Ricotta and spinach are a basic mixture in Italian cooking, particularly as a stuffing for ravioli. It additionally works nice with a ‘pink’ tomato sauce, which implies a tomato sauce that’s combined with both cream or white sauce (besciamella). You may make ravioli full of ricotta and spinach and serve them with such a pink sauce. Right here I’ve turned it into lasagna as an alternative. This can be a very elegant dish (should you serve a modest portion) with a wondeful velvety taste and texture.
I used to precook recent pasta sheets for making lasagna, however have tried it with out precooking, and so long as all of the pasta is roofed with sauce, it can cook dinner within the sauce. It’s much less work and I desire the the feel that’s barely extra al dente.
Components
Serves 4 to six as primo piatto
- 675 grams (1.5 lbs) recent spinach
- 3 eggs, 1 of them separated
- 225 grams (1 1/2 cup) Italian 00 flour
- 250 grams (1 cup) ricotta
- 1 can (400 grams/14 oz) peeled tomatoes
- 100 grams (1 1/3 cup) freshly grated parmigiano reggiano, divided
- freshly grated nutmeg
- 250 ml (1 cup) milk
- 50 grams (4 Tbsp) butter, divided
- 25 grams (2 1/2 Tbsp) flour
- salt and freshly floor black pepper
Directions
Make recent pasta dough utilizing 2 eggs, 1 egg white, and about 225 grams of Italian 00 flour, in response to my directions. Wrap the dough in cling movie and permit it to relaxation within the fridge for no less than 1 hour.
Within the meantime, puree 400 grams of peeled tomatoes with their juices utilizing a blender or meals processor, and pour into a large pan. Season with salt and freshly floor black pepper, ring to a boil, then simmer, stirring commonly…
…till the sauce is not ‘bleeding’ clear liquid as on this photograph…
…however is sweet and thick. Flip off the warmth.
Wash 675 grams of spinach if wanted and place it in a pot whereas it’s nonetheless moist. If the spinach is already washed, add some water to the pot. Cowl the pot and produce to a boil.
Boil the spinach till it has wilted, stirring one or twice. This may solely take a couple of minutes.
Drain the spinach utilizing a colander, and permit it to chill off.
Place the spinach within the middle of an outdated however clear tea towel…
…and wrap the tea towel round it like a chunk of sweet, twisting in reverse instructions on each ends. Preserve twisting to squeeze out as a lot liquid as doable.
The spinach ought to find yourself fairly dry and about half the unique weight.
Mix the spinach within the bowl of a meals processor along with 250 grams ricotta, 75 grams of freshly grated parmigiano reggiano, 1 egg yolk, salt, freshly floor black pepper, and a few freshly grated nutmeg.
Course of till easy, scraping down the edges of the bowl as wanted.
Make a white sauce from 250 ml milk, 25 grams butter, and 25 grams flour, utilizing my directions.
Add the white sauce to the tomato sauce.
Stir till homogeneous. Season the pink sauce to style with salt and freshly floor black pepper.
Grease an oblong 20 x 30 cm (8 x 12 inch) or sq. 20 x 20 cm (8 x 8 inch) oven proof dish with 12.5 grams of butter.
Roll out the pasta dough into skinny sheets, and place them on a floured work floor so that they don’t get caught.
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F (not fan pressured).
If utilizing a 20 x 30 rectangular dish, use 4 layers of pasta, 3 layers of spinach, and 1 layer of pink sauce: from under this implies pasta, 1/3 of the spinach, pasta, 1/3 of the spinach, pasta, 1/3 of the spinach, pasta, all the pink sauce.
If utilizing a 20 x 20 sq. dish, use 6 layers of pasta, 4 layers of spinach, and a pair of layers of pink sauce: from under this implies pasta, 1/4 of the spinach, pasta, 1/4 of the spinach, pasta, 1/2 of the pink sauce, pasta, 1/4 of the spinach, pasta, 1/4 of the spinach, pasta, 1/2 of the pink sauce.
Reduce the sheets with a knife or scissors and line the underside of the buttered dish with pasta sheets.
Place one portion of spinach on the pasta sheets.
Unfold it out into a good layer with a silicone spatula, ensuring to unfold all of it the best way to the sting of the pasta sheets.
Cowl with one other layer of pasta sheets, slicing them to measurement to refill the area in a single layer.
End with a layer of pink sauce…
…which additionally must be unfold out all the best way to the sting of the pasta.
Sprinkle the highest evenly with 25 grams (1/3 cup) of freshly grated parmigiano, and dot with the remaining 12.5 grams of butter.
Bake the lasagna for about half-hour at 200C/400F, or till it’s effervescent and the highest is barely charred.
Enable the lasagna to chill off for a few minutes earlier than serving. This serves two functions: (1) it’s simpler to serve the lasagna because it has cooled off a bit, and (2) there may be much less threat of burning your tongue.
Wine pairing
That is good with a dry and full-bodied rosé.
