DIY - Kale Ravioli #Recipe

The kale is ready in my garden and I have been searching for some clever ways to use it. Yes, kale is good for more than just kale chip and soup!

Actually, my whole milk ricotta adventure was so I could make these bad boys.... kale and ricotta ravioli. Oh, so worth the rolling and cutting.

Ravioli isn't hard to make. It does take a little more time than just rolling and cutting noodles. There are several ways to go about it from boards to cutters and of course just your fingers and a knife.

Don't be intimidated. Lets get started with the filling.

You Will Need:

8 large kale leaves, rinsed
1/2 a yellow onion diced
3 garlic cloves minced
1/4 c. chicken stock
a pinch of red pepper flakes
a pinch of nutmeg
1 c. of ricotta
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese
salt & pepper to taste

I start by separating the kale leaves from the tough stems. Then I gave them a rough chop. Set aside.

Sweat the onions in a saucepan with olive oil. When they start to turn translucent add the minced garlic and saute for one minute. Then add the kale, stock, red pepper flakes and nutmeg. Put a lid on the pan and heat till the kale is tender. Take the pan off the heat. 

You can either leave the kale rustic like this, or I used an immersion blender for pureeing up about half of the filling. I like to leaves some bits and pieces. Let the mixture cool a little.

In a large bowl, mix the kale mixture, cheeses and salt and pepper to taste. Set this aside while you make the pasta dough.

This is so easy!

You Will Need:
2 large eggs
2 c. flour (I prefer 00, but all-purpose will also work)
a pinch of salt
3 Tbsp. water - just enough to form the dough.

I make my dough in the food processor. Pulse the ingredients, except the water, until you have coarse crumbs. Then slowly add the water till a ball of dough comes together. Put the dough into a bowl, cover it with a damp cloth and let it rest for at least 30 minutes.

Then working with a golf ball sized piece, either roll the dough out flat with a rolling pin and a little extra flour, or use a pasta press or attachment. I prefer the thinnest setting for my ravioli dough, but that makes it more delicate and easy to tear. Your choice.

 Today I used a ravioli form, but if you don't have one it is faster to free-form them. I have a pastry cutting wheat that does a great job of cutting and crimping the edges.

Work with 1 heaping tsp. full of filling. One sheet goes down, fill it, then with a dampened finger brush a little water around the edges. Just a little to help the pasta stick. Too much will leave you with a sticky glue!

If you have a mold, run your roller over the top to imprint the edges. Unfortunately you will still need to cut these with a knife. The ridges just aren't sharp enough to cut between the pasta.

Take the pasta out and cut it with a sharp knife. Then place them on a piece of wax paper dusted with flour. Continue until you run out of dough.

Now get a big pot of water boiling. It should be a gentle boil so your ravioli isn't too beat up. Ravioli will drop to the bottom of a pan, and then float to the surface when they are done. This only takes 2-3 minutes and depends on how thick your dough is.

Pair this with a simple tomato sauce, and you are set for dinner! Enjoy.