Kale and Mascarpone Ravioli: Fresh and Tasty

Have you ever had kale? I hadn't till a week ago when I tried some curried kale at the supermarket buffet. I then proceeded to the produce section and picked myself up a bunch! I loved that its leafy texture held up through cooking and the slight bitter taste it had. And its super good for you!

I decided that kale would be the perfect thing with which to stuff the fresh ravioli dough I had just made- a lot more interesting than a plain ol' cheese filling! The result is a pasta dish that is at the same time luscious and packed with vitamines and antioxidants. Makes you feel a little less guilty!

To start, you need some freshly made ravioli dough- you can find my post on making your own here. If you don't have a pasta machine or don't want to take the time, you can use wonton wrappers and follow the same steps.

Begin by roughly chopping the kale- it's all going to get blended up later, so don't get too picky. I decided to take the stems out for this recipe so that the filling didn't seem too tough. Then, I sauteed up some garlic, shallot and red pepper flakes to give it a little kick. Do you cook with shallots often? I absolutely love them! You have a peppery, onion flavor without it being overwhelming.

After the ingredients have softened, throw the kale into the pan. That big pile of greens will quickly shrink before your eyes until you're left with this:

Once the mixture has cooled, toss it into the food processor and give it a spin until it looks smooth.

Time to mix in the rest of the filling ingredients- mascarpone cheese, lemon zest, and some parmesan cheese. I decided on mascarpone because it has a more interesting flavor than ricotta and would hold up to the kale. It has a beautiful, almost floral flavor and a silky texture- delicious!

Now for the fun part- time to stuff the ravioli! If you've made your pasta dough, you should have two long sheets of thinly-rolled pasta. Take each one of the sheets and cut it into two equal length pieces. Make sure you flour your surface for this, even if the dough is easily worked- it's going to get a little messy later.

Place tablespoons of the filling in two evenly-spaced rows the entire length of the pasta, making sure to leave room around all sides of the filling to seal the ravioli.

To get that great seal around the edges, all it takes is an egg wash. Brush all of the exposed dough with the wash and then place the second sheet on top, lining up the edges.

You want to make sure there is no air in these babies, so start on one end sealing each individually. It helps to work your way in a circle around the filling to force the air in one direction. I never thought the filling would fit inside the dough but the it is surprisingly pliable and mendable. If you do get a tear, take a spare piece of dough and paste it over the booboo with the egg wash. I did it with one of mine and it even survived the boiling water.

Now you can take your pasta cutter, specialized ravioli cutter, knife, or a glass with a good edge and cut out your pasta. The flour on your surface should help you remove them from the counter. Toss each of the ravioli into some cornmeal to keep them from sticking and let them dry out slightly before cooking. By the time you've finished stuffing the second sheet, they should be ready to go!

Cook the ravioli in batches so you don't crowd the pot. 4 minutes and they should be done- they will float to the top. When they're done cooking, place them into a saute pan with melted butter. Don't worry about draining them completely, the pasta water will just help the sauce. When all your ravioli has made it to the pan, squeeze in the lemon juice and sprinkle on the fresh thyme and parmesan cheese. Then, ever so gently, toss the pasta to coat and dig in!

The lemon and the thyme, with its own lemony quality, really brighten up the flavor of the kale in this dish and the kale gives the filling an interesting texture. After all of our hard work putting this together, there was not a scrap left by bedtime! Now I'm getting excited to try all of those recipes I ignored before I had a pasta maker!

Kale and Mascarpone Ravioli

• 1 recipe ravioli dough
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 bunch kale, chopped, stems removed
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 large shallot, chopped
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, or less if you don't like spice
• 8 oz mascarpone cheese
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 c shredded parmesan cheese, plus 1/4 c for garnish
• 1 egg, beaten with 1 tbs water for egg wash
• Cornmeal for dusting ravioli
• 1 tbs fresh thyme, chopped
• 1 1/2 tbs butter

1. Heat 2 tbs olive oil over medium heat in saute pan. Saute garlic, shallot and red pepper until soft, about 3-4 minutes.
2. Add kale and saute until softened and reduced in size, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. When the mixture has cooled, puree in food processor until smooth.
4. In a bowl, mix the kale mixture with both cheeses and lemon zest until well combined. Season with salt and pepper. 
5. Cut each ravioli strip into two even length pieces. Place tablespoons of filling in two rows down length of one strip of pasta. Brush exposed dough with egg wash. Place second strip of pasta over filling and seal, taking care to expel all air.
6. Cut out ravioli with pasta cutter or other instrument and toss each in cornmeal to prevent sticking. Let dry slightly.
7. Cook ravioli in batches in boiling, salted water for 4 minutes. Pasta should float when it's done. Meanwhile, melt butter in saute pan over low-med heat.
8. When pasta is cooked, place in pan and coat with butter. After all the pasta is in the pan, add the lemon juice, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese and the thyme and gently toss to coat. Serve immediately. 

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