Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Ravioli with spinach white wine creamy gravy

This dish comes from a combination of few recipes that I found on the web sometime ago and I forgot to write down the url addresses so I could not credit the owners of the recipes.  A thousand apologies.


When I was making this, my mum walked into the kitchen and she stayed and watch a bit. She asked me for the name for what I was making, I told her "Ravioli". This is her reply in Cantonese which I have translated into English.  "Why so hard to pronounce?, Haiyah, nevermind lah, I call it Quay Lo wantan." Isn't she a piece of work?

The good thing about ravioli is that you can make a big batch and freeze whatever the balance that are not used. You can use different kind of gravy to create a new taste each time.  I used spinach white wine creamy gravy for the first batch of ravioli. Then, few nights ago, Stitch suggested that I put the ravioli in minestrone soup and he said it was fantastic combintion and he loved it.  That is so easy, just heat up a can of minestrone soup and throw in the cooked ravioli.

For the benefit of those who are new to making ravioli like me, I have also made a short video on "how to".  I hope that makes it easier to understand the method better. Please bear with me for the poor production of the video for I am a beginner. I welcome advice for improvement. 




Make 30 - 35 Ravioli (2in x 2in square)

Ingredients:
3-1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt 3 whole beaten large eggs 

2-1/2 tablespoons cooking oil 

1/2 cup of lukewarm water 



Sift flour in large bowl, make a well in center and add salt, oil, eggs and water. Mix liquid and flour gradually until absorbed. Place dough on floured board and knead dough thoroughly for 3 to 5 minutes until dry and smooth. (Add more flour if dough is still sticky). Cover and set aside 10 to 15 minutes.
For ease of mixing and kneading your dough, use an automatic bread maker or dough mixer.

Method to assemble the Ravioli:
Divide dough into 4 balls.   Refer to video on how to make the ravioli.

Method to cook the Ravioli:
Boil a big pot of water with salt and a tsp of olive oil.  When water is boiling, put in the ravioli.  When they float to the top, it should be cooked. Drain off the water and put them in the serving plates to be ready for the gravy.

Filling – Option 1
Spinach and ricotta cheese

1 lb (450 g) fresh spinach
1 lb (450 g) ricotta cheese, thoroughly drained
4 oz gouda cheese, freshly grated
salt and pepper
¼ tsp of nutmeg

Filling – Option 2
Capsicum, black olive, tomato and blue cheese

½ green capsicum finely diced
1/ 2 cup black olive, sliced into thin rings
1 medium tomato, remove seed and finely diced
¼ cup thinly sliced sundried tomatoes
¼ cup blue cheese
1 tbs olive oil
½ tsp paprika
salt and pepper to taste


Garnish:
brocolli, steamed
rocket

Method to make the filling Option 1:
Boil the spinach in lightly salted water. Place the boiled spinach in a cheese cloth and form a small sack. Squeeze the sack to expel as much water as possible. Chop the spinach finely. Place the spinach in a bowl. Combine the drained ricotta, gouda cheese, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.  Taste and adjust the salt, pepper, and nutmeg if necessary.


Method to make the filling Option 2:
Heat olive oil in pan and add capsicum and sauté for a minute. Add black olive, diced tomatoes, sliced sundried tomatoes, paprika, salt and pepper and mix well. Turn of heat and blend in blue cheese and set aside.

Ingredients for Spinach white wine cream gravy:
200 gm spinach
1/2 small onion, cut into small pieces
3 roasted garlic cloves
2 tbsp butter
2 tsp chopped thyme
1 tbs butter
¼ cup white wine
1/4 cup whipping cream
salt & pepper - to taste

Method:
Wash spinach and steam for 15 mins till soft. Add spinach, onion, garlic, to the blender and make puree.  Melt butter in pan and add puree and let it boil on medium-flame. Add the chopped thyme, salt and pepper, and let it simmer. Reduce flame to low and add white wine and whipping cream. Mix well and pour it over cooked ravioli. Garnished with steamed brocolli and fresh rocket and serve.

TIPS:
* Drain the filling ingredients very well to prevent the ravioli from breaking while boiling.
* If you would like the stuffing to be aromatic, add more freshly grated nutmeg.
* Sometimes the dough will dry too much while you are working, which prevents the pasta sheets from being “gluey” enough to stick to each other. If this happens, brush the surface of the bottom pasta sheet with egg whites. To prevent the pasta sheets from drying too much, cover them with plastic wrap.

27 comments:

  1. Extremely irresistible ravioli,delicious and inviting platter..

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nice Quay Lo wantan! Thats funny!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Absolutely fantastic!
    I love Chinese cuisine!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Quay lo wonton - love the name. =) Beautiful ravioli.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I never eat this before, must try one day.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I also never eat this before.Thanks for sharing the video....

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ravioli is very popular Italian food. And there's actually one more... I'm not sure how it's spell. Analotti, something like that! Anyway, they're much the same. Btw, your mom is very funny. haha... And your ravioli looks so pro too. :o) Have a lovely evening.
    Good night,
    Kristy

    ReplyDelete
  8. been awhile since the last time i ate ravioli...gotta try this! looks delicious!
    thks for the recipe Quay Po :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Omg! I cracked up when I read your Mum's response. That sounds like something my Mom would say too. I love her name for this dish though because that's simply what it sort of is. Haha. Oh how I'd love to meet your Mum some day. What a privilege that would be. Why do you live so far away, my dear friend?!

    Your "quay lo wantan" (haha) looks divine! I've never made my own ravioli or even pasta before. Nowadays I just buy the store bought one's to save time. I know home made is so much better though. The fillings you've used sound delicious. I love that you used black olives, I'm a big fan of them. As though your wonderful recipe wasn't enough, you've added mouthwatering pictures to make me drool. Oh why must you torture me? Lol. Great dish all around, Quay Po!

    ReplyDelete
  10. This dish looks great! And I like the quay lo wanton name better!

    ReplyDelete
  11. That looks good! I just got a "new" vintage ravioli maker on eBay. It is an Italian import. Can't wait to make a batch of ravioli with it.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hi, your this dish looks sinfully delicious.
    It looks soooo good! You are good, very creative with your work.
    Have fun and keep a song in your heart.
    Lee.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hahaha but a lot of Cantonese words are hard to pronounce, too, at least for non-Chinese.

    Btw, I'll bet I could eat my own liver with that amazing creamy gravy!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Haven't seen u dropping by for a long while...... U must be busy. Hope this finds u well.

    I'm always impressed with people making their own pastas. I'm such a lazy person. Love those spinach white wine sauce! Makes me hungry :)

    Well, u have a nice weekend & hope to see u more often!

    ReplyDelete
  15. This is a beautiful plate of ravioli. I love how many ways you can make ravioli. This would surely be on my favorite list...love creamy gravy! Your mom is funny!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Love the creamy sauce. Haven't tried making rivioli...

    ReplyDelete
  17. Mmm, wine sauce! Looks so lovely and enticing.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Quay Po

    Your ravioli look marvelous. I've made them before myself. The video makes ti seem so easy but I find it challenging. For mine I used a pasta machine. You rolled yours so confidently. Howe did you decide the correct thickness? Also, the shape of your finished ravioli was perfect! What did you do with the leftover dough? I always cut mine into funny shapes to use it all up.

    Stevie

    ReplyDelete
  19. What a beautiful plate of ravioli! I have never made homemade ravioli and yours look amazing! I like the video clip attached too. It's helpful!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Wow ravioli! My favorite exquisite Italian dish! You made it fabulous! The spinach and creamy gravy go so well together! Simply delicious!!!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Absolutely nice food! love the pics! gloria

    ReplyDelete
  22. Priya: Looking forward to your version of ravioli soon.

    Three Cookies: ya, I find it funny too when my mum said that.

    Fresh Garden: Thanks for your visit and comment but this is not a Chinese cuisine, it is Italian:D

    Belinda: thanks for dropping by and appreciate your comment.

    Sonia: Looks like you seldom cook western cuisine but I am sure your kids will like this one.

    Kristy: What I found out from "About Italian food" - Agnolotti (pronounced anneeolottee) are Piemontese stuffed pasta, and come in a great many different varieties, some filled with cheese, others meat, and others still meatless. They are, in any case square and small, about 3/4 of an inch to an inch on a side, and are made using very thin sheets of pasta.

    yummylittlecooks: try making this with your own favorite filling and I am quite sure you will like it.

    Alice: you are most welcome:D

    LeQuan: There is never once you fail to put a smile on my face with your comment. Always so witty and humurous! hehe

    yummychunklet: okay, then I shall call this quay lo wantan from now on. LOL!

    Reese: can't wait to see your post on ravioli and a photo of your new toy.

    Uncle Lee: Always good to see you around.

    Burp and slurp: That's what my Quay Lo said about our Cantonese words too.

    Shirley: It is not so difficult as I imagine to make our own pasta. Don't be lazy, once you tasted your own pasta, you will be hooked.

    Lindsey: Ya my mum is cool old lady..she got a good sense of humor and that's why she has a lot friends, young and old. I think that is the right way to live life.

    Pete: you must try ravioli, you will not regret it.

    Veggie Girl: I love white wine sauce, it goes well with almost anything.

    Nami: I am glad the video clip helps.

    Stevie: I do not have a pasta machine so I have no choice but to roll out the dough by hand. I just judge the thickness by sight and fortunately it turned out fine. I use the left over dough to make Chinese style chicken soup pasta with wood year and deep fried anchovies. My Quay Lo loves it.

    Gloria: My readers and my blogger friends are the reason for my improvement on my photography. You guys are so encouraging with your words. Thanks.

    Mike: good to see you again. I love almost anything Italian including the people. They are like their food, spicy, hot, and unforgettable!

    ReplyDelete
  23. yum! another great mind think alike post! LOL

    ReplyDelete
  24. What beautiful ravioli...I adore fresh pasta and love this dish :)

    ReplyDelete
  25. Daphne: Well said!

    Magic of Spices: Thank you. same here:D

    ReplyDelete
  26. Devil (my better half) loves ravioli so this really is a great recipe to try at home! :)

    ReplyDelete
  27. Kenny: Yes it is, you may want to be an angel to make this to surprise your Devil. hehe Many thanks for dropping by. Hope to see you around often.

    ReplyDelete

I love to hear from you. Your comments mean a lot to me. Thanks!