Ruffled Pasta With Herbed Ricotta And Pine Nut Brown Butter Recipes

PASTA WITH BROWN BUTTER AND PARMESAN

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of heavily salted water (2 heaping tablespoons kosher salt to about 7 quarts water) to a boil. Add pasta to boiling water and cook according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta, but don't shake it fully dry.
• In a skillet or Dutch oven large enough to hold the pasta (and preferably with a light-colored bottom so you can see the butter solids brown), melt the butter over medium heat. Cook, swirling occasionally, until the foam subsides, the milk solids turn golden-brown and it smells nutty and toasty, 3 to 4 minutes. (Watch carefully to see that it does not burn. If it does, start over.) Remove from heat immediately.
• Add the cooked pasta to the skillet and toss with the brown butter. Stir in the cheese until melted. Stir in pasta water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the pasta is glossy with sauce (you probably won't need the full 1/2 cup).
• Serve with black pepper and more Parmesan on top.

ONE-POT PENNE WITH SPINACH, RICOTTA, AND PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread pine nuts on a rimmed baking sheet; toast in oven, tossing occasionally, until golden, 6 to 8 minutes; set aside.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook according to manufacturer's directions. Add spinach during last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain; return pasta and spinach to pot. Add oil; season generously with salt and pepper. Toss well.
• Serve immediately, topped with ricotta, pine nuts, and Parmesan.

RICOTTA AND HERB RAVIOLI WITH SAGE BUTTER AND PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Put the pasta flour into a food processor and add the egg and olive oil. Pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Tip into a bowl and bring together with your hands to form a ball of dough. Transfer to a lightly floured board and knead until smooth (don't worry if the dough feels a bit stiff, as it will soften slightly on resting). Wrap in clingfilm and set aside to rest for 20 minutes.
• In a bowl, mix the ricotta, herbs, Parmesan and some seasoning. Set aside.
• Cut the dough in half, then roll out each piece in a pasta machine, dusting with flour to stop it sticking. Use the thickest setting for the first three passes, folding the sheet into three before putting it through again, then reduce the settings as you continue until you have a very thin, almost transparent sheet of pasta measuring roughly 85x9cm (33x3 1/2in). Cut the large pasta sheet in half to get two shorter lengths. Repeat with the remaining dough, until you have four sheets of pasta in total. If you don't have a pasta machine, divide the dough into four pieces and use a rolling pin to roll them out as thinly as possible into long rectangles.
• Lay the pasta sheets on a board dusted with a little flour. Dollop 5tsp of the ricotta filling along 2 of the sheets, leaving a little gap between each. Brush a little water around the mixture, then loosely cover each piece with one of the remaining pasta strips. Working quickly, seal the sheets together by pressing around the blobs of filling, extracting any air. Cut into squares using a pasta cutter or sharp knife to make 10 ravioli. If you have time, leave them on a wire rack to dry for 30 minutes.
• Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Using a slotted spoon, gently lower the ravioli into the pan and cook for 3-5 minutes or until they float up to the surface.
• Meanwhile, melt the butter in a frying pan until foaming. Add the sage leaves and cook on both sides. Stir in the pine nuts, then season well and remove from the heat.
• Using the slotted spoon, lift the ravioli out of the pan, draining well. To serve, divide them between two plates, then spoon over the buttery sauce, sage, and pine nuts. Add a squeeze of lemon and serve immediately with extra Parmesan scattered over.

CREAMY RICOTTA TART WITH PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In the bowl of a food processor, pulse flour, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 3/4 cup of pine nuts, and salt until finely ground. Add the butter. Pulse dough just until it comes together.
• Place the dough into an 11-inch diameter tart pan with a removable bottom and press down to cover the bottom and sides of the pan. Refrigerate until the dough is firm, about 30 minutes.
• Line the tart shell with aluminum foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake the tart shell in the lower third of the oven until just set, about 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and pie weights. Bake until the tart shell is lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Cool completely.
• Combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar with the water in a small saucepan over low heat. You don't want to boil the water, you just want to heat it so that the sugar can dissolve thoroughly. Stir until the sugar dissolves and remove from heat.
• In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the ricotta cheese and cream cheese until smooth. Add the eggs and egg yolks, 1 at a time, and process until smooth. With the machine running, add the sugar syrup in a thin steady stream and process until smooth.
• Pour the custard into the tart shell and bake until the filling is almost set, about 20 to 25 minutes. Scatter the remaining 3/4 cup of toasted pine nuts atop the filling. Bake until the custard is set, about 10 minutes longer. Let the tart cool completely before serving.
• The tart can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 3 days. Return the tart to room temperature before serving.

RUFFLED PASTA WITH HERBED RICOTTA AND PINE NUT BROWN BUTTER

Steps:

• Stir together ricotta, Parmigiano-Reggiano, herbs, pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large serving bowl.
• Cook pasta in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water, then drain pasta in a colander.
• While pasta is boiling, heat butter and oil in a deep 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until foam subsides. Add pine nuts and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, until nut and butter mixture is golden brown, about 3 minutes.
• Add drained pasta to pine nut butter along with 1/3 cup of reserved pasta cooking water and stir to coat. Thin ricotta mixture with 1/2 cup more of reserved cooking water, then add pasta and toss to combine. Thin with some of remaining reserved cooking water if necessary. Serve immediately.