Delicious home made lemon goat cheese ravioli

If you have never had home made pasta this recipe will change your life! There's no going back after you have it for the first time, the dried up stuff from the grocery store will never due again and the best part is that it's not that hard to make. it can however be time consuming but I promise it's worth the effort. 

The dough recipe needs to be put through a pasta roller if you want to roll it with a rolling pin (or an empty wine bottle) you will need to add a little more water to get the dough a bit softer and easier to handle. It's much easier to make this in a food processor but if you dont have one, a mixing bowl or the counter will due. If you are making it on the counter make your flour into a pile, then press a hole into the top and add your wet ingredients. Using a fork mix the flour in slowly until it's combined enough to use your hands.

For the pasta dough you will need

2 cups of white all purpose flour
1/4 cup olive oil
2 eggs
3/4 cup of water
1 tsp salt

Blend everything in your food processor. Put the dough in a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap and allow it to sit for around 30 minutes. Cut dough into 4 balls and with a pasta roller or by hand roll as thin as possible. Make 2 sheets one for the bottom and one for the top, place your filling on the bottom sheet of pasta with a spoon about 2 inches apart, wet your fingers and make squares around the filling so that the pasta gets a good seal when you put the top on. Place your second sheet over your filling and press the top to seal packages. Use a knife or ravioli cutter to make squares. Bring water to a boil then gently drop in your ravioli into the boiling water and allow them to cook for 30  seconds to one min. Transfer to a bowl with cold water until your ready to add your sauce.

For the filling you will need

300 grams of goat cheese
1/4 cup cooked and drained spinach
1 egg
1/4 cup grated fresh parmesan cheese
The zest of 2 lemons
The juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/tsp salt
1 tsp cracked black pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
1 clove garlic chopped fine

Mix all of the ingredients well then place in fridge. The cheese will be easier to work with if it's chilled. You can leave it in the freezer for a bit as well but don't overdue it or you will have to wait until it thaws.

I don't like to make things complicated I have learned that simple is usually better so for the sauce I used some booze and lots of butter.

Here's what you need

1/4 cup butter
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup good gin
Optional 2 tomatoes diced (i didn't use tomatoes in mine.

What to do with all that stuff

Melt the butter on medium heat. Add garlic and wait maybe 30 seconds add everything else and allow to cook down for about 2 min add your pasta and serve.

Best potato gnocchi ever!!

This is more of guideline to making gnocchi then a recipe but if you do it right you will have the most bitchin fluffy potato dumplings you have ever tasted. It's not really that hard there are 2 things to remember 1. Do not kneed the dough to much the potato will mash, and you will end up with tough gnocchi 2. Don't add to much flour they will become to dense gnocchi should be light and fluffy with just enough flour added to hold them together.

Okay so your going to need

russet potatoes (I use 1 per person and usually end up with a little extra)

1.Flour

2.Salt

3.Eggs

Wash your potatoes and boil them until the skins start to fall off. Take them off the heat and allow them to cool down. Once your potatoes are cool peel the skin off and cut out any of the black spots. Using the large shredder grate your potatoes make a pile on the counter grace 1 egg per 2 potatoes into yor pile of shredded potatoes and combine add around a teaspoon of salt per 2 potatoes and combine take a scoop of four and gently begin to fold into your mixture be careful not to mush up the potato while your mixing everything together. As soon as the mixture sticks together so you can roll it your done. Roll into a long snake about 3/4 of an inch thick and cut into 3/4 inch pieces keep the surface of the counter and the pile of cut gnocchi well floured...bring a pot of water to a gentle boil and cook gnocchi in until they float (about 30 seconds to a minute) if you have a lot you can cook them in batches and place them in a bowl of cold water preferably ice water. You can serve the gnocchi many different ways and to add some texture you can fry them in some butter then add ehatever sauce you like.