Best 5 Spinach And Ricotta Pillows Recipes

SPINACH AND CHEESE PILLOWS

Steps:

• To make the filling for the pillows ("ravioli"), combine the spinach and goat cheese well and set aside.
• Begin the pasta dough by mounding the flour in the center of a clean room temperature work surface like a large wooden cutting board. Create a crater in the center of the mound. Crack the first egg into the center of the crater and add 1/2 teaspoon of the olive oil. With a fork, gently begin to scramble the mixture within the confines of the crater, whilst integrating the flour from the sides of the crater as you carefully beat the egg. Once the first egg is mostly mixed in, shore up the sides of the mound again with flour, maintaining the crater shape. Repeat the process with the 2nd egg and 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil, and again with the 3rd egg and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil. Start kneading the dough with your palms, allowing the warmth of your hands to impart elasticity to the dough. Knead for a count of about 400 strokes or until you feel you have created a cohesive mass. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and allow it to rest for about 30 minutes.
• While the pasta is resting, begin the sauce: Combine the milk, onion, bay leaf, cloves, and nutmeg, if using, in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Spoon the melted butter into a separate heat resistant bowl and gradually whisk in the cornstarch, blending thoroughly, then whisk in the Comte cheese. When the milk is fairly hot, pour a small amount of it into the cornstarch/cheese mixture, stirring until the milk is thoroughly blended in. Return this to the remaining milk mixture, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove saucepan from heat, season sauce, to taste, with white pepper, and salt if needed. Remove and discard bay leaf and cloves. Immediately put a sheet of plastic wrap on top of the sauce to prevent a skin from forming.
• Begin making the spinach/cheese pillows. Have a bowl of water handy to moisten and seal the dough. Divide the dough in thirds. (You will be working with 1/3 of the dough at a time - keeping the balance wrapped in plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out.) Divide your first third of the dough in half. Use a pasta machine to gradually roll down each of these sections, successively reducing the setting on the machine until it's at the thinnest setting and lay on your floured dough board. Spoon 1 teaspoon of the spinach cheese filling at 4-inch intervals on the pasta dough, and top each with a knob of Brie cheese. Dip your fingers into the bowl of water and moisten the area surrounding the spinach/cheese filling. Cover the filling with the other rolled out piece of dough and press gently around the filling to seal, being careful not to flatten the filling or tear the dough. Using a pizza cutter, begin to cut the filled dough into ravioli squares. Remove each ravioli to a floured surface, pressing the edges firmly as you do so. Cover the ravioli with a towel and set aside for 2 hours. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil, add the ravioli and cook for 1 minute. Remove the ravioli with a slotted spoon, drain on a paper towel, and keep warm.
• Reheat the sauce. Serve pillows with sauce spooned over and garnished with parsley.

ITALIAN SPINACH AND RICOTTA PIE

Steps:

• Place spinach in a skillet over medium heat and cook until wilted, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain, squeeze dry, and chop finely.
• Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium heat and add onion. Cook until onion starts to soften, about 3 minutes. Add spinach and cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl to cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
• Stir ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, 2 whole eggs, nutmeg, salt, and pepper into the cooled spinach mixture.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9-inch tart pan or pie dish.
• Unwrap the phyllo dough. Keep covered with a damp cloth to prevent phyllo sheets from drying out.
• Lay 1 sheet of phyllo over the buttered dish flush with the edge so that excess phyllo hangs over on only one side of the dish. Brush lightly with melted butter. Top with another sheet of phyllo at a slight angle to the first one. Continue in this manner, with up to 12 sheets, brushing each sheet with butter and working clockwise to lay each at a slight angle to the previous sheet.
• Spoon cheese and spinach mixture evenly into the phyllo-lined dish. Using the back of a spoon, make six indentations in the filling, then carefully place 1 egg yolk in each. Season each yolk with salt and pepper and drizzle with a bit of melted butter.
• Take the extra phyllo dough hanging over the edges of the dish and fold it over to the centre to cover the filling, 1 sheet of phyllo at a time, brushing each one with butter. Brush the top of the whole pie with butter.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the phyllo pastry is a dark golden brown, about 40 minutes. Remove and let cool slightly before slicing. Serve warm.

SPINACH AND RICOTTA PILLOWS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200C (400F/Gas 6).
• Line a baking tray with baking paper.
• Wash the spinach and put into a pan and cover and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes or until wilted and cool slightly and then squeeze out any moisture and finely chop.
• Put the chopped spinach, ricotta and parmesan into a bowl and mix to combine and season with cracked black pepper.
• Place 1 teaspoon of the filling in the centre of each won ton wrapper and brush the edges with water and fold over to form a triange and then press the edges with a fork to seal.
• Place the pillows on the prepared tray and lightly spray with olive oil spray and bake for 15 minutes or until crisp and golden.

TORTA RUSTICA WITH RICOTTA AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Make the dough: In a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar and salt. Add butter and pulse until the mixture forms lima bean-size pieces. Alternatively, mix together flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl, then add butter, working the pieces into the flour with your hands, squeezing and pinching them until the mixture looks like oatmeal.
• Add egg, egg white and lemon zest, and pulse after each addition. If working by hand, whisk together egg, egg white and lemon zest in a separate bowl, then mix into the butter mixture. Slowly add iced wine, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse or mix by hand until the dough just comes together. You may not need all the liquid. The dough should be moist, but not wet.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and gather and press it into a ball. Divide into 2 portions, one slightly larger than the other, and shape into disks. Wrap the disks tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 5 days.
• When ready to bake, heat oven to 375 degrees.
• Make the filling: If your ricotta seems watery, put it in a sieve and let it drain while you cook the spinach.
• In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add spinach and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Stir in garlic and a large pinch of salt, and continue to cook until spinach is very dry, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer to a large bowl to cool. If any liquid accumulates as the spinach sits, pour it out of the bowl (you don't want it to water down the ricotta).
• In a food processor, purée drained ricotta and eggs until just combined and smooth. Add to the bowl with the spinach and fold in mozzarella, pecorino, ham (if using), parsley, black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, red-pepper flakes and nutmeg. Set aside when rolling out dough (or chill for up to 4 hours).
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the larger pastry dough disk to a 14-inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick. Fit dough into a 9-inch springform pan, pressing the dough up the sides of the pan. Scrape filling into crust and spread evenly. Roll out second pastry disk to a 12-inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick. Cut 1/2-inch-wide strips and weave into a lattice on top of the filling. Seal, trim and crimp the edges. Brush the top of the torta with the egg wash.
• Place torta on sheet pan and bake until crust is crisp and brown, and filling is firm, 50 to 60 minutes. Cool on a rack for at least 45 minutes before serving.

SPINACH MUSHROOM AND RICOTTA FETTUCCINE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
• In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in mushrooms and cook until tender. Stir in spinach and cook until thawed and tender. Remove from heat and stir in ricotta cheese; mix well.
• To the spinach mixture add the lemon juice; pour over cooked pasta. Mix well and serve.