Читать книгу Welcome To My Table by Siba Mtongana - Siba Mtongana - Страница 16

CREAM CHEESE + SPINACH RAVIOLI

MAKING FRESH PASTA FROM SCRATCH IS A FULFILLING EXPERIENCE AND I REALLY ENJOY DOING IT, ESPECIALLY WHEN I HAVE FREE TIME TO SPEND WITH MY KITCHEN-LOVING AND INQUISITIVE SON, LONWABO. IT’S A BIT OF A LABOUR OF LOVE, BUT THE RESULT IS A WORLD APART FROM DRIED PASTA. ALL YOU NEED IS A PASTA MACHINE AND A BIT OF TIME. AND, THE PASTA ITSELF ONLY REQUIRES THREE STAPLE INGREDIENTS AND WATER, THAT’S IT! THEN IT’S THE FILLING, WHICH IS UNCOMPLICATED.

PREPARATION TIME: 40 MIN

CHILLING TIME: 15 MIN

COOKING TIME: 5 MIN

SERVES 4

500ml cake wheat flour

5ml salt

2 large eggs, beaten

60ml water

FILLING

250g tub cream cheese

500g spinach, thoroughly washed and wilted

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 egg white

BURNT BUTTER SAGE SAUCE

130ml butter

30ml fresh sage

SERVE WITH

75g pine nuts, toasted

METHOD

Mix the flour and salt together in a bowl. Tip onto a clean working surface and make a hollow in the centre. Pour the beaten eggs into the hollow and mix using a fork or your hands, until well combined. Add water, a little at a time, to form a pliable dough.

Knead the dough for 15–20 minutes. Chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. Now cut into 4 pieces and pass each one through the pasta machine starting with the thickest side (notch 1) first and moving to the thinner side until you have a long thin pasta sheet. Continue with the rest until you have four sheets.

Place one sheet on a floured surface, mix the cream cheese with the wilted spinach and season with salt and pepper. Drop spoonfuls of the mixture onto the sheet, leaving enough space between them to make individual ravioli.

Brush the whole sheet with egg white to glue the two sheets together. Place the second on top and press firmly with your index fingers to form a circular shape around each filling.

Use a cookie cutter larger than the filling to cut through each one. Drop the filled ravioli in salted boiling water and cook for 2–3 minutes until the pasta is al dente. Remove and gently pat dry.

For the sauce: heat the butter and sage until the butter has melted. Heat it for a further 2 minutes or so, watching it very closely, until it becomes a slightly dark golden brown colour with a nutty aroma. Serve the ravioli with a drizzle of the butter and a topping of toasted pinenuts.