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Home Made Spinach & Squash Ravioli with Smoked Chicken and Broccoli
Contributed by: Melinda
Home made pasta is really pretty simple to make as long as you have a
pasta roller. The hand-crank ones are very easy and really the process
takes very little time. Use your kitchen scale for weighing the flour.
Whole Wheat Pasta
12 ounces whole wheat flour
5 ounces semolina flour
3 eggs
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon olive oil
Filling
1 dumpling squash (or 1/4 butternut squash or 1/2 acorn squash)
1 16oz. package frozen chopped spinach
1 clove garlic, minced
Ricotta cheese (amount will vary)
2-4 Tablespoons grated romano cheese
1/4 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
salt & pepper
Smoked Chicken & Broccoli sauce
2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
4 cups chicken broth
3-6 broccoli stems (save the stems when you use the florets - they
are great in soups and in this sauce)
2 tablespoons fresh basil chiffonade
Olive oil
Whole Wheat Pasta Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well
- Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead for 10 minutes until
the dough is smooth
- Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate for a minimum of two hours -
up to 2 days
- Remove from refrigerator and divide (cut) into 8 equal pieces, working
with one at a time, leaving the rest covered with plastic
- Place a little flour on the board and dust the pasta
- Flatten the pasta with the palm of your hand to about 1/4 inch along
the base
- With the pasta machine on the widest setting, roll the pasta piece
through once, grabbing the dough beneath and guiding it out along the board
- Fold into thirds and roll through again
- Fold into thirds once more and roll again
- Move the rollers to the next setting and roll the sheet once (you do
not need to fold any more)
- Proceed by continuing to move the rollers to each closer postion and
rolling the dough through stopping at the second to the narrowest setting
(You can proceed to the final setting, but the dough will be much more
delicate to work with.)
- Dust with flour on both sides and set aside to rest - repeat the process with the
remaining 7 pieces of pasta
Filling Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400º
- Cut the squash in half, remove the seeds and rub well inside and out with
olive oil
- Place on a baking sheet and bake until very soft when pierced with a
knife
- Remove and allow to cool
- Thaw spinach and place it in a dish cloth - twist the ends together to
wring out as much moisture as possible
- When squash is cool enough to handle, use a spoon to scoop the flesh into a bowl
avoiding any fibrous parts
- Mash the squash with a fork or potato masher
- Add the spinach and enough ricotta cheese to make a stiff paste
- Add the garlic, nutmeg, romano cheese, salt and pepper
- Chill until ready to use
Ravioli Assembly Instructions
- Take one of the pasta sheets and place onto a lightly floured surface
- Place spoonfuls of filling about 1/2 inch apart along one side of
pasta sheet, leaving at least 1/4 inch on open side
- Gently fold sheet over to cover the filling
- Pressing from the folded side of the pasta sheet, press out the air
and seal all around the filling out to the open edge
- If you have one, use a sealing tool around the filling to create pillows
- If you don't have a sealing tool, cut the ravioli apart, trim off
excess dough and then use
the tines of a fork to press the edges together and seal
- Place onto a floured towel on a baking sheet, or a plate with plastic
wrap dusted with flour - sprinkle with a little more flour
- Repeat with remaining pasta sheets
Smoked Chicken
For general information about smoking foods, refer to my grilling page.
- Place the chicken pieces in brine
for about one hour.
- Cook on the barbeque or smoker at 220º - 250º for 1.25 hours
or until done.
Cooking and Presentation Instructions
- In a saucepan, heat 4 cups chicken broth until boiling
- Peel fibrous outer skin from broccoli stems and cut centers across
thinly
- Place broccoli pieces into boiling broth and reduce heat to simmer
- Slice chicken into very thin strips and add to broth
- Cook until broccoli is tender
- Add basil chiffonade just before serving
- Cook ravioli in boiling salted water for 5 - 8 minutes
- Drizzle about 1 teaspoon olive oil in a shallow bowl
- Add approximately 6-8 ravioli
- Ladel chicken broth over ravioli and serve hot
Serve with additional romano cheese.
Questions about this recipe?
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