Italian Veal and Spinach Ravioli

Italian food in Moscow?

I was at a dinner meeting in Moscow in the late 1990s at a very exclusive (and expensive I might add) Italian restaurant.  I ordered this ravioli dish, and raved so much about it, the owner came out and gave me the recipe.  I am sorry I don’t remember her name or the name of the restaurant.  But I kept the recipe and have added to it over the years.

Ingredients (5 to 6 servings):

• 1 ½ pounds of veal
• 1 large onion chopped
• 3 garlic cloves grated
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup white dry wine (e.g., chardonnay)
• 1 10.5 oz can of beef broth (I use Campbell’s which is double rich supposedly)
• 5 ounces parmesan cheese grated
• 2 eggs
• 4 ounces spinach chopped finely
• 80 slices of pasta (see my pasta recipe) cut into 3 x 3 inch squares – should make about 40 raviolis (you can buy the wonton pasta and use it if you don’t want fresh pasta but I really recommend making the pasta – I have never liked the wanton pasta taste)
• 1 egg white

Preparation:

Grind the veal, onion and garlic together.  If you do not have a meat grinder, you can have your butcher grind the veal and add the garlic and onion to it in the pan when cooking. Fry in butter on medium high until the contents are dry.  Add the salt, pepper, and wine and continue to sauté until dry.  Add the beef broth and sauté until the liquid is gone.  Place the pan in the refrigerator until the contents are at least at room temperature.  Once the contents have cooled, add the parmesan, eggs, and spinach and mix.  Take a pasta square and coat the outside edges with egg white using a brush.  Place the veal filling on the pasta and cover with another layer of pasta and seal the edges.  Continue the process until all of the veal mixture is used.  Boil the ravioli in several quarts of salted water for about 6 to 7 minutes.  Enjoy.

Chopped spinach.

The veal stuffing.

Veal and spinach ravioli.

Jack Botticelli