Ravioli with Spinach Pesto

As a kid, I'd spend a complete day at my father and step mother's home making homemade ravioli for Christmas each year and it was definitely a "labor of love". The house would be buzzing with lots of noise; mainly laughter, as one person would be mixing the dough and another would be rolling out the dough using an old wooden closet rod that had been passed down. Usually it was my dad and grandfather that would take turns as it's a very stiff dough and hard to roll out. Then the rest of us would make the filling, fill, cut and seal the ravioli and place in cornmeal lined shirt boxes so that we could freeze them for the special day. 

The last time I made homemade ravioli was when we first got married and were living in our townhouse. It was the blizzard of 1995 and my best friend Barbara (who also lived in the same townhouse community) and I pooled our resources and managed to find all of the ingredients to make ravioli to keep us busy while we were snowed in. So we spent the day making several different varieties; then treated our new husbands to an Italian treat. I don't think I've made them since, but will have to try it again soon. It's a little hard for me to roll out the dough as my wrists are too weak, but I got a new pasta attachment for my mixer recently so I do want to give it another try soon. 

Ravioli are a type of Italian filled pasta and are made by creating a filling inside two layers of egg pasta dough; then sealed shut. You can fill it with just about anything you wish, but the most popular (or at least the kind we made from scratch) were cheese filled. Since today is National Ravioli Day, I thought I'd share a quick and easy ravioli recipe that has such a robust flavor. Serve with a tossed salad and you'll have a quick, restaurant quality weeknight meal your family will love in minutes! 

Ravioli with Spinach Pesto
24-1oz. Cheese Ravioli
1 tsp. Salt
1/4 c. Prepared Spinach Pesto (see below)

Directions:
1. Add water and salt to a large pot and bring to a boil. 
2. Slowly drop in the ravioli and cook until they start to float to the top. Times may vary depending on whether you're using fresh or frozen ravioli. 
3. Remove ravioli with a slotted spoon and place in a serving bowl. 
4. Add the pesto and mix well. Serves 6 (4 ravioli per serving). 

*Nutritional Information per Serving: Calories 248, Carbs 34.5g, Fat 7.1g, Protein 11.7g, Fiber 2.2g, Sugar 1.1g

*Calculations based on ingredients entered into CalorieCount and may not be 100% accurate.

Spinach Pesto
2 c. Fresh Baby Spinach; rinsed, stems removed, firmly packed
1/4 c. Fresh Parsley; rinsed, stems removed, firmly packed
1/4 c. Pine Nuts
2 Cloves Garlic
1/4 c. Asiago Cheese
2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Kosher Salt, to taste
Fresh Ground Black Pepper, to taste

Directions: 
1. Add the spinach, parsley, pine nuts, garlic and cheese to a food processor and blend together.
2. Gradually pour in the oil and pulse until smooth. Stop the machine in the middle to scrape down the sides. Makes 3/4 cup. (You can also make this ahead of time and freeze in an airtight container until you're ready to use).

*Nutritional Information per Tablespoon: Calories 43, Carbs .8g, Fat 3.9g, Protein 1.1g, Fiber .2g, Sugar .1g

*Calculations based on ingredients entered into CalorieCount and may not be 100% accurate.

Happy 1st Day of Spring! 

Chef Contest-Nanas Chicken Ravioli Filling (M.J. Vitelli)

Welcome to the first every CEK's 2012 Home Grown Chef Contest! 

A few months ago, I challenged my readers to submit their favorite recipes and what a great response I had!  It is up to each recipe contributor to engage their friends/family/etc to view their recipe on this blog post and the 5 most popular recipes (determined by the number of page views it receives) will be added to a poll for everyone to vote on.  (For complete rules of the contest click HERE.) Good luck!

Recipe Contributor: 

M. J. Vitelli from Pittsburgh, PA (Steeler City)

Bio:

I am a Mom of two and a Grammy to 5 and love letting them help me in the kitchen and I created a  blog called I Like to Bake and Cook . I have been blogging since May 2011 and I love it. It has become my top job and even though there is not any pay involved I get plenty of perks from sharing my family recipes. Lots of rave reviews and thanks from those who love to bake and cook and newbies too!

Nana never made meat ravioli or cheese it was always chicken ravioli.   I'm thinking chicken and potatoes were used a lot in meal preparation.  I lot of meatless meals...Mom used to tell me they ate a lot of potatoes.  Nana came from a family of ten and Mom from a family of seven.  I think potatoes were also reasonable in price so beef was a rarity.  Maybe that's a good thing.   Nana lived to 93 and Mom's oldest sister is 96 and her youngest brother is 80 and Mom is 88 going on 89 come October.  I better get to my recipe and stop with the chat.  Here it is:

Nana's Chicken Ravioli Filling
1 1/2 lb. cooked chicken( I used chicken breasts)  I boiled them with a bit of salt and let them cool
1/2 cup seasoned or unseasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated cheese (of course I use Pecorino Romano)
1/4 cup chopped spinach cooked
1 egg beaten
1 Tablespoon water if needed to hold together

Nana would put all chicken in her meat grinder and it was very fine and then she would add bread crumbs, beaten egg, cooked spinach and of course that really good Pecorino Romano cheese.

Dough Recipe 
2 eggs
2 cups flour
bit of water
pinch of salt

Mix eggs  with flour and salt, add a bit of water if needed..Knead until dough form a ball..

From my kitchen to yours,

M. J.

Creamed Spinach Ravioli

Ok, so if you happen to follow me on Facebook, this is the meal I was referring to when Gab said this was "Queasy". Her word for Quick and Easy. And even though no food should EVER be called Queasy without the connotation of feeling ill, it really was quick and easy to put together. I made it on a night where it's my turn to pick up my older daughter, Rachael from practice. When planning dinners on these nights, it has to be something that can be ready in 30 minutes or less or we just won't eat until 8pm. For the spinach, I used a prepared frozen spinach by Seabrook Farms. It comes in a boil in bag so all you have to do is boil it and let it simmer until it has defrosted. I prefer the flavor of their version better than some of the others that I have tried in the market. Simply serve this with a tossed salad and dinner is served!

Creamed Spinach Ravioli
1-16 oz. pkg. Frozen Creamed Spinach
3-13oz. pkg. Mini Cheese Ravioli
4 oz. Low Fat Cream Cheese
1 Plum Tomato, diced
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt
1/4 tsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper
Grated Pecorino Romano Cheese, as desired


Prepare your ravioli according to package directions and drain water; set aside if it ready before your sauce (but usually will take the same amount of time). Next, prepare your spinach according to package directions, drain water, cut open the spinach bag and pour back into the saucepan. Add the chopped tomatoes, cream cheese, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Mix well until all of the cheese has melted and the sauce is creamy. Add the cooked ravioli back into the pot and add the spinach sauce. Mix well and garnish with grated cheese. Serves 6. 


Enjoy!