Botticelli’s Stoli (Stolichnaya) ravioli

With a Russian flare:

Imagine ravioli filled with a chicken, ricotta, and spinach blend covered in a rich tomato cream sauce with a touch of Stolichnaya vodka. It is one of my favorites.

Ingredients (serves 8):

Sauce

1 28-ounce can – plum tomatoes (San Marzano preferably)
3 cups – water
2 6-ounce cans – tomato paste
2 cloves – garlic
1 teaspoon – sugar
1 teaspoon – basil
1 teaspoon – oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons – Stolichnaya vodka
½ cup – heavy whipping cream

Ravioli mixture

2 tablespoons – extra virgin olive oil
1 – chicken breast half cut into 1-inch pieces
1 15-ounce container – ricotta cheese
3 ounces – spinach, stems removed

Pasta dough – double the linked recipe

Add the tomatoes to a large Dutch oven over high heat. Crush the tomatoes with a potato masher. Add the water, tomato paste, garlic, sugar, basil, and oregano and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring periodically. Once it begins to boil, turn the heat to medium and cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep from burning on the bottom of the pan. Salt and pepper to taste then add the vodka and cream. Cook for an additional 5 minutes and then simmer on low heat until the ravioli is ready.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Salt and pepper both sides of the cut chicken and add it to the oil. Cook until the chicken has browned.

Browned chicken

Add the cooked chicken, ricotta cheese, and spinach to a food processor and blend thoroughly.

Chicken, ricotta, and spinach blend.

Make the pasta dough according to the recipe (double) and form pasta sheets (see the photo). I use the ravioli maker that comes with the Kitchenaid mixer (see photo) adding the ravioli mixture to the center of each ravioli. Make sure that the dough is not too moist when you run it through the ravioli maker (see photo). Let the ravioli sit for about 10 minutes before you break it apart. Add to salted boiling water and cook for 6 minutes. Place 8 or 9 ravioli per plate and as much sauce as desired. Enjoy!

Ravioli strip