Live Fire Roasted Naked Ravioli
Yeah I know "Fire roasted" and "naked" are two terms that are usually never a good thing when used together. But these little babies are a definite exception to the rule.
Yeah I know "Fire roasted" and "naked" are two terms that are usually never a good thing when used together. But these little babies are a definite exception to the rule.
- Carbohydrate 22.1324422078275 g
- Cholesterol 70.6735000074391 mg
- Fat 7.77807857944061 g
- Fiber 2.41436646480231 g
- Protein 13.7261945311661 g
- Saturated Fat 3.85882906075876 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (133g)
- Sodium 619.594186479044 mg
- Sugar 19.7180757430251 g
- Trans Fat 0.734342211677227 g
- Calories 211 calories
Step-by-step
- Okay, first things first, I have no idea if it was one pound of spinach. It was one very full salad spinner of spinach that we triple rinsed to get all that grit off. My best guess is it was about 1 lb.
- Mix Ricotta, parmigiano reggiano, eggs, nutmeg, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper together.
- Cook the spinach in a large saute pan over medium high heat until wilted, using only the water the was left after rinsing. Remove and press out water.
- Chop the spinach and mix into the cheese mixture. Add in the flour. Then add in the panko in 1/4 cup increments until the mixture is thick enough to form into balls. (One recipe had no flour and neither had the bread crumbs but it just wasn't coming together for me and it worked out in my favor!)
- Get flour on your hands to prevent sticking and scoop out an ice cream scoop sized amount. Work into a ball. Repeat like a million times until it's all gone. I might be exaggerating on the "million" part. Maybe it was more like 2 dozen.
- Preheat a pizza stone on a grill at about 450-500f. On a Big Green Egg, that is plate setter in, "legs down" with the pizza stone on top. But you could do the same thing on any grill or even in your 'gasp' oven.
- Sprinkle some flour on the stone to prevent sticking and put the naked ravioli on the stone. Cook until they firm up. Carrabba's recipe called for boiling them in chicken broth for 2-3 minutes which spelled disaster to me and Fabio said bake them 5 minutes at 500f. I ended up going 10 minutes at about 450f.
- Note, you will get a little bit of browning but you are going more for texture, not a "golden brown" that you might with baking. You are going for a firm enough texture to pick them up. Just imagine a ravioli that has been cooked and then have the pasta shell striped off.
- While they cool, melt a stick of butter and saute 2-3 leaves of sage until crisped. Drizzle sage butter over the ravioli (who doesn't like hot grease poured over them when they are naked, right?).
- I was going to plate them with the crisped sage and shavings of parmigiano reggiano but the sage was butt ugly so I went with fresh sage and red pepper flakes for a garnish.
Standard ricotta dumplings omit the pasta dough entirely, transforming what is historically known as malfatti into a naked format that relies solely on cheese, greens, and structural binders. Flour and panko breadcrumbs absorb the moisture inherent in fresh spinach, a crucial calculation given that raw leafy greens release immense water during cooking. Without this dry ballast, dairy-heavy mixtures disintegrate under direct heat, converting a cohesive sphere into a pool of warm cheese. Thoroughly wringing the cooked spinach removes excess liquid before it ever touches the mixing bowl, ensuring the structural integrity of each portion.
Historic Italian kitchens traditionally boiled these unfilled fillings in broth, but dry-heat baking on a preheated pizza stone at 450 to 500 degrees Fahrenheit fundamentally alters the exterior texture. Direct conductive heat dehydrates the outer layer rapidly, creating a firm exterior that mimics the bite of a pasta wrapper without requiring rolling, cutting, or sealing. Sprinkling flour directly onto the hot stone prevents adhesion, allowing the spheres to firm up within roughly ten minutes without scorching their delicate dairy components. Freshly grated nutmeg and red pepper flakes supply aromatic depth that cuts through the rich profile of the cheese.
Preparing these components ahead requires careful temperature management if stored before baking. Chilling the formed balls for up to twenty-four hours firms the butterfat in the ricotta, helping them maintain their shape during the initial transfer to the hot stone, though frozen storage can alter the moisture balance and cause the dumplings to weep upon thawing. Butter infused with crisp sage leaves provides a traditional fat coating that adheres smoothly to the porous baked exterior. Drizzling this lipid layer over the warm dumplings bridges the gap between raw freshness and caramelized richness.
Culinary evolution frequently favors simplicity over structural convention by stripping away redundant wrappers. Traditional stuffed pasta requires patience, yet this deconstructed iteration captures the exact flavor profile of spinach and ricotta filling with a fraction of the labor. Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano adds umami depth, binding the mixture as proteins denature under heat. Ultimately, abandoning the pasta sheet shifts the textural focus from chewy dough to a meltingly soft interior encased in a crisp, baked crust.
