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A little blog about food with recipes, reviews, commentary, and honesty.

I also offer event catering and private chef services; check out Earls Barton Eats! for more details.

Friday 10 August 2012

Food Porn: Spinach and Ricotta Mezzaluna

Someone commented recently that my blog didn't feature many vegetarian recipes. Well I've had a look and it does appear that I am quite the carnivore. 

I partly apologise for this obsession with meat, but on the other hand I sort of don't because I find meat awesome; FLESH! 

BUT I do love vegetarian food; it's amongst my favourite things to eat, honest. AND I do cook vegetarian food quite a bit actually, I just haven't shared any of it. 

Until now... 


Ingredients to serve two and make about 30 mezzaluna

To make the pasta: 

190g of '00' flour
2 whole eggs and 2 egg yolks
2 tbsps of virgin olive oil
Salt

To make the filling and sauce: 

50g of ricotta cheese 
50g of parmesan, grated (Use vegetarian hard cheese if required)
1 whole egg
3 tbsps of spinach, finely chopped (I use frozen for freshness but you can use fresh if you'd like)
3 tbsps of mascarpone cheese
1 can of chopped tomatoes in juice
1 tsp of dried oregano
1 tbsp of basil, finely torn
1/2 a tsp of ground nutmeg
2 tbsps of olive oil
1tbsp of tomato puree
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
Salt and pepper


Right; PASTA! Making pasta is quicker and easier than you'd think, and I find that the taste of fresh pasta far exceeds that of dried. It will be easiest to use a pasta maker, which looks like a mini mangle, but you can roll your pasta out super thin with a rolling pin if you don't have one. 

I find it easiest to make the pasta in one batch at a time. Start with a clean, cool surface (I use the work surface covered in greaseproof paper) and make a mountain shape out of 95g of '00' flour. Then make it into a volcano by making a well in the middle with your fingers. Into this well crack a whole egg and an egg yolk, and add 1 tbsp of virgin olive oil and a 1/4 of a tsp of salt. 

Then, using your hands, draw the floury sides of the volcano into the well in the middle and mix the flour together with the wet ingredients. Once the wet and dry are mixed together into a sticky lump you can start kneading this into dough, using your hands this will take about 10 minutes. The dough should end up smooth and silky to touch. Make sure that you flour the surface with a sprinkle of '00' as you go or the dough will be too sticky. 

When your dough is kneaded wrap in cling film and set aside in a cool place for 30 minutes; if it's a warm day it's best to put it in the fridge. Repeat for the second batch. 

For the filling first sauté your spinach for a couple of minutes in a saucepan with a knob of butter and then wring out any water. Whisk the egg in a large bowl and beat in the ricotta, parmesan, nutmeg, seasoning, and then the spinach until mixed together. Place in the fridge to firm up while you roll out your pasta. 

If you've left your pasta in the fridge remove it 5 minutes before you plan to roll it out to allow it to return to room temperature. If you're using a pasta machine set it up at one end of a long section of working space, as the pasta will get very lengthy when it's rolled out thinly. 

Start with one batch of the dough and shape it in your hands into a rough rectangle. Set your pasta machine on the thickest setting and roll the dough through. Then move on to the next setting down and roll out once more; repeat until you've rolled out the pasta on the thinnest setting. Make sure once again that the surface is well floured with '00' to prevent the pasta from sticking. 

Once the pasta is rolled out to it's thinnest take a round cutter (about 8cm in diameter is ideal) and cut out the rounds of pasta to make the mezzaluna. You can cut out as many as possible but each batch should make about 15 rounds. Place the rounds on a well-floured tray to dry a little before filling. 


To make the sauce place the tomatoes, garlic, oregano, tomato puree, and olive oil into a pan and bring to the boil. Then turn the heat down to low and simmer for about 30 minutes until the sauce is reduced. When the sauce is thick add the seasoning, basil, and mascarpone and stir in thoroughly. 

To fill the mezzaluna place about 1/2 of the filling mixture in the middle of one side of the pasta round. Using your finger smooth a little water all around the edge of the pasta round. Then roll that side of the pasta over, away from you so that the filling is neatly in the middle, into a half-moon shape. Then press down the edges firmly from the middle outwards, so that any air is expelled. Pick the mezzaluna up to make sure the edges are sealed down properly otherwise it may burst open when cooking. Place the mezzaluna back onto a well-floured tray. Repeat for all the pasta rounds. 


Boil some water in a large saucepan and add a little sea salt. I find it really helpful to use a small frying basket placed in the saucepan to cook the mezzaluna in, as they're far easier to remove when they're cooked. Otherwise you can gently place the mezzaluna into the saucepan of boiling water one at a time. They'll only take a couple of minutes to cook; you'll know when they're done because they'll float to the top of the water. 

In a deep pasta plate spoon a little of the sauce in the bottom, then when the mezzaluna are cooked serve them on top of the sauce. You can then spoon a little bit more of the sauce on top of the mezzaluna and finish off with more grated parmesan if you'd like. 


VEGETARIAN NOM. 




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