Ravioli

Making ravioli isn't something I'd do everyday but if you have the time, it makes a fun afternoon and you can always just much a bunch of them and freeze them. The spices in the pasta dough don't do much for the taste but will change the color (paprika for orange, turmeric for yellow); normal pasta beige is so boring.  I wouldn't eat the 2 fillings together, but apparently I'm the only one in this house that likes dates so I made the ricotta one so they wouldn't bite my head off.

Arugula Ricotta
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup arugula
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 tbsp shredded parmesan
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
pinch of pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp pine nuts

Chorizo and Date
4 oz fresh chorizo, removed from the casing and crumbled up
3-4 dates, chopped
2 tbsp finely grated asiago
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 dried sliced chiles
1 tsp olive oil
2 tbsp coarsely ground hazelnuts
1 tbsp butter

Pasta
2 eggs
3 tbsp water
1 tsp olive oil
hefty pinch salt
hefty pinch paprika or turmeric (optional)
AP flour
egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp water)

For the pasta
1. to make the pasta, mix the water, oil, salt, eggs, and the paprika/ turmeric if using.  Make a mound of flour (lets say about 3 cups) on the counter and make a little well in the center, pour in the eggs mixture in the center.  Slowly work in the flour until it's a stiff paste.  Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge for at least an hour.
2. knead the dough until its smooth and elastic.
3. roll out the dough until it's about the thickness of a quarter. using a biscuit cutter of about 3 inches in diameter.
4. place about 1 tsp of filling in the center of each circle, fold the pasta circle in half, using the egg wash as glue (only put it on one edge).
5. cook in salted boiling water until they float.

For the arugula and ricotta filling
1. add 1 tbsp of the olive oil to a sauté pan over, add in the garlic and sauté until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add the arugula and cook until wilted.
2. let the arugula cool, roughly chop it up and squeeze out as much moisture from the arugula.
3. mix the arugula with the ricotta, parmesan, nutmeg, and pepper.
4. fill the pasta with it and cook like step 5 in the pasta instructions.
5. heat the remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil to a pan over medium heat, sauté the pine nuts until toasted and add in the cooked ravioli. sauté them until they take on some color; keep them moving so they don't stick to the pan. serve, with a bit more parmesan on top

For the chorizo and date
1. add the olive oil to a pan over medium heat. add the chorizo and sauté until throughly cooked through.
2. drain the chorizo on paper towels.
3. mix the cooked chorizo with the dates, cinnamon, and asiago.
4. fill the pasta with it and cook like step 5 in the pasta instructions.
5. melt the butter over medium low heat, add in the dried chiles. sauté for 45 seconds and then add in the cooked ravioli. raise the heat to medium and sauté them until they take on some color; keep them moving so they don't stick to the pan. serve, sprinkled with the ground hazelnuts and maybe a bit more asiago if you like.