanie Rehak.

Ingredients

2 quarts water
1 750-mililiter bottle red wine
1 teaspoon sugar
Kosher salt, as needed
1 pound dried spaghetti (Do not use fresh pasta)
1/2 pound pancetta, diced (I substituted bacon)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup shelled walnuts, chopped
Freshly grated parmesan, for garnish
Fresh Italian parsley, chopped for garnish

Method

1. Combine the water, sugar, salt and wine in a large stockpot and bring to a boil over high heat. Drop the pasta and cook until just shy of al dente (normally about 2 to 3 minutes less than the package instructions). Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid then drain in a colander and set aside.

2. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat, then add the pancetta to render it's fat. Add the reserved spaghetti with the reserved boiling fluid, 1 tablespoon at a time until the fluid has been absorbed and the pasta is al dente. Remove from heat, then toss with the ricotta and walnuts. Serve in warmed bowls garnished with parmesan and parsley.

Successful?

I probably should point out that spaghetti ubriachi is Italian for drunken spaghetti. Yes, this dish was well balanced in flavor, but then again, it's difficult to screw up wine, cheese, pasta and bacon.

Oh, and please don't forget to check out this week's other WeekdaySupper participants:

• Monday, November 25th: Ham & Cheese Calzones by The Foodie Army Wife
• Wednesday, November 27th: Chicken Chile Verde Quesadillas by La Cocina de Leslie
• Thursday, November 28th: Roast Beef Rice Noodle Salad by Magnolia Days
• Friday, November 29th: Slow Cooker Teriyaki Turkey by Foxes Love Lemons

Raviolo al'Uovo

Raviolo al'Uovo

This dish has been in the pipeline since the beginning of the year. The reason I wanted to prepare it is because I recognized it from Cook Like A Rock Star by Anne Burrell with Suzanne Lenzer while watching Worst Cooks in America. Chef Burrell used the dish in the final challenge and I wanted to re-affirm my skills as a home cook. I obviously got side tracked for a couple of months but it got moved up to a priority when Mrs. Stuntman was watching an Iron Chef America episode a couple of weeks ago and saw Chef Forgione re-imagine a carbonara dish as an egg yolk raviolo. The concept also appealed to me because I remember a carbonara dish I had a several years ago that was topped with a poached egg. It was extremely creative because the broken egg yolk made a perfect sauce for the dish.

The Challenge

Re-affirm my skills. Is one of the worst cooks in America better in the kitchen than me?

The Source

The recipe can be found on pages 116 to 117 of the book noted above, but Chef Burrell's adaptation she used on the show can be found here. I also used Chef Burrell's pasta dough recipe found on pages 102 to 104.

Ingredients

For the pasta dough:
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
4 large eggs
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons water
kosher salt

For the filling and sauce:
2 cups ricotta cheese
1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
2 large eggs
8 egg yolks
Kosher salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
2 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup fresh sage, chopped

Method

1. Make the pasta dough: On a clean, flat work surface, place the flour in a mound. Scoop a hole in the middle so that the pile of flour looks like a volcano. Ensure the hole (i.e. well) is large enough to hold the fluids. Separately, in a medium bowl, combine the eggs, egg yolk, olive oil, and water. Season with salt. Pour the egg mixture into the well. With a fork, slowly incorporate flour into the eggs but be mindful not to break the sides of the flour. When enough flour has been combined into the eggs so the mixture has thickened, combine the remaining flour using hands. Knead the dough until it's smooth and flexible, about 8 to 15 minutes. Once done, wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 1 hour, or if not using immediately, refrigerate but bring to room temperature before rolling.

2. Roll the dough: Once the dough has rested, unwrap the dough and cut in half. Rewrap one half for another use and cut the other half into two pieces. Rewrap the first piece, then flatten the second. Pass the dough through a pasta roller at the widest setting. Fold the dough into thirds and pass the dough through the roller at the widest setting a second time. Fold the dough into thirds a second time and pass the dough through at the widest setting a third time. Decrease the width by one notch and pass the dough through only once, then decrease the width by one notch again and repeat the process. If the dough becomes sticky or tacky, lightly dust it with flour in between passings.On my pasta roller, there are 6 settings and I went to the fifth setting. Unwrap the second piece of dough and repeat this process.

3. Prepare the ricotta filling: Combine the ricotta, Parmigiano, parsley, and 2 eggs in a medium bowl, then season with salt.

4. Make each ravioli: Dust a clean, flat surface with flour and lay out two sheets of pasta, each about 12 inches long, then brush each sheet lightly with water. Spoon 4 dollops of the ricotta mixture onto each sheet of pasta at about 1 inch intervals. Use the spoon to make a small well at the center of each dollop, then carefully place an egg yolk on each ricotta bed. Cover each pasta sheet with a second one of equal length. Using your finger, seal the pasta around each ricotta nest, then cut each raviolo separately using a fluted pastry cutter or dough roller. Each ravioli should be three to 4 inches in diameter. Reserve the ravioli on a flour dusted sheet pan.

5. Cook and finish the dish: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat, then melt half of the butter in a large skillet. Once the butter is melted, add half of the chicken stock, then season with half of the sage and salt. Bring the chicken stock to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Add half of the ravioli to the boiling water and cook until they float to the top, approximately 3 minutes. Transfer the ravioli to the chicken stock carefully and simmer for two to three minutes, adding some boiling pasta water to the sauce if it reduces too much. Remove each ravioli to a serving plate spooning each with some of the sauce and garnish with freshly grated Parmigiano. Repeat this process with the remaining ravioli, butter, sage, stock and Parm.

Successful?

The one word I would use to describe this dish is sophisticated. The flavors, preparation and execution of the dish certainly were. I would definitely it this dish in the intermediate-to-advanced category, but my efforts were appreciated with Mrs. Stuntman noting that it was one of her favorites.

Herbed Speckled Crab Ravioli with a Lemon Butter Drizzle

Herb Speckled Crab Ravioli with a Lemon Butter Drizzle

Happy New Year!

This past Sunday afternoon I hosted lunch for some friends I hadn't seen in a while as an early New Year's celebration. I would call them foodies, knowing they've eaten at some of the best restaurants here in the San Francisco Bay Area, so I knew I had to bring my A-Game.

I had been planning this dish for more than a year when I was doing some research for my prior 'fresh pasta from scratch' dish which appeared on my last website. I wanted to get the basics down before I started to experiment, however I wanted to visit pasta from scratch again eventually. I needed a way to elevate my skill set from my last attempt. I hope you agree that I have found one.

The Challenge

Successfully prepare a more complex fresh pasta dish.

The Source

I've put together this dish from several sources. I took the pasta ingredients from about.com, but the pasta dough instructions were borrowed heavily from Chef Tomm Johnson of The International Culinary Center. His YouTube demonstration can be seen here. I adopted the crab filling from Tasty Adventures in addition to the sauce from Martha Stewart.

Ingredients

For the pasta dough:
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley, finely minced
5 eggs
1 pinch kosher salt

For the filling:
1 cup fresh crab meat
1 shallot, finely minced
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh basil, finely chopped

For the drizzle:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh basil, cut into a chiffonade
freshly grated Parmesan

Method

1. Prepare the filling: Combine all the filling ingredients in a medium bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.

2. Make the pasta dough: On a clean, flat work surface (I find a deep cookie sheet works well), place the flour in a mound and make a well in the center so the flour resembles a volcano. Add the salt in the well. In a separate bowl, combine 4 eggs and parsley and add to the well.

Stir the wet ingredients into the flour gradually. Once combined, knead the dough until both the inside and outside of the dough is tacky but not sticky, using more flour when necessary, about 8 to 15 minutes. Once finished, wrap in cellophane and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3. Roll the dough: After the dough has rested, remove from refrigerator and cut the dough into 4 equal size portions. Cover three of the four portions and flatten the remaining portion to 1/2 inch thick. Pass the portion through the widest setting of a pasta roller. Then fold the dough into thirds and pass it through the pasta roller again at it's widest setting with the folds perpendicular to the roller. Repeat this once more for a total of three passes through the widest setting. Then pass the dough through the roller once at increasingly smaller settings. (I have an Atlas pasta machine with six settings and went to the fifth one.) Repeat the process with the remaining three dough portions.

4. Make the ravioli: I purchased a ravioli press to construct my ravioli in this manner. If one isn't available, lay a sheet of pasta onto a flat surface and spoon out one-half teaspoon full of the ravioli filling one inch apart and one inch from the edge of the pasta sheet, two-by-two if possible. Whisk the remaining egg in a small bowl brush the egg in between each mound of filling. Lay a second pasta sheet over the first one and press down in between the filling, being careful not to puncture holes in the pasta sheet but pushing out as much air as possible. If not using immediately, make a bed of flour on a sheet pan and freeze the ravioli on the flour. Once frozen, transfer the ravioli to a resealable bag.

5. Finish the dish: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the ravioli and cook until they float to the top. Meanwhile, melt the butter over medium heat in a large skillet until the butter foams but before it browns. Add in the cooked ravioli and 2 tablespoons of pasta water, lemon juice and lemon zest. Swirl to combine and transfer the ravioli to a bowl. Drizzle with the sauce, garnish with basil, and shower with some freshly grated parmesan. Serve immediately.

Successful?

Just barely. I finally met my match with this dish because of the problems I had throughout. My pasta dough kept tearing when I fed it through the roller at the widest setting. Once I got that issue resolved, I tried to use my ravioli press but kept puncturing holes in the pasta sheets once I layed the first sheet of pasta over the press. Ultimately, what I ended up doing was a hybrid of the two methods in step 4 above: cutting out individual raviolo and shaping each one individually in the press for a uniform size.

I made the dough Friday night and allocated about two hours to roll out the dough and make the ravioli Saturday afternoon. As I was into my sixth hour on Saturday evening with Mrs. Stuntman seeing my frustration growing, I suggested she start looking at take-out menus for dinner. My laborious efforts yielded less than twenty ravioli, however I only used half of the ravioli dough. I was too tired to continue. Because of this, I halved the ingredients in the drizzle which resulted in a muted lemon flavor.

In the end, the effort was well worth it. My friends appreciated the pasta from scratch (not fully knowing my struggles with it) and Mrs. Stuntman said it was her favorite tasting dish I've prepared to date, especially since crab is one of her favorite seafoods. Crab also makes the filling seasonal.

I'm actually thankful for my troubles with this dish because it is what I set out to do when I started this website: make food that is challenging for the home cook. Look for more challenging dishes in 2013. In fact, I already have ideas for my next pasta from scratch dish, elevating my game once again.