Goat Cheese Ravioli with Blackened Shrimp

I’d suggest making this when you’ve got extra time on your hands. This is a really fun dish to make because it pushes you a little out of your comfort zone, without being too technically complex. I woke up at 7 am on a Saturday morning, hungover and hungry, contemplating where the day might take me. The first thing I do in the morning, like any douche of a millennial, is check social media, and the first thing I saw on Facebook was this scratch-made-no-ravioli-mold-necessary recipe from Proper Tasty. I immediately decided that I would be making ravioli that night. Would I have made this decision if I wasn’t in a hazy, morning-after-a-3-am-night fog? Yes, probably, because I love pasta and I love cooking.

The first step is to make the dough. You’ll let it rise for about an hour, while preparing the filling, shrimp, and blackened seasoning in the meantime. Once the dough has risen, you’re going to roll it out long and THIN across a floured surface.  As thin as possible without being transparent. Then add dollops of the filling, evenly spaced about 3/4 inch apart, along the left half of the dough. ​

​Slice the dough down the middle, leaving about half an inch of space between the filling and the edge of the dough. Brush water (or beaten egg white) around the filling. This will act as a glue to help bind the two layers. Press the naked slice of dough on top of the strip with the filling. With your fingers, press around the filling to eliminate air bubbles, and flatten the edges while fusing the two strips together. Slice evenly between the filling bubbles in that empty, flat portion of dough.
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I forgot to take pictures of the long strip, so I made you guys a mini one LOL

​Once done, you’ll be left with this decadent masterpiece. Keep reading for a detailed step by step :)

Ingredients:
Pasta dough:
• 2.5 cups all purpose flour
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup water

Filling (source):
• 4 oz goat cheese
• 2/3 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese (or you can do 1/3 parm, 1/3 Italian 6 cheese blend)
• Bag of spinach (about 9 oz)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Dash of nutmeg

Sauce (adapted from Damn Delicious)
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1.5 cups milk (I used unflavored, unsweetened almond milk to lighten it up)
• 1.5 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 cup half & half
• 1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese or Italian 6 cheese blend
• 1/4 cup pasta water
• Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Shrimp
• 1 lb raw or frozen (and thawed) large shrimp (shelled and deveined)
Note: I used medium sized shrimp in this recipe, which is what I had on hand, but I think it would be better with the larger guys
• 1/2 tbsp and 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tbsp onion powder
• 1/2 tbsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp cayenne
• 1/2 tsp dried basil

Directions:
Pasta Dough: add flour to large mixing bowl. Create a small well in the middle and add eggs and water. Mix with fork until incorporated, then knead with hands for 5 minutes to get the gluten working. Work those biceps, boo. Cover in saran wrap and let sit in fridge for an hour

Filling: Add spinach to non-stick skillet, cover, and cook over low heat, allowing spinach to wilt down. Once wilted, remove cover and let cook until water evaporates. Make sure to stir every few minutes or spinach will stick to the skillet. Once water has mostly evaporated, remove from skillet and lay on paper towel. Take another paper towel and press down on spinach to absorb excess water (if you have a cheesecloth, that would be easier ~and more environmentally friendly!). Now combine all filling ingredients in a small bowl and mix.

Create the ravioli:
• Preheat oven to 400º
• Flour work surface. Remove dough from fridge and cut in two equal halves. Take the first half and roll it out to somewhere around 16″ x 6″. Again, make sure it’s nice and thin.
• Add dollops (a tbsp or so) of filling evenly along one side of the dough. Leave about 3/4 inch between each dollop.
• Brush water (or beaten egg whites) around each dollop to create a glue to seal the two layers of dough
• Cut the sheet of dough in half lengthwise, leaving about half an inch of space between the filling and the edge of the dough
• Lay the naked sheet of dough evenly on top of the filling, and with your fingers, press around the filling to release any pockets of air. Press the top layer into the bottom, fusing the two
• Cut the ravioli into individual pieces. Set aside.

*now bring a large pot of salted water to a boil*

Shrimp: Add all blackened seasonings to a small bowl and mix. Season shrimp with salt, then toss in blackened mixture. Space shrimp evenly across lined, greased baking sheet and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until cooked through.

​Sauce:
• Melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, while stirring, until fragrant. Whisk in flour until lightly browned.
• Gradually whisk in milk, thyme, and black pepper. Make sure to add the milk slowly, while whisking quickly, to avoid any clumps.
• Once incorporated, stir in half & half and cheese.
• Allow to simmer while pasta cooks. If sauce gets too thick, add about a quarter cup of the pasta water

​Pasta: Add ravioli to boiling water and cook for five minutes (fresh pasta cooks much faster than boxed), or until the raviolis rise to the top. Remove with slotted spoon or oil skimmer.

Now just plate the pasta, pour on the sauce, top with the shrimp (if you must) and garnish with freshly chopped parsley and more cracked black pepper! Enjoy and pat yourself on the back!