Ravioli Filling #1 - Sausage/Ricotta/Spinach

An afterthought note on the ricotta cheese. At the store there were two types of ricotta cheese. One came in a pint tub, but was nonfat ricotta cheese. I'm not sure how this is even possible since cheese is made from the coagulation of the protein and fats in dairy. The other was dry and crumbled; and notably very salty. There was so much salt in the ricotta cheese that it overpowered all other ingredients in the ravioli. I couldn't taste the spinach or the sage. And heck, the cheese was saltier than the Italian pork sausage. If you're going to procure ricotta cheese for this recipe, skip Trader Joe's. Neither of TJ's ricotta cheese products are right for making ravioli. You'll want to get a ricotta cheese made from whole milk. Anyhow, onto the Better Homes & Gardens recipe ratio.

Each ravioli uses 1 tsp of mix, so keep that in mind if you have only made one batch of ravioli pasta dough.

Makes 1 cup.

Ingredients

4 oz Italian pork sausage (if you buy the links, simply remove the casings from 2 of them)

3/4 c fresh spinach leaves, packed

1 egg yolk, lightly beaten

1/3 c ricotta cheese

1 tsp fresh sage, minced

1/8 tsp grated whole nutmeg or ground nutmeg

Directions

1. If you bought sausage links instead of bulk sausage, simply remove the casings from two of the sausages. Fry sausage over medium heat and break up the sausage as it cooks. When no more pink remains, remove the sausage to a plate and add spinach to the hot pan. Cook the spinach until it wilts. Drain off the fat, if any.

2.  In a food processor, combine the cooked sausage and spinach. Pulse until it resembles ground pork.

3. In a medium bowl, combine egg yolk, ricotta cheese, sage, nutmeg. Stir in sausage mixture. Cover and chill until needed.

This is more than enough filling to make twenty 1" ravioli, each filled with 1 tsp filling.

Spinach and Strawberry Salad

If you see strawberries at the supermarket, they are probably from California or Mexico, because there they are in season. Our Pacific Northwest strawberries usually don't become sweet until we see a lot of sunlight, and that can come as late as June. This nice light salad with fruity tones.

The Salad

The estimate to serve four adults is one bunch of spinach (approx 1 lb); likewise for eight adults, use two bunches of spinach.

In a large salad serving bowl, combine baby spinach leaves and sliced strawberries. Toss with vinaigrette and top with toasted sesame seeds.

The Dressing

1/4 c organic granulated sugar
1 tbsp red wine vinegar (pomegranate flavored)
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 c olive oil
1/8 tsp smoked paprika, or to taste

In a small bowl, whisk together vinegars and sugar until the sugar dissolves, then whisk in paprika and olive oil. 

Spinach with Sumac

I've always wondered about sumac and how it is used, and now I have a better understanding of its flavoring properties. Sumac spice is made from the berry of an edible sumac shrub. It is commonly used in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine. It can be found in grocery stores as a ground powder, coarsely ground spice, or as a whole dried berry. The most common application is as a coarsely ground spice, with hummus, vegetables, or as part of a spice rub for meat. It has a tart, sour taste. 

In retrospect, this vegetable dish wasn't that great. Heck, it wasn't that good. I am blogging about it as a reminder to never make it again. It was a recipe experiment where I could have stopped at just the olive oil, spinach, and garlic and had a fine dish. Anyhow. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

1 lb fresh spinach, rinsed and chopped into 1" pieces
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
up to 1 tbsp coarsely ground sumac spice
sea salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
pine nuts, lightly toasted and chopped (optional)

Directions

1. In a large frying pan, heat olive oil until hot. Add the garlic and half the sumac spice. Stir until fragrant, until the garlic is lightly browned.

2. Add the spinach and lemon juice. Saute until the leaves wilt and turn a dark green color. Add salt and pepper, to taste.

3. Remove from heat and serve spinach on a plate. Sprinkle the remaining ground sumac on top of the spinach. Serve hot.