Source: Look & Cook Pasta Perfect by: Anne Willan's
Makes 8 servings.
Preparation time: 3 hours
Tips: Very elegant dish can be prepared partially ahead.
Pinwheels
“Spinach & Cheese”
on Pepper Sauce
Ingredients
Preparation
PASTA DOUGH:
2 1/2 cups flour, more if needed
3 whole eggs
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
SPINACH FILLING:
15 ounces frozen leaf spinach
8 ounces fresh goat cheese
2 tablespoons butter, plus extra for baking dish
1 cup ricotta cheese, about 8 ounces
ground nutmeg, salt and pepper
2 whole eggs
PASTA:
1. Make pasta follow instructions as per "Pasta Dough" recipe. Using pasta machine roll out dough ending with the rollers at the second narrowest setting.
2.With sharp knife, trim the dough to make strips about 4-inches wide. Cut each strip across into 8-inch long rectangles, discarding the end pieces. There should be about 12 rectangles.
3. Spread out the rectangles on a floured dish towel and sprinkle them with a little flour or fine cornmeal. Let dry, 1- 2 hours.
FILLING:
1. Cook spinach according to package directions, then drain well, and squeeze dry. Chop it finely. Crumble the goat cheese, discarding any rind.
2. Heat the butter in the frying pan, add the spinach, and cook stirring constantly, until all the moisture has evaporated, 2-3 minutes.
3. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly, then stir in the ricotta and goat cheeses, a pinch of nutmeg, salt and pepper. Taste for seasoning.
4. Lightly beat the eggs to mix, then add them to the spinach mixture, and stir well.
FILL, SHAPE AND BAKE THE PASTA ROLLS:
1. Fill a large wide pan with water, bring to boil, and add 1 tablespoon salt. Add the pasta rectangles a few at a time, and simmer until barely tender, 3-5 minutes. Stir gently from time to time to keep from sticking. As the pasta rectangles are cooked, lift them out with the slotted spatula and place in a bowl of cold water. Then drain and spread them out on a clean dish towel to drain thoroughly.
2. Butter a 9"x13" baking dish. Heat the oven to 375F degrees. Using a cake spatula, spread 3-4 tablespoons of the spinach filling on each rectangle of dough, leaving a 1/4-inch border.
3. Roll up the rectangles of dough from the short end into neat cylinders and arrange them in the buttered baking dish.
4. For the topping, melt butter and mix with the heavy cream. Pour over the rolls. Cover the baking dish tightly with buttered foil and bake the rolls until the skewer inserted in the center is hot to the touch when withdrawn, about 30 minutes. While the rolls are baking, make the sauce.
PEPPER SAUCE:
1. Heat broiler, Set the whole peppers on the rack about 4-inches from the heat and broil them, turning as needed, until the skin is black and blistered, 10-12 minutes.Immediately put the peppers in a plastic or paper bag, close it, and leave until cool enough to handle. Peel off the skin, discard stem and seeds. Rinse pepper under running water, pat dry. Cut into chunks.
2. Chop garlic. Chop scallions. Peel, seed and chop tomatoes. Discard the basil stems and chop the leaves; keep 4-6 spring for decoration.
3. Heat the olive oil in the frying pan. Add the peppers, tomatoes, garlic, scallions, and chopped basil and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 15-20 minutes.
4. Pure the sauce in food processor or blender until almost smooth (small chunks of tomato and pepper add agreeable texture). Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper.
TO SERVE: Cut each roll into 1-inch slices on the diagonal, discarding the ends. Reheat the sauce and spoon a little on individual plates. Arrange 8 pinwheels on top of the sauce and decorate with the reserved basil springs. Serve the remaining sauce separately.
TOPPING:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
RED PEPPER SAUCE:
1 clove garlic
2 scallions
1 1/2 pounds red bell peppers
1 pound tomatoes
1 small bunch of fresh basil
2 tablespoons olive oil
NOTE: The rolls can be prepared ready for baking and kept, covered, in the refrigerator up to 24 hrs., or they can be frozen. The sauce can be made a day ahead, covered, and refrigerated, but it will lose some of its fresh flavor.
