Raviola

6 Servings

Ingredients

QuantityIngredient
poundsPork chops; cut 1/2 inch thick
½poundsBoneless beef chuck; cut 1/2 inch thick
1tablespoonOlive oil
2Cloves garlic; Chopped
3Sprigs parsley
¼teaspoonRosemary; Thyme, And Salt
1dashPepper
1largeBunch spinach -or-
1packFrozen chopped spinach; (10 or 12 oz.)
2tablespoonsButter
2Eggs
2tablespoonsGrated Romano or Parmesan cheese
1poundsGround chuck
2tablespoonsOlive oil
1largeOnion; finely chopped
4Cloves garlic; minced or pressed
½bunchParsley; finely chopped
1teaspoonDry Basil
½teaspoonDry Rosemary; Thyme, And Pepper
1teaspoonSalt
1canTomato puree; (15 oz.)
1largeCan (1 Ib. 12 oz.) tomatoes
1cupWater
1Recipe All-Purpose Pasta
Boiling salted water
Topping
Grated Romano Or Parmesan Cheese

Directions

FILLING

SAUCE

DOUGH

To prepare filling, cut pork from bones (reserve bones for sauce). Trim excess fat and gristle from pork and beef. Cut meat into 2-inch squares.

Heat oil in a wide frying pan over medium-high heat. Add meat and cook until browned on both sides. Peel whole garlic and add to meat along with parsley, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat to low and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until pork is no longer pink when slashed (about 10 minutes).

While meat is cooking, cook fresh spinach in ½- inch of boiling water for 5 minutes (cook frozen spinach according to package directions); drain.

When cool enough to handle press spinach with your hands to remove as much water a possible. Melt butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add spinach and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Using a food processor or the finest blade of a meat grinder very finely chop meat mixture. Finely chop spinach as well but do not puree. Combine, meat and spinach. (At this point you may cover and refrigerate until next day, let mixture come to room temperature before continuing.) Beat 1 egg and stir into meat mixture along with cheese. If mixture seems stiff, beat another egg and stir into mixture. Set aside.

To prepare sauce, cook meat in 1 tablespoon of the oil in a wide frying pan over medium high heat until crumbly and browned. Transfer meat to a Dutch oven. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to frying pan. Add onion, garlic, and bones (reserved when making the filling). Cook, stirring, until onion is limp. Add parsley, basil, rosemary, thyme, pepper, and salt; cook for 1 minute. Spoon onion mixture over meat. Add tomato puree to meat. Strain tomato liquid to remove seeds, then add liquid to meat. Slit tomatoes, squeeze out seeds, chop, and add to meat. Stir in water. Bring sauce to a boil, then cover, reduce heat, and simmer. stirring occasionally, for 2 hours or until sauce is thickened. Set aside. Or, if made ahead, cool, cover, and refrigerate (or freeze for longer storage). Roll out pasta dough and fill ravioli.

Cook according to directions that follow. Or transfer to floured cookie sheets and freeze until firm. then transfer to plastic bags for longer storage in freezer. To cook. drop freshly made or frozen ravioli into a large kettle of boiling salted water and boil gently, stirring occasionally. until tender (10 to 12 minutes); then drain. While ravioli are cooking, heat sauce. Allow ¾, to 1 cup sauce for every 50 ravioli.

Ladle ravioli into a serving bowl and spoon sauce over top. Sprinkle with Romano cheese before serving. Makes about 200 1-inch ravioli.

Recipe by: Sunset Pasta

Posted to MC-Recipe Digest V1 #855 by "Max H. Mitchell" <mmitch-fay@...> on Oct 21, 1997