RAVIOLI THAT WON'T MAKE YOU ROUND

SPINACH, RICOTTA & PUMPKIN RAVIOLI 

I have been searching and searching for a ravioli dish that is low-fat, not filled with wheat and not heavy. I was delighted the other week when I was looking through Weight Watchers cookbook titled 'Cook Basics' and came across such a recipe.  Now, I am not going to sugar coat it; this recipe is a little bit fiddly. But the end result is simply delightful. And low fat.


Ingredients 

• 450g pumpkin, cut into 2cm pieces
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 bunch English spinach, washed + 1-2 teaspoons of crushed garlic for the spinach
• 1/2 cup (100g) low fat / reduced fat fresh ricotta cheese
• 1 tablespoon plain flour
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 
• 32 x 8cm round or square gow gee wrappers
• available from almost every Asian supermarket- only $2-$3
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten 
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 
• or whatever olive oil is in your pantry
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives
• 1 bunch asparagus 
•  optional, I did not use 
• 2 small zucchini, halved, thinly sliced
• once again optional, I did not use. 
• 1/3 cup (25g) finely grated parmesan cheese. 

Cooking 

1. Boil, steam or microwave pumpkin until tender. (I chose boiling). Mash the pumpkin in a bowl with garlic until almost smooth. 

2. If you want to cook English Spinach the way I do, wilt the bunch with 1-2 teaspoons of crushed garlic and one teaspoon of olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat for a few minutes. Then remove from heat and allow spinach to cool. When cool, squeeze out as much excess liquid as possible. Finely chop spinach and add to mashed pumpkin with ricotta, flour and nutmeg. Mix until well combined. 

3. Lay 16 gow gee wrappers on a flat surface. Place 1 tablespoon of pumpkin mixture in the middle of each wrapper. Brush edges with egg white and top with remaining wrappers. Press ravioli edges to seal. 

4. Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add chives for a brief minute or so and remove from heat. Set aside for 5 minutes to infuse. 

5. OPTIONAL- Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add asparagus and zucchini and cook for 1 minute or until tender. Remove with a slotted spoon. Cover to keep warm.

6. If not performing step 5, bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. If following step 5, return water to the boil. Cook ravioli, in batches of 5 or so, for 2-3 minutes or until they float to the surface. Remove with a slotted spoon. Cover to keep warm. 

7. Serve ravioli with asparagus and zucchini or with a bit of the leftover ravioli mixture on top. Drizzle the chive oil over ravioli and sprinkle with your desired amount of parmesan cheese (keep that sprinkle small if wanting to keep recipe low fat). Serve with a salad if you desire more vegetables. 

Preparation time: 30 minutes 

Cooking time: 20 minutes 

xx E