Ravioli

Directions

1. To make the filling; Add the ricotta, parmesan and lemon zest to the bowl, stir and season with salt and pepper. Pick off the stalks and roughly chop the spinach, if using, and stir in.
2. Lightly dust a clean work surface with ‘00’ flour.
3. Cut the pasta into quarters, take one quarter and cover the rest up again.
4. Use a rolling pin to roll out the quarter of pasta into a rectangle, until it is thin enough that you can see your fingers through it if you hold it underneath. Alternatively, use a pasta machine to roll the pasta out to setting number two.
5. Cut the pasta in half so that you have two similar sized rectangular sheets.
6. Choose a cutter (cookie cutters work perfectly fine) to use for your ravioli. Measure how many shapes you can cut out of one pasta sheet and use a teaspoon to dot the filling around only that one pasta sheet evenly, making sure you leave enough space to cut each piece of ravioli. Use your finger to very lightly dampen the pasta around the outside of the filling with cold water.
7. Place the second pasta sheet over the top of the fillings and press down around the fillings to remove any air bubbles and make sure the pasta has completely stuck together. Use the cutter to cut the shape around the outside of the filling. Pick up the pieces of ravioli and press the edges together to make sure the filling is completely concealed. Place the ravioli onto a floured baking tray. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil.
8. Carefully drop your ravioli into the boiling water and cook for 4-5 minutes, depending on the thickness of the pasta and the size.
9. Remove the pasta with a slotted spoon and put straight into a serving bowl.