arugula and goat cheese ravioli

Josh and I both celebrated birthdays in the last week. Usually the birthday festivities would be condensed into one big birthday bash seeing as our birthdays are only six days apart, but with families having varying schedules and plans we were forced into having twice the fun going to different parties and get-togethers, which, don’t get me wrong, we loved, but it also meant twice the amount of birthday dinners, drinks and dark decadent birthday cake. But even with the bison steak and gorge yourself tapas style dinners and put you over the edge desserts we’ve had in the last few days, I still couldn’t resist using the pasta roller my parents-in-law gave me.

I watched Anne Burrell make a broccoli rabe ravioli with parmesan and pistachios and her technique looked almost too easy. No ravioli presses or attachments? I didn’t know quite what to say, her cookie cutter method looked absolutely genius. My problem? I refused to roll out pasta by hand. Yes, lazy me, but with my new spiffy pasta roller that can roll pasta into papery thin sheets I had no more excuses as to why not. Not even the, “I’m still in a food coma from last night’s dinner and too many slices of cake” could justify not making ravioli.

I steered clear of the far too common cheese ravioli, since I have never been impressed with its excessive blandness and pureed powdery texture. With summer on its way out, I wanted something fresh and green with actual gooey cheesiness to it. I wanted bright bold flavor without being drowned in a heavy tomato sauce. And I give a standing ovation to Bon Appetit for doing exactly that. The ravioli had a definite peppery bite from the arugula yet was calmed by the creaminess of the goat cheese. I even accidentally (not even accidentally on purpose) browned the butter as I was cooking the pine nuts — and browning your butter is always the most delicious mistake you can ever make. As for feeling too full — let’s just say there was magically room between the bison fillet and the duck cassoulet for ravioli this good.

Arugula and Goat Cheese Ravioli
Adapted from Bon Appetit

Serves 4

Pasta Dough
2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus additional for kneading
4 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water

Filling
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound arugula, chopped
Zest from 1 lemon
1/2 cup soft mild goat cheese, crumbled (4 1/2 ounces)
1/2 cup ricotta (preferably fresh; 4 1/2 ounces)

Sauce
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
1/2 cup pine nuts
3 tablespoons garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup chicken broth
4 tablespoons half-and-half
1/2 cup arugula

To Make Pasta Dough In A Food Processor: Blend together all dough ingredients in processor until mixture just begins to form a ball. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface, incorporating only as much additional flour as necessary to keep dough from sticking, until smooth and elastic, 6 to 8 minutes. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature 1 hour (to make rolling easier).

To Make Pasta Dough By Hand: Whisk together flours in a bowl, then mound flour mixture on a work surface, preferably wooden, and make a well in center. Add yolks, oil, salt, and water to well. With a fork, gently beat yolks, oil, and water until combined. Gradually stir in enough flour to form a paste, pulling in flour closest to egg mixture and being careful not to make an opening in outer wall of well. Using your hands, mix the egg mixture together with the flour until it forms a ball. Knead any remaining flour into mixture with your hands to form dough (it will be soft and sticky). Knead dough until smooth and elastic, 10 to 15 minutes. Cover with an inverted bowl and let stand 1 hour (to make rolling easier).

Make Filling While Dough Stands: Heat butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until melted, then add garlic, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic begins to turn golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Add arugula and zest and cook, turning with tongs, until arugula is wilted, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer arugula mixture to a fine-mesh sieve and press with back of a wooden spoon to extract excess liquid.

Stir together arugula mixture and cheeses in a bowl.

Make Ravioli: Cut dough into 8 equal pieces. Cover 7 pieces with plastic wrap and pat out remaining piece into a flat rectangle. Generously dust with flour.

Set rollers of pasta maker on widest setting (#1). Feed rectangle, a short side first, through rollers. Fold rectangle in thirds, like a letter, and feed it, a short side first, through rollers. Feed it through 2 or 3 more times, dusting with flour to prevent sticking as necessary. Turn dial to next setting (#2) and feed dough through rollers without folding. Dust lightly with flour if the dough feels sticky. Continue to run the dough through the machine reducing the opening (or moving the setting to the next larger number) in between every roll. Stop when you get to the correct thinness, this will usually be around number 5 or 6 on the dial, but every machine is different, you will have to be the judge of your own pasta thickness. (Anne Burrell Tip: When rolling out pasta dough, always hold the pasta on the tops of your hands- palms down! If you hold it fingers up you will create stretch marks and those are never good!)

Put sheet of dough on a lightly surface with a long side nearest you. Brush the lower half of the dough (the part that is closest to you) lightly with water. (This is the glue that will hold the ravioli together. Use the water sparingly though, because too much water will cause the pasta to slight and not stick.) Drop 5 or 6 rounded teaspoon-size mounds of filling 1 1/2 inches apart in a row down center of the lower half of sheet, then lift the top half of sheet and drape over mounds. Press down firmly but gently around each mound, forcing out air. (Air pockets increase the chance that ravioli will break during cooking.) Using a fluted round cutter or a fluted pastry wheel or even a drinking glass, cut out each ravioli. Transfer to a sheet tray dusted with semolina or polenta and reserve until ready to use. Make more ravioli with remaining pieces of dough and remaining filling in same manner, transferring to lined pan.

Make Sauce: Heat butter in cleaned 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until foam subsides, then cook pine nuts, stirring frequently, until pale golden, about 4 minutes or if you’re like me you can let it go a little longer until the butter browns and the pine nuts turn dark golden brown about 6 – 8 minutes. Add garlic, pepper, and salt and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic begins to turn golden, about 2 minutes. Add lemon juice, swirling skillet to combine. Add stock and cream and stir until combined. Add arugula and stir until arugula has wilted, about 2 – 3 minutes. Remove from heat. (Leave sauce in skillet.)

Cook Ravioli: Bring a 6- to 8-quart pot of salted water to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to a gentle boil. While water is heating, reheat sauce over low heat if necessary.

Add half of ravioli to gently boiling water, carefully stirring to separate, and cook, adjusting heat to keep at a gentle boil, until pasta is just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Lift cooked ravioli with a slotted spoon, draining well over pot, then transfer to skillet with sauce and gently swirl skillet to coat pasta. Transfer ravioli to a platter with half of sauce. Repeat with remaining pasta.

Keeping: Dough can be made (but not rolled out) 6 hours ahead and chilled, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap. Ravioli can be made (but not cooked) 4 hours ahead and chilled, covered with plastic wrap, in towel-lined baking pan. Filling can be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered.