On The Chopping Block

Hello, this week I am giving you something raw and which is really an experiment. Last week I was surprised with my own pasta roller set from my mother. I told Bobbo on my first day off from work I would make pasta. I made Mushroom and Spinach Ravioli ( finished in brown butter) with basil alfredo sauce.

If you don’t wanna make your own pasta go to your local Italian marketplace for fresh pasta sheets. The filling is simple. First, I sauteed mushrooms, spinach with onions and garlic once they had been chopped into small pieces. I began by cooking each ingredient by themselves, draining the spinach after cooking, and then combining the cooked vegetables with 3 tablespoons of ricotta cheese. This mixture set while I prepared the sauce.

For the Alfredo sauce I sweated (or cooked on a low heat) garlic and shallots. Then added 1 quart of heavy cream and reduce it by half on a medium heat. Once reduced, I turned the heat off and whisked in 2 cups of parm cheese. Once everything was combined I thinly cut fresh basil and whisked that into the sauce.  The sauce was brought to a low heat just to keep warm.

For the fresh pasta I simmered a pot of salted water. Then I dropped the pasta into the water carefully. Once the ravioli came to the surface it cooked for 6 mins. Once strained you can have a pan with some melted butter or brown butter to give the pasta more flavor.