The West Texas Rolltini

Once again one of my favorite TV cooks showed me a mouth watering recipe that I was unable to duplicate out here. So, on my one day off work, I decided to give it a go with the foods I was able to improvise with.

Thank you Giada De Laurentiis for giving me a great new idea and a twist on the ravioli!

Dough:

1 1/2 cup Flour

2 Egg Yolks

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

1/2 tsp Salt

1/4 cup + Water

Filling:

1 1/2 cup Spinach, fresh and chopped

4-6 Bacon slices, par-cooked (see below for tips) and chopped fine

3/4 cup Mushrooms, chopped

1/2 cup Ricotta Cheese

1/2 cup Parmesan, grated

2 tbsp Olive Oil

1/2 tsp Salt

2 Egg Whites

1/2 - 1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper

Topping:

Parmesan

Garlic Powder

1) In large bowl mix flour, yolks, olive oil and salt. Add 1/4 cup of water and stir. Slowly add more water a tsp at a time until the mixture begins to hold together.

2) Turn out onto floured surface and knead until it forms a ball. Wrap in plastic and set in refridgerator for 30 minutes to cool.

3) Meanwhile, in large bowl mix the filling ingredients. Set a really big (wide) pot of water on the stove to boil.

4) When the dough has cooled, place it on a floured surface and roll out to about 1/16th of an inch.  The trick to this is to make sure the roll will not be longer than your pot is wide.  Once the dough is rolled out, spread the filling over it, leaving about a 1/2 inch edge all around. 

Gently roll, jelly roll style, folding in the ends. 

Very carefully place the entire roll on a linen napkin (do not use cheese cloth. This needs something a bit sturdier) and roll, tieing the ends off with bread ties.

5) Preheat broiler.

6) Place in pot of boiling water 10-15 minutes. It really depends on how hard you want your dough to be. Remove from water, unwrap from napkin, and let rest about 5 minutes to cool.

7) Slice roll into 1/2" - 1" pieces. Lay out on a foil lined, oil sprayed baking sheet. Sprinkle Parmesan and garlic powder lightly over tops. Place in broiler about 2 minutes to get browned.

8) Serve with your favorite red sauce.

***Par-cooked Bacon: Lay slices flat on skillet or grill and cook until top side of bacon turns a foamy white, flip and cook 1 minute more and remove from heat to drain on a paper towel. ***