Naked Ravioli

Today I spent my entire day off obsessive compulsively cleaning every nook and cranny of my kitchen and soaking every pot, pan, and utensil in vinegar.   No that's not my idea of a good time nor did I have a complete break with reality.  Apparently there is still something my gluten free kitchen that is glutening me so I'm cleaning everything, throwing away the cheap stuff and starting over.  I'm cross my fingers this effort solves the problem because I'm exhausted and ready to not feel ill anymore.

That said I'm understandably a little tired of thinking about cooking or any kitchen related activities so I will keep this really simple and just tell you this recipe is kind of tedious but totally worth it.  It satisfied my ravioli craving with no carbs and no gluten so it was a great meal.  There are a lot of steps but I tried to make it easier on you by simplifying the directions and suggesting you just use a jar of sauce because I wasn't a fan of the blah one that was in the orginal recipe.

So there you have it, naked ravioli.  Later this week I'm trying to create low carb gnocchi, we'll see how that goes and I'll get back to you on that.

Naked Ravioli

1/2 pound spinach

8 ounces ricotta

6 tablespoons Parmesan

2 eggs

1 cup and 3 tablespoons brown rice flour (divided usage)

salt and pepper, to taste

1 jar store bought tomato sauce or your favorite homemade recipe

Preheat oven to 375.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the spinach, cooking for about 5-10 minutes. Use a slotted a spoon to remove the spinach from the water, leaving the water to boil for the next step.  Squeeze the excess water out of the spinach by squeezing it dry in a clean kitchen towel or with thin paper towels.  Coarsely chop the dried spinach.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, eggs, 3 tablespoons flour salt and pepper. After mixing together well you need to play with the amount of flour to get a soft mixture not too sticky, but not too thick. Keep adding flour until you get a consistency that you can roll in your hands.

Add about 1 cup of flour to a plate.  Start forming balls of spinach and ricotta mixture the size of a  walnut by rolling them between your hands.  Coat them well with the flour.

Add the ravioli a handful at a time to the boiling water, so they have enough water and space in the pot to cook. When they float to the surface, remove them, and set aside in a plate.

Line a cookie sheet with tin foil or oil well.  Place the ravioli on the pan, pour enough sauce over them to coat them, then sprinkle with a little Parmesan cheese.  Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown on the top.  Serve immediately.

Adapted from Citron and Vanille blog.