Homemade Speck, Spinach & Ricotta Ravioli – Speck-tacular Ravs for All!

Recently my wife suggested that I had not made homemade ravioli for some time and hinted that it would be nice to enjoy fresh pasta for dinner. I happily said yes after a recent trip to an Italian market after getting semolina flour, speck and fresh ricotta. What I forgot about however is how long the process can take but in the end, it all came out well so here is my recipe for homemade ravioli with speck, fresh ricotta, spinach, and sun-dried tomatoes from Paggi Pazzo.

We start our homemade speck, fresh ricotta, and spinach ravioli recipe by making the dough which can be done in a bowl or cutting board but begin by creating a flour like volcano with the eggs cracked and nestled in the middle. I use Antico Molino Caputo tipo 00 and Semola di Grano Duro for best results and start off by beating the eggs slowly in the middle of the flour and piercing the flour until the pasta dough starts to firm. Once it begins to solidify, kneed the dough for at least 10 minutes and then put under a bowl to rest for another 30. For the filling I sauteed spinach in a pan with olive oil until it softened and then added to a bowl with the fresh ricotta, chopped Speck (smoked prosciutto) and chopped sun-dried tomatoes and whipped until the mixture spread out evenly. I refrigerated the filling and then began to make the ravioli dough by cutting 1 inch slices that I flatten by hand. Once thin enough I add the dough to the pasta machine at the lowest setting and continue to roll the dough repeatedly, increasing the levels until the dough is very thin. Take the dough and then place over a ravioli tray and pocket the pasta dough into the craters and press the against the edges. Now take your filling out of the fridge and add small spoonful dollops into the ravioli and cover with another thin pasta dough sheet. Press the ravioli dough against the trey, closing the filling by pressing and connecting the middle parts of the dough on the trey. Slowly, gently turn over the ravioli trey and remove the pasta then use a pizza cutter to evenly cut/make the ravioli shape (be sure to use a fork to make sure the edges are closed). Continue the process until you run out of dough or make the desired amount and my preference is to move the ravioli into the freezer until I’m ready to cook them.

A few nights later when I was ready to have a homemade ravioli pasta dinner with my family, I took the ravioli out of the freezer and began to make the sauce. For my wife and I, I made a white wine sauce with mushroom and garlic that went very well with the homemade speck, fresh ricotta, spinach and sun-dried tomatoes ravioli recipe, topped with grated Pecorino Romano. For the kids I made some fresh ricotta, spinach ravioli in a red sauce with meatballs which my daughter seemed to enjoy very much (but not so much my son, who has declared that he also doesn’t enjoy my homemade brick oven pizza – I will continue to try and win him over. True story – I bought a Bertucci’s pizza oven box and put my pizza inside and after 1 bite, he knew it was mine and said, “I hate daddy’s pizza – I will never eat it!” That scar hasn’t healed yet but I’m not giving up, hahaha!). For wine I opened a bottle of Sangiovese from California (say what?!?!?!?). A vineyard known as Petroni, whose owner was originally from Italy, produced the wine and it was very enjoyable. So there you have it, Paggi Pazzo’s Homemade Fresh Ricotta, Speck, Spinach, Sun-dried Tomatoes Ravioli Recipe, buon appetito!

Fresh Homemade Speck, Fresh Ricotta, Spinach, Sun-dried Tomato Ravioli in a White Wine, Garlic, Mushroom Sauce Recipe

Prep time: 1 hour 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 hour 45 min
Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

• 3 slices Speck (smoked prosciutto)
• 1 3/4 cups Antico Molino Caputo flour tipo 00
• 1 3/4 cups Antico Molino Caputo Semolina flour
• 4 eggs
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons pepper
• 4 ounces fresh ricotta
• 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano
• 1/4 cup white wine (Orvieto or Pinot Grigio)
• 1 cup white mushrooms

Cooking Directions

1. To make pasta dough, place 3 1/2 cups of flour on cutting board or counter and shape into a volcano with an opening in the middle. Crack eggs into middle of flour (removing shells) and add 4 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 teaspoon of salt
2. Slowly beat and stir eggs in a circular motion while slowly including flour into egg mix. After several minutes, egg and flour will come together creating greater consistency and become soft like dough mixture. Once thicker, use hands to press remaining flour into dough and push, flatten, and kneed until ready (add water to mixture if necessary)
3. Take pasta dough and cover with large bowl for 30 minutes
4. To prepare filling, add tablespoon of olive oil to pan then add spinach until sauteed softly. Add to bowl with fresh ricotta, and then chop sun-dried tomatoes and speck to bowl and stir until mixture is spread evenly. Place in fridge until ravioli dough is ready to be filled
5. To make ravioli, take pasta dough and flour on both sides, then use hands to flatten. Add dough to pasta machine at lowest level and continue to put pasta back in machine until pasta thins. Cut dough in half and use dough roller to flatten both pieces of pasta repeatedly turning pasta over until pasta is almost paper thin (this will require 10-15 minutes)
6. Using a ravioli maker, place one sheet of dough on top and pocket dough firmly to create space for filling. Add speckm fresh ricotta filling using a full tablespoon then add second sheet of pasta on top of ravioli maker, pressing doughs together to keep filling firmly inside and then turn over. Lightly brush the outside edges of the ravioli with olive oil and using a fork, press against the edges. Add flour to cooking sheet pan and add ravioli to freeze for at least 3 hours
7. To make sauce, chop garlic finely, add to pan with a two tablespoons of olive oil. Let simmer for 2 minutes then add mushrooms with a dash of salt and pepper. After the mushrooms begin to soften, add white wine and let cook for 15-20 minutes with pan covered at low heat
8. Boil water and when ready, add ravioli to pot. When ravioli rises, remove and add to pan of sauce
9. Saute gently for several minutes, then add grated Pecorino Romano over ravioli
10. Serve with a little more grated Pecorino Romano