Spinach Broccoli and Cheese Stuffed Ravioli with rich creamy white sauce

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I had tasted Ravioli for the first time at an Italian restaurant in UB city in Bangalore. More than the food itself, its the memories of the restaurant ambience and company that i fondly remember. 

Since quite a while, i have wanted to attempt this at home, but had put it off considering the efforts involved and may be also because i wasn't sure how it would turn out. 

Ravioli is a traditional Italian food - a type of pasta with a filling enveloped in thin pasta dough. Usually served in broth or with a sauce.

Well well well, now heres how it is made - my version of it.. This is my first blog and i did not make it with the intention of posting it, so the lack of step by step pictures.. 

However i will try to explain to the best i can. :) 

Prep Time                20 minutes

 Cook Time           30-40 minutes 

 Resting time 1.5 - 2 hours

Ingredients 

For the Pasta Dough 

• All Purpose Flour - 1 Cup 
• Whole Wheat Flour - 1/2 Cup 
• Salt - as per taste 
• Oil - 2 Table spoons 
• Water - as needed to make a soft dough. 

For the Filling 

• Spinach - 1/2 cup finely chopped 
• Broccoli - 1/2 cup finely chopped 
• Onions - 1 finally chopped
• Cheese - 1/4 cup (I used Mozzarella Cheese, but you could use any as per your liking)  
• Butter - 1 spoon 
• Pasta Sauce - a spoon-full Optional  (I added this for some flavour that my almost 4 year old would like) 
• Salt  
• Chilli Flakes
• Oregano 

Creamy White Sauce 

• Butter - 2 Spoons 
• All Purpose Flour - 2 spoons 
• Milk - 1.5 Cup 
• Salt 
• Oregano 

Method 

To make the Pasta Dough 

Mix together the All Purpose Flour and Whole wheat Flour salt. Add the oil and mix well together. Add water little at a time to make a soft but not sticky dough. Kneed well for about 2-7 minutes. Let it rest for about 1.5-2 hours. In the meanwhile you could get the filling and sauce ready. 

To make the Filling for the Ravioli  

In a pan add butter, once its hot, add in the onions, let them cook for a bit and then add in the Finely chopped spinach and broccoli. Cover it with a lid and let it cook until its soft and tender. once cooked, add in the salt, Oregano, chilli flakes and one spoon of pasta sauce (marinara Sauce). I added this to add some flavours that my 4 year old is familiar with, you could skip this as well. However i must admit that it enhanced the taste. Once the spinach and broccoli are cooked well and the water has dried up, grate the cheese and add it in. Give it a good stir and turn off the flame. 

To Make the Creamy White sauce 

In another pan add butter, once the butter melts add the flour and mix well. The butter and flour mixtures appears like a crumble, slowly add in the milk and keep stirring. Its quite possible to get lumps, but keep stirring well until the lumps dissolve, after you have added all the milk, it slowly starts to thicken. At this stage turn off the flame. The sauce thickens once cooled so you may want to stop cooking while it is still a little runny. add in the salt, oregano and chilli flakes as per taste. 

To make the stuffed Ravioli 

Dust the surface you are working on with some extra flour so that the dough doesn't stick to it. Roll out the dough into a thin sheet. 

• With Ravioli mould  - If you have a ravioli mould you could use that. Place the rolled out sheet on the mould. Add the stuffing into the cavity and cover it with another sheet of rolled out dough. cut with the cutter, you would get small squares ready. 

• Without using a mould - Use a cookie cutter to cut small circles. place a small portion of the prepared stuffing into these circles and fold them in half forming a semi circle. Use a fork to make indents along the edge. 

In a pan boil water and drop the shaped pasta in the boiling water. Once it is cooked it floats and comes to the top of the water. Strain using a strainer once cooked. The cooked pasta is very delicate to handle. 

Platting the Ravioli

Place the cooked pasta on a plate and generously pour the white sauce over it and garnish with some halved olives.