Ravioli di Ricotta e Spinaci

the great Italian filled pasta: squares of fresh egg pasta enclosing a filling of wilted spinach and sheep's-milk ricotta, seasoned with nutmeg and Parmigiano-Reggiano, served simply in browned sage butter or in a pool of light tomato sauce

Origin: Norman Sicily and Medieval Italy — the Italian Peninsula

From the journey of Spinach.

The marriage of spinach and ricotta in a fresh pasta filling is one of the most enduring partnerships in Italian cooking, and it is also one of the oldest: versions of this preparation appear in Italian recipe manuscripts from the 14th century, when spinach had been cultivated on the Italian peninsula for perhaps two centuries, carried from Sicily and the South by the diffusion of Arab agricultural knowledge northward. The spinach-ricotta filling is sufficiently deeply embedded in Italian cooking that it appears in multiple pasta forms across the peninsula, as ravioli in Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, and Liguria; as tortelloni in Bologna; as crespelle (filled crêpes) in Rome and central Italy; as malfatti (rough-formed dumplings of the same mixture, without any pasta wrapping) in the alpine north, reflecting a shared culinary inheritance that predates any regional definition. The filling itself (spinach wilted, squeezed as dry as possible, and combined with ricotta, egg, nutmeg, and grated aged cheese) has changed remarkably little across the centuries of its documentation, which is one of the most compelling arguments for its status as a genuine medieval creation rather than a Renaissance elaboration. The nutmeg is medieval (Arab and medieval European spice trade), the ricotta is ancient Italian pastoral, and the spinach is the Arab-Sicilian import that completed the combination. The traditional Tuscan name for the dish, 'ravioli gnudi' (naked ravioli) or simply 'gnudi' when formed as dumplings without pasta, captures the preparation's cultural position precisely: the spinach-ricotta filling treated as the complete dish, without the pasta envelope that normally contains it.

Ingredients

Pasta

  • 300 g '00' flour, plus more for dusting
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 tbsp fine semolina (optional, for texture)

Filling

  • 400 g baby spinach or flat-leaf spinach, washed
  • 250 g fresh ricotta (sheep's-milk if possible, otherwise whole-milk cow's), drained
  • 60 g Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 0.25 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
  • 0.5 tsp fine salt
  • 1 pinch white pepper

Sauce

  • 100 g unsalted butter
  • 12 fresh sage leaves

To Finish

  • 30 g Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated, to serve

Method

  1. Make the pasta: mound the flour on a clean work surface and make a well in the centre. Break the eggs into the well and beat lightly with a fork, gradually incorporating the flour from the sides. Once a shaggy dough forms, begin kneading by hand for 8–10 minutes until the dough is smooth, elastic, and silky. Wrap in cling film and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
  2. Make the filling: wilt the spinach in a dry pan over medium heat (or in boiling salted water for 1 minute). Transfer to a colander and press out all water; then squeeze in a clean cloth until completely dry. Chop very finely. Combine the spinach, ricotta, Parmigiano, egg yolk, nutmeg, salt, and white pepper in a bowl. Mix well. Taste and adjust for salt and nutmeg. Refrigerate until needed.
  3. Roll the pasta: divide the rested dough into four pieces. Working with one at a time (keep the rest covered), roll through a pasta machine from the widest setting to the second-thinnest (usually setting 5 of 7), dusting lightly with flour as you go. Lay the sheets on a lightly floured surface.
  4. Place teaspoon-sized mounds of filling at 4–5 cm intervals along one half of each pasta sheet. Brush around each mound lightly with water. Fold the other half of the sheet over to cover the filling, pressing firmly around each mound to expel all air and seal. Cut into squares or rounds with a sharp cutter or knife. Press the edges again to ensure a firm seal.
  5. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a rolling boil. Cook the ravioli in batches of 8–10 for 3–4 minutes until they float and the pasta is tender but still has some resistance. Remove with a slotted spoon.
  6. While the ravioli cook, melt the butter in a wide frying pan over medium heat. When it begins to foam, add the sage leaves and cook until the butter turns a nut-brown colour and the sage is crisp, about 2–3 minutes. Transfer the cooked ravioli directly into the sage butter and toss gently to coat. Serve immediately with grated Parmigiano.

Notes

The filling-to-pasta ratio matters: err on the side of generosity. Flat, under-filled ravioli are a disappointment; generously filled ones, with the filling visible through the pasta, are the aim. Sheep's-milk ricotta has a slightly firmer texture and a more assertive flavour than cow's-milk ricotta, and it is strongly preferred in the original Sicilian tradition; whole-milk cow's ricotta is an excellent substitute but may be wetter and should be drained in a sieve for an hour before using. Malfatti (the 'naked' version of this filling, shaped into rough ovals and poached directly) requires no pasta at all and is a beautiful weeknight interpretation of the same medieval recipe.

The Gastrographer

The Gastrographer

Mapping Culinary History

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route
Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control
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