Ricotta & Spinach Ravioli

To make the ricotta and spinach ravioli, start with the fresh pasta. Recipe here.

For the filling

1. Heat a drizzle of oil in the pan, add the spinach and sauté briefly, then lower the heat, cover with the lid and cook for about 5-6 minutes—afterwards, season with salt.
2. Transfer the cooked spinach to a colander and squeeze well to remove excess liquid, then chop finely. Set the spinach aside for now and pour the ricotta and grated Grana Padano into a bowl.
3. Season with pepper and nutmeg, then add the chopped spinach and mix well.
4. Transfer the filling into a piping bag without a nozzle.

Assembly

1. After the resting time, divide the dough in half. Take one of the two portions, keeping the other well covered to prevent it from drying out. Sprinkle lightly with semolina and flatten it with your hands, then roll it out with a rolling pin to give it a fairly regular shape and obtain a width similar to that of the roller of the pasta maker.
2. Pass the pastry through the rollers of the pasta machine at the widest setting. Place the strip of dough obtained on the work surface again and fold the sides towards the centre, then flatten it again with the rolling pin to give it a rectangular shape as regular as possible.
3. Pass the pastry through the rollers again, gradually decreasing the thickness until it reaches approximately 1-2 mm; if the dough is too moist, you can lightly sprinkle the pastry with semolina. Proceed in the same way to roll out the second portion of dough; in the meantime, cover the first pastry with a cloth or cling film to prevent it from drying out. Once you have obtained the pastry sheets, trim the short sides with a knife23; you can knead the scraps again, taking care not to let them dry out. Squeeze the filling onto one of the 2 sheets, spacing the piles about 3 cm apart and leaving an external edge of about 1.5 cm free (if you don’t have a piping bag, you can use a teaspoon).
4. Moisten the pastry with water using a brush or spray bottle, then cover with the second sheet of pastry, making sure the sides match up well. Press the edges lightly with your fingers to make the sheets stick together.
5. Gently run your finger around the filling to get all the air out. Finally, cut and trim the edges with a serrated wheel to obtain ravioli measuring approximately 4.5 × 4.5 cm. Gradually place your ricotta and spinach ravioli on a tea towel dusted with semolina.