Naked Spinach Ravioli and Arrabiata Dressing

Sunday nights in my world are often spent with Les Bergerons of Pasadena. So in the spirit of my good friend Amelia of Bon Appetempt fame, Kate and I partook in our own little “Attempt” last Sunday. We tackled Naked Spinach Ravioli and Arrabiata Dressing from Pure Vegetarian: Modern and Stylish Vegetarian Cooking. The pasta, the sauce – both no brainers. We were skeptical of the dumplings from the moment we began.

After combining spinach with flour, ricotta, parm, salt and pepper (and a few other things I can’t remember. Nutmeg?), we let the dough chill for one hour. Next, we got to rolling it into 1/2″ balls with the help of precious angel Liam.

During this dumpling rolling process, we got to working on the sauce. This was totally delicious and simple – shallots, garlic, dried red peppers in olive oil. Next add diced zucchini, blanched tomatoes, olives, salt and pepper. Turn off heat and add the juice of a lemon. Sounds amazing right? Yes, it was.

So we plated that up with pasta we had cooked in the meantime and the dumplings which we had also cooked in boiling water. Hmmmm…the dumplings certainly look a lot lighter than the verdant green ones pictured in the cookbook.

And this is what our plates looked like by the end of the meal. The pasta and sauce were happily and heartily consumed but the little dumplings just didn’t make the cut. Dense, flavorless little balls that bounce when you drop them on the counter.

So, the morals of the story are as follows:
-The sauce is a winner and I will definitely make it again and serve it with some rigatoni.
-Sundays are best spent cooking with friends (especially Lady Bergeron)
-Look at baby Finn (above). With the pasta. Cute!