Ofelle alla Triestina (Gnocchi Ravioli)
These delicious unusual gnocchi ravioli are made with gnocchi dough and filled with sausage meat, ground veal and spinach like ravioli. If you've ever made gnocchi or ravioli, you'll love making ofelle!
Prep Time45 minutes mins
Cook Time45 minutes mins
Resting time30 minutes mins
Total Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
Course: Homemade Pasta, Main Course
Cuisine: Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italian, Northern Italy
Keyword: filled pasta, gnocchi, ofelle, ravioli, sausage, spinach
Servings: 6
Calories: 665kcal
For dough
- 1 kg potatoes (2.20 lbs) Best to use starchy potatoes. Russets or King Edwards are good
- 250 g All purpose flour or Italian 00 flour (9oz)
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon yeast (for baking)
- 1 pinch salt
For filling
- 700 g fresh spinach (1.5lbs)
- 200 g ground veal (7oz)
- 150 g Italian sausages (5oz) casing removed and chopped
- 1 onion peeled and finely chopped
- 20 g butter (0,7 oz)
- salt to cook pasta and to taste
- ground black pepper to taste
For dressing
- 100 g butter (3.5oz)
- 80 g Montasio or Parmigiano Reggiano grated (3oz)
Make the dough
Boil the potatoes whole in salted water until very tender. Drain and, while still warm, peel, and press through a ricer or food mill. (I actually press the potatoes without peeling as the peel stays inside the ricer)
Place the riced potatoes in a large bowl and add the eggs, a pinch of salt, the yeast and enough flour to make a dough that is the same consistency of gnocchi dough. (I started with 250g but added a bit more as the dough seemed too wet)
Mix ingredients together. Then turn out onto a floured pastry or pasta board. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, then let rest covered with a cloth or tea towel for 30 minutes.
Make the filling
In the meantime, cook the spinach with just a tablespoon of water until wilted. Drain and press out any excess liquid. Chop finely
Peel and finely chop the onions and fry until soft in melted butter.
In a large frying pan or skillet, heat a little olive oil over , then add the cooked onion, cooked spinach, ground veal, and chopped sausage meat, and cook over a medium-high heat until the meat is nicely browned. Season with salt and pepper. Turn off the heat and allow to cool.
Make your ofelle alla Triestina
Cut the dough into 4 pieces. Roll one quarter of pasta dough out into a rectangle of 9-10 cm wide until it is about 3-5 mm thick. You can use a pasta machine to do this, but I didn’t. Place a scant tablespoons of the filling along one side of the rectangle at about 3-5 cm apart and 1cm away from the edge.
Fold the pasta over the filling and press down around the filling. Cut out the ofelle/ravioli squares with a serrated pasta wheel. I then used a fork to make a ‘frill’ along each side of the ofelle and seal the filling inside. Set the ofelle aside on a floured surface or plate.
Bring a pot of water to a boil, add salt and bring to a boil again. Cook the ofelle in the boiling water until they are tender and cooked through. They will probably rise to the surface when almost ready. Then cook for another minute. In total give them about 4 minutes.
While the ofelle are cooking melt the rest of the butter in a small pan.
Drain and place the ofelle in a serving bowl or plate. Drizzle some melted butter over them, top with grated Montasio or Parmigiano Reggiano and serve immediately.
Calories: 665kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 153mg | Sodium: 683mg | Potassium: 1630mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 11627IU | Vitamin C: 67mg | Calcium: 326mg | Iron: 7mg