Homemade Spinach Ricotta Ravioli with Sage Brown Butter

I have just made the best dish of my life! Considering I have cooked thousands of meals, I know this seems like a large and difficult statement to make, but after I took the first bite I knew – this was it. The best of my best so far.

When my husband and I were first married, we had a friend who lived on our couch in the city every Monday night for probably 3 years. I know it sounds strange but it was actually a great arrangement for all of us. We loved spending time with him, and it made his life easier (#commuterproblems). I also enjoyed having him there because it gave me another person to cook for. Sure we had nights where we gorged on Chinese or Thai food, but really I loved to cook on Monday nights because John was there. John and my hubby are two of the best people to cook for — they eat basically anything and they are SO appreciative. Is there anything better as a cook than seeing people really appreciate the effort you have put in and enjoy the food you have prepared?! John used to talk about opening a bar/restaurant, and every time I made a dish he would say “this is going on the menu!” Most of the time I didn’t agree, thinking the dish needed more work or it wasn’t good enough, but on this night I texted John saying “I have finally made a dish worthy of your restaurant!”

Start with the ravioli filling. This is absolutely the easiest part of the recipe. Combine the ricotta cheese, spinach, parmesan cheese, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Make sure it is thoroughly combined.

Then beat the egg in a small bowl to create the egg wash – or the “glue” for sealing the ravioli. Next, lay out 2-4 wonton wrappers at a time on your board. Using your finger, spread the egg wash all around the edges of the wrapper. Then take a teaspoon of filling and place it on the wrapper, towards the top edge. Don’t be tempted to add in too much filling. If you overfill, the raviolis won’t stay sealed and will explode in the pot.

Then, you want to fold the ravioli in half, from corner to corner. Once folded, press the edges together to seal the ravioli. Be sure to try to press out any air from around the filling — again, air can cause the ravioli to pop open while cooking. Complete these steps for all the wonton wrappers, and have them ready on a platter.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Once the pot reaches a heavy boil you are going to lower the heat to medium-high so that the bubbles aren’t as strong. If the water is boiling too hard, the ravioli will have a hard time staying together. I know, I know…this is the recurring theme of this post — basically how NOT to explode the ravioli. The ravioli are delicate and take some extra time, care and patience, but trust me they are worth it!

Add in the pasta and cook for just 2-3 minutes. Once the ravioli begin to float in the pot, they are finished. Don’t overcook them or they will become mush. Remove the ravioli and place on a platter.

While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce. There are only 3 ingredients in the sauce, but it also takes time, care and patience. Start by melting a stick of butter in a pan over low heat. The low heat is very important, you want this to happen low and slow so the sauce doesn’t burn. Once the butter has melted and begins to bubble, add in the sage leaves and minced garlic clove. At this point, you cannot walk away. The butter will continue to bubble while the garlic and sage cook. As the butter cooks, it will slowly begin to brown. You need to keep your eyes on this sauce because butter goes from brown nutty deliciousness to burnt in seconds.

As soon as you see the butter start to turn a caramel color and smell nutty, remove it from the heat and pour it on the cooked ravioli. Make sure all the fried garlic and sage leaves make it on the plate…those add an amazing crunch to every bite. Add some sage leaves for presentation and your dish is done!

If you find yourself with a day when you have a little extra time, try this dish. It might seem intimidating but you can do it and it will not disappoint, I promise! Give it a shot! I repeat – THE BEST DISH I HAVE EVER MADE!