Spinach with Homemade Ricotta Pappardelle
Dennis made this dish for the very first time last year when we were putting up at the Staybridge Suites. The suite had a tiny little kitchen with two electric plate stove tops that wasn't conducive to fine cooking. We have been there for a month some already at that point, exiled from our home because a pipe had burst and flooded the house. The work that had to be done was extensive and we were facing still another month or two of very simply meals at a time when pregnant me had quite an appetite for yummy meals. So I was particularly delighted when Dennis cooked this for dinner. This dish will always have a special place in my heart - and belly - because of it.
The recipe was originally from Food & Wine Magazine (March 2007). We changed it a little since. We find that we like more spinach than the original recipe called for and that we like squeezing in lemon juice to add a bit of citrus tang and to cut through the creaminess of the dish. The original recipe did not call for homemade ricotta cheese, but since reading about how much better homemade Ricotta cheese is and how easy it is to make in the latest Food and Wine Magazine (Nov 2008), we decided it must be incorporated into this dish. The homemade Ricotta recipe below can be doubled to yield about 3 cups of cheese (and used for other dishes too, naturally).
12 ounces Pappardelle Pasta
2 tbs Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
4 Scallions, thinly sliced
1 tbs chopped Sage
1 lb bags Baby Spinach
2 tbs Unsalted Butter, cut into cubes
1 cup Ricotta Cheese (recipe follows; but store bought is fine too!)
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Salt and freshly ground Pepper
2 lemons, cut into wedges
1. Cook the pappardelle as instructed on the package until al dente. Drain the pappardelle thoroughly, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.
2. While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large deep skillet. Add the scallions and sage and cook over high heat until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the spinach in large handfuls and cook until wilted. Add the pasta, butter and ricotta and toss. Add 3/4 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water and the Parmigiano and season generously with salt and pepper. Lower heat to moderately low and toss the mixture until the sauce is thick and creamy. Add more of the pasta water if the mixture appears too dry. Serve immediately with wedges of lemon on each individual bowls/plates for squeezing into the pasta.
Homemade Ricotta
(makes about 1 1/4 cups)
1 quart whole milk, preferably organic
1/2 cup heavy cream, preferably organic
1 1/2 tbs white vinegar
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1. In a medium sized pot, warm the milk and cream over moderately high heat until the surface becomes foamy and an instant read thermometer reads 185 degrees. Don't let the milk boil. Remove the pot from the heat. Add the vinegar and stir gently for 30 seconds. The mixture will curdle almost immediately. Add the salt and stir for 30 seconds longer. Cover the pot with a clean tower and let stand at room temperature for 2 hours.
2. Line a large colander with several layers of cheesecloth, allowing several inches of overhang. Set the colander in a large bowl. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the curds to the colander. Carefully gather the corners of the cheesecloth and close with a rubber band. Let the ricotta stand for 30 minutes, gently pressing and squeezing the cheesecloth occasionally to drain off the whey. Transfer the ricotta to a bowl and use at once or cover and refrigerator.
The recipe was originally from Food & Wine Magazine (March 2007). We changed it a little since. We find that we like more spinach than the original recipe called for and that we like squeezing in lemon juice to add a bit of citrus tang and to cut through the creaminess of the dish. The original recipe did not call for homemade ricotta cheese, but since reading about how much better homemade Ricotta cheese is and how easy it is to make in the latest Food and Wine Magazine (Nov 2008), we decided it must be incorporated into this dish. The homemade Ricotta recipe below can be doubled to yield about 3 cups of cheese (and used for other dishes too, naturally).
12 ounces Pappardelle Pasta
2 tbs Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
4 Scallions, thinly sliced
1 tbs chopped Sage
1 lb bags Baby Spinach
2 tbs Unsalted Butter, cut into cubes
1 cup Ricotta Cheese (recipe follows; but store bought is fine too!)
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Salt and freshly ground Pepper
2 lemons, cut into wedges
1. Cook the pappardelle as instructed on the package until al dente. Drain the pappardelle thoroughly, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.
2. While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large deep skillet. Add the scallions and sage and cook over high heat until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the spinach in large handfuls and cook until wilted. Add the pasta, butter and ricotta and toss. Add 3/4 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water and the Parmigiano and season generously with salt and pepper. Lower heat to moderately low and toss the mixture until the sauce is thick and creamy. Add more of the pasta water if the mixture appears too dry. Serve immediately with wedges of lemon on each individual bowls/plates for squeezing into the pasta.
Homemade Ricotta
(makes about 1 1/4 cups)
1 quart whole milk, preferably organic
1/2 cup heavy cream, preferably organic
1 1/2 tbs white vinegar
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1. In a medium sized pot, warm the milk and cream over moderately high heat until the surface becomes foamy and an instant read thermometer reads 185 degrees. Don't let the milk boil. Remove the pot from the heat. Add the vinegar and stir gently for 30 seconds. The mixture will curdle almost immediately. Add the salt and stir for 30 seconds longer. Cover the pot with a clean tower and let stand at room temperature for 2 hours.
2. Line a large colander with several layers of cheesecloth, allowing several inches of overhang. Set the colander in a large bowl. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the curds to the colander. Carefully gather the corners of the cheesecloth and close with a rubber band. Let the ricotta stand for 30 minutes, gently pressing and squeezing the cheesecloth occasionally to drain off the whey. Transfer the ricotta to a bowl and use at once or cover and refrigerator.
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