spinach ravioli and italian tomato sauce

By Jody

Ingredients

• for the filling:
• 450 grams of spinach, large stems removed and chopped
• 1 tbs. grainy mustard
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 tbs. bread crumbs
• pinch of salt
• for the raviolis:
• 1 c. semolina four
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1/2 cup water
• pinch salt
• for the sauce:
• 1 can crushed tomatoes
• 1 onion, minced
• 1 tbs. olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• various Italian herbs (fresh would be best)
• salt and pepper to taste
• dash of lemon
• pinch of cayenne pepper

Preparation

Step 1

for the ravioli dough:
1.In a bowl, combine the pasta dough ingredients to make a dough.
2.Wrap in a towel and let sit for 30 minutes.

for the filling:
1.Wash the spinach and remove the large tough stems.
2.Chop the spinach and steam or saute in water. (sweat)
3.Place in a large mixing bowl.
4.Add the mustard, salt and bread-crumbs and mix well.
5.Season further with salt, cayenne and pepper.


for the sauce:
1.Saute the minced onion in the olive oil until the onion is glassy.
2.Add the minced garlic and saute.
3.Add the tomatoes and reduce heat to simmer.
4.Add the herbs, lemon juice, salt and pepper and continue to simmer on a low heat.
5.Season to taste with additional salt, pepper and cayenne.

making the ravioli:
1.Divide the dough in fourths and roll out each portion on a floured work space, allowing the first sheet of pasta to sit while rolling out the second. One of the tricks to the pasta is to make sure you’ve rolled the dough out very thin.
2.Cut out your ravioli shapes and fill with the filling. Place the top part of the ravioli over the filling and close with a fork.
3.If you have a form or press, then of course that saves time you merely place 1 sheet of dough on one side, put the filling on the dough and then lay the 2nd sheet of dough on top. Close the form to seal and cut off the extra using a knife.

4.Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salty water to boil.

5.Put your ravioli into the salty water and cook. They are ready when they come floating to the top. I would suggest cooking only a few raviolis at a time.
6.Place the first cooked raviolis in the oven to keep warm until they are all ready.
7.When ready to serve, put a layer of sauce on the plate and lay the raviolis on top.

8.You can garnish with some fresh cut herbs or if you have soy cheese, you can dust some on top.