RAVIOLI STUFFED WITH ROCKET, RICOTTA AND MARSCAPONE

For my gorgeous mum on mothers day, her favourite ravioli filling, it was my pleasure to make from scratch these gorgeous parcels of sumptuousness for my mum.  My mum wanted a simple strong cheddar and Parmesan cheese sauce with a drizzle of San Marzano tomato sauce, to finish her sumptuous, mascarpone, ricotta and rocket stuffed ravioli.

INGREDIENTS

(serves 4)

FOR THE PASTA

500g 00 flour

50g rocket salad leaf

2 eggs beaten

3 egg yolks whisked

Good pinch of salt

FOR THE FILLING

250g marscapone cheese

200g ricotta cheese

salt and pepper

50g spinach

pinch of nutmeg

1/2 zest of lemon

FOR THE TOMATO SAUCE

1 can of San Marzano tomatoes

glug of olive oil

1 shallot finely diced

1 clove garlic grated

sprigs of fresh basil

sprig of fresh thyme

Sea salt and fresh black pepper

FOR THE CHEESE SAUCE

30g butter

30g plain flour

300-500ml creamy milk

400g strong cheddar cheese

100g Parmesan cheese

Sea salt and black pepper

I know this looks like a lot of work but it really is not, it is a few simple jobs, two that can be done days before, that produce the most outstanding and gorgeous Italian produce Ravioli one of the best I have ever made, my mum said so!  So onto making the pasta...

Finely chop the rocket and mix with the salt into your flour, tip out onto you work top and make a deep well in the centre, mix the beaten eggs and whisked yolks together and pour into the centre, now gently flick some of the flour into the eggs and start to mix the two together, now fair warning I always have a run away leak of egg onto the work top at some point so be prepared and just quickly fluff over some of the flour on to the escape egg and that will put you back in control. keep going until you have mixed all the flour with the eggs, knead your dough for 5 minutes and form a ball, cling wrap and leave to rest if you can for upto 1 hour.

Take your ball of pasta, dust your work top with lots of semolina, cut the dough half and using a rolling pin (as all the Nono's do in Italy) roll out each half , (approx 6" wide and as long as you can get it) as thin as you can and don't give in, keep going the thinner you go the lighter your ravioli will be.  Leave the two long layers of pasta on your work top, if your are not ready to stuff immediately cover with damp paper roll.

NOW FOR THE FUN PART STUFFING YOUR RAVIOLI

Take your ricotta, marscarpone, lemon zest, spinach, nutmeg, smash potato, salt and pepper and mix well together.  Taking one line of pasta place a spoon full of the filling on the pasta, I make two lines of filling on this sheet all the way alone approx 4" apart, then egg wash around each spoonful of filling, place the other sheet of pasta on top and then using a pasta ravioli cutter or knife and fork to crimp cut out your ravioli.  Place on a tray dusted with semolina until needed.  Now onto making your two quick sauces.

First make the tomato sauce, heat a dash of olive oil in a pan, add the shallot and garlic and gently pan fry until soft, add the tomatoes, thyme and basil and once simmering crush with a potato masher, season with salt and pepper and simmer until a medium thickness consistency or as you like.

To make the cheese sauce, melt the butter on a low heat, add the flour and mix well, on a low heat cook for 5 minutes to start cooking out the flour flavour, now start to add the milk a good glug at a time, whisking well incorporating all the milk into the roux before adding the next glug of milk, once you have a medium thick sauce, bring to a simmer and add all the cheese, stir in well and once melted season with salt and pepper, if you feel you sauce is too thick add a little more milk to loosen.

Now to cook your Ravioli, bring a simmering pan of water to the boil and season with salt, have your sauces gently just simmering on the stove ready to go, pop your ravioli into the pan of boiling water and cook for 3 minutes, drain and drizzle with olive oil, serve the ravioli into your pasta bowls and top with a generous spoonful of cheese sauce and a drizzle of tomato sauce.  Don't dilly dally as you want to eat your ravioli hot.