Homemade Spinach & Cheese Ravioli

I love to make fresh pasta. I find it therapeutic in some sense. So I thought making my own ravioli would bring me the same zen. It did not. It brought on a need for a glass of wine.  I made about half the amount I had anticipated because, well, I guess I'm a quitter. I made the rest of the pasta dough into linguini and called it a night.

If you have the patience that I apparently lack, I encourage you to give these a go. Why not, you can always quit, right? I won't judge.

Pasta Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 3 3/4 - 4 cups semolina flour
• 1 teaspoon salt

Spinach Cheese Filling Ingredients

• 3 cups spinach
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• salt & pepper

Make it!

1. To make the pasta: Mix eggs, flour and salt together.
2. If your dough is super dry add enough water to make the dough start to stick together but not too wet. I actually think it works better if it's a bit on the drier more crumbly side. If you add to much water, no worries, just add more flour.
3. Knead the dough together so that it forms a rough ball shape. Let the dough rest for about 30 minutes.
4. In the mean time make the filling: blend the spinach & cheese together in a food processor. Mix in the egg & salt & pepper.
5. Back to the pasta: Tear small pieces of dough off and roll it between your hands or on a cutting board to form a pasta worm.  Run it between the flat plates of your pasta attachment starting with the smallest number (setting 1 or 2). Run it through several times on settings 2, 4, 6 and 7 until you reach desired thickness.
6. Hang your pasta sheet a pasta rack. Work through the rest of your dough until it is all flat sheets of pasta.
7. On a floured board lay a piece of flat pasta & add 1 teaspoon of the spinach & cheese mixture about every two inches closer to the top edge.
8. Dip you finger in some water and draw squares around each dollop of the filling.
9. Then,  fold the opposite end over on top of the mixture. Press the dough down in between where you placed the water this will help to seal it.  Using a knife or fancy party cutter cut squares.  Save your scraps an reroll the dough - this is where I quit because my dough became too dry - but kudos to you if you can get it to work.
10. Continue until you've made all of the ravioli you can handle.
11. Cook in salted boiling water for 3-4 minutes.
12. Serve with a light tomato sauce (like this one), grated Parmesan cheese & parsley.