Flavors of the Sun: For Your Valentine: Heart-Shaped Goat Cheese Ravioli with Lemon-Arugula Sauce

Heart-Shaped Goat Cheese Ravioli with Lemon-Arugula Sauce...oops...where is the lemon zest?

For Your Valentine: Heart-Shaped Goat Cheese Ravioli with Lemon-Arugula Sauce

by Victoria Challancin

I never used to think I was into "cute." It was just never my style. But then, earlier in the week I posted Not Quite Nigella's lovely adaptation of "Fettuccine Crepes Suzette," and I am not ashamed to admit that it was a "cute" dessert--really cute. Clever and cute. And I loved it. Down to the last delicious bite.

In that same Italian menu I taught my class of Mexican cooks to make another totally "cute" recipe: Heart-Shaped Goat-Cheese Ravioli with Lemon-Arugula Sauce. Were they really "cute" as well? Totally, as I now say. Totally cute.

For this recipe I combined a very slightly adapted version of a ravioli recipe I found on Country Living's site and a ravioli sauce recipe from Epicurious.com. Perfect. Delicious and so easy, especially when you use gyoza or wonton wrappers for your pasta, these ravioli would make a perfect, light starter for a Valentine's meal. Just don't serve them on white dishes...please.

A white plate for white ravioli? Perhaps not...

Goat Cheese Ravioli with Lemon-Arugula Sauce

(Recipe adapted from Country Living and Epicurious.com)

For the Ravioli:

32 (3 1/2-inch) dumpling wrappers, Gyoza, or wonton skins (from Luna de Queso)

1/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

(from Costco, or use requesón from Mega)

1/4 cup goat cheese

1 small garlic clove, crushed through a garlic press

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 large egg white, lightly beaten

For sauce

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter

1/3 cup pine nuts (1 1/2 oz) (Tuesday market, Bonanza, Luna de Queso)

1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup chopped arugula

Finely grated zest of one lemon for garnish

Prepare Goat-Cheese Ravioli: (Optional heart instructions for Valentine’s Day) With 3-inch heart-shaped cutter, cut dumpling wrappers into heart shapes. In medium-size bowl, combine ricotta and goat cheeses, garlic, parsley, and pepper.

Place 1 teaspoon cheese mixture in center of a heart-shaped dumpling wrapper. Brush egg white on wrapper around cheese mixture; cover filling with another dumpling wrapper. Gently press around the filling to expel any air pockets and to seal ravioli. Place ravioli in a single layer on towel-lined jelly-roll pans or baking sheets. Continue filling, brushing, and sealing to make more ravioli with remaining filling and wrappers. Cover ravioli with clean cloth towel and then with plastic wrap. Set aside 30 minutes or refrigerate if making ahead.

Make sauce:
Heat butter in cleaned 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until foam subsides, then cook pine nuts, stirring frequently, until pale golden, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, pepper, and salt and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic begins to turn golden, about 2 minutes. Add lemon juice and oil, swirling skillet to combine, and remove from heat. (Leave sauce in skillet.)

Cook ravioli:
Bring a 6- to 8-quart pot of salted water to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to a gentle boil. While water is heating, reheat sauce over low heat if necessary.

Add half of ravioli to gently boiling water, carefully stirring to separate, and cook, adjusting heat to keep at a gentle boil, until pasta is just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Lift cooked ravioli with a slotted spoon (these are too fragile to drain in a colander), draining well over pot, then transfer to a plate(s). Spoon sauce over the raviolis and sprinkle evenly with chopped fresh arugula. Garnish with lemon zest.

Enjoy!