Домашний Ricotta and Spinach Ravioli: Part One

I made ricotta.  For reals.  It's super easy.  I used this recipe, but I doubled it because I needed more than 3/4 of a cup of cheese. Pictures:

 Milk and salt mixture on the stove.  Just pretend that I'm stirring constantly and not taking photos.

 Heat Level Medium.  

 Vinegar added.  Looks super yucky.

 I don't have cheesecloth, so I used a random bit of fabric.  Still worked out well.  Also, do this for about 5 minutes if you want a wetter consistency.  I suggest timing it by dancing around your kitchen to approximately 2 Mika songs.

What you need for homemade ricotta:  salt, vinegar, and milk (pasteurized, lots of fat).

Now that your ricotta has been successfully created, it is time to start making the filling for the raviolis.  This is going to be glorious, just wait.

What you need:

-225 grams frozen spinach (cooked in water until no longer frozen)*

-about 1 - 1 1/2 cups of spectacular homemade ricotta (dude, we just made this!)

-1 medium sized red onion, diced

-2 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed

-1 tsp salt

-1/2 tsp pepper

-1/4 cup of nice cheese, grated (I used a mozzarella masquerading as a cheddar) 

See?  That cheese wants you to think that it's cheddar, but it's really mozzarella.

Making the filling is a bit time consuming, but easy, nonetheless.  What I did first was put two bricks (225 grams) of my spinach into a pot of water and put that over some medium-low heat.

Next, dice those onions, like a boss.  If you don't like/want red onions, you don't have to.  The three reasons I used them for this recipe are as follows:  1) I love red onions like whoa.  2)  The market was closed yesterday so I couldn't buy good onions for cheap.  3)  The grocery store was selling regular onions, but they were a quarter of the size of the red onions, so I was all like, 'Nope.'

See my new knife?  I love it.  I won't break this one trying to open my freezer door.  Promise.

Now, saute your onions with two cloves of garlic.  Saute that nonsense until your kitchen smells like Heaven.

This is what Heaven smells like.  For serious.

Last step!  Mix all of your ingredients together!  Don't forget to strain your spinach and grate your fake cheddar.  Mix them really well because the ricotta doesn't like to mix with other food friends.

Resist taking more than one bite.  Remember, this is just the beginning.  At the end, we will have glorious raviolis.

Now for the notes on the bottom.  I will be giving credit where credit is due:  I used this recipe for the filling and I also plan on using it for the pasta.  I did add the onions, which the recipe did not call for.  Also, I laugh derisively at the idea of using a food processor or pasta machine.  Where the eff do I find that/how the eff do I pay for that nonsense in Ukraine?  I ask you, really?

Also, 225 grams of spinach comes out to be about 1 or 1 1/2 cups.

recipe by chocolatelionpirate (with some help from the internet)

*Will chocolatelionpirate succeed in creating glorious raviolis?  Will chocolatelionpirate have Alia over for dinner at the conclusion?  Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion of Домашний Ricotta and Spinach Ravioli coming soon.*