Salmon Ravioli with Cucumber Sauce and Four Cheese Ravioli with Vodka Sauce

That's right - this dinner featured a duo of homemade ravioli. Amazing. It definitely took a fair amount of effort to make (then still less than doing it completely by hand thanks to my pasta machine and ravioli board) but it was worth it. I made this when having a few friends over for dinner and they were duly impressed. Pull this one out when you're looking for that reaction - or just when you're looking for a cooking-filled afternoon that will result in a delightful dinner.

I made these in two entirely separate batches. As in, I prepared the dough all at once but made the two fillings separately and separately boiled the ravioli. That way I could also make two sauces and toss each batch of ravioli in the relevant sauce. I'm not sure how the cheese ravioli would have tasted with cucumber sauce! I also served this meal with some freshly-prepared bruschetta which is always a classic. It did add starch to the meal but at least each piece was also filled with something good for you (salmon, cucumber, yogurt, tomato!) and by making everything from scratch it cut down considerably on other miscellaneous additions like salt. (I added none.) However, to up the nutrient factor even more, cut down the carbs by eliminating the bread and instead serve a fresh salad - perhaps even an heirloom tomato one!

Difficulty: medium-hard
Time: 4 hours (alone - less if you have a sous chef!)
Cost: $29.57

Recipes and nutrition below the jump!



Ravioli Dough
2.25 c whole wheat flour
2.25 c all-purpose flour
1 tbsp olive oil
4 large eggs
1/2 c egg beaters

First, you will want to prepare the dough. Mix the 2 c of each flour together in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle and add the olive oil, eggs, and egg beaters. Mix and then knead as it forms a dough. Continue to add the remaining 1/2 c total of the two flours as you need to keep the dough from sticking. Continue to knead until smooth and a bit elastic. Then, set aside for 45 minutes to 1 hour for the dough to rest.

At this point, you will want to prepare the fillings, but I'll pick up assuming you have done that and come back.

When the fillings and possibly sauces are prepared, come back to your dough. Take a small handful of the dough (estimating how much will take some practice.) Knead that small piece until it's no longer sticky - you can add a tiny bit of flour if necessary but keep in mind that adding more flour = more calories! When the dough is ready pound it lightly with your fist into a somewhat flat, but thick, piece. Run it through your pasta setting on the widest setting. Follow the pasta machine instructions and continue to prepare the sheet until you have a flat piece of pasta. I run it on the 5 setting as the thinnest before continuing.

When you have a sheet of pasta lay it over your ravioli board. Press each indentation down lightly. Fill, but do not overfill, each small indentation with one of the fillings. Then, lay another finished pasta sheet on top. Roll over the board/sheets with a rolling pin, pressing down firmly to seal the ravioli. You can go back over the edges with your fingers to be sure.

Turn the ravioli board upside down and carefully remove the sheet of ravioli. Set them aside to dry and continue with the rest.

When all of the ravioli have been made, break the sheets apart. Bring a pot of water to a gentle boil. Place a batch of the ravioli into the pot (you won't be able to boil all of them at once) and boil for 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and put in a bowl and add the next batch. Toss the ravioli with the appropriate sauce right away to avoid sticking.

Salmon Filling
2 cans pink salmon, skinless and boneless
1 tsp onion powder
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 oz goat cheese
1/2 tsp black pepper

Put the salmon into a food blender, making sure no stray bones made it into the cans. Add the onion powder, chopped or minced garlic, and the goat cheese. Blend for about 30 seconds - just until chopped but not too long or it will get liquid. Add the black pepper and stir well to ensure everything is evenly combined.

Four Cheese Filling
1/2 c fat free shredded cheddar
1/2 c reduced fat shredded mozzarella
1/2 c fat free ricotta
2 oz goat cheese
3/4 tsp black pepper

Put the four cheeses and black pepper into a food processor. Pulse several times, about 30 seconds in all, until the cheese are evenly mixed but not too long to avoid making the mixture too finely ground or even becoming liquid-y. Make sure the shredded cheeses are chopped, though. Finish mixing by hand if needed.

Cucumber Sauce
1/4 c nonfat dried milk
1 c plain fat free yogurt
1 tsp dried dill
1/2 tsp lemon rind, grated
1 large cucumber, finely diced
1 garlic clove, minced

Put the dried milk and yogurt into a bowl. Whisk until well combined and light in texture. (Just 1-2 minutes.) Add the dill, lemon rind, cucumber, and garlic. Stir until well combined.

Vodka Sauce
1 tsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 oz vodka
1 can diced tomatoes, no salt added
1 small can tomato sauce, no salt added
1/2 c fat free half and half

Heat a pan over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, swirling to coat. When the olive oil is hot, add the garlic. Saute for 30 seconds, stirring nearly constantly to avoid burning. Add the vodka. It will quickly steam up. Let it cook for 20-30 seconds. Then, add the diced tomatoes and turn to medium low heat. Saute for 3-4 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and stir well. Add the half and half very slowly, stirring the entire time (or whisking if you have a silicon whisk that won't hurt the pan.)

Servings: 12
Serving size: 5 of each kind of ravioli (10 total) with accompanying sauces of each kind
Nutrition: calories 316; carbs 43g; fat 6g; protein 23g; sodium 319mg; iron 12mg