Ravioli with Lamb, Spinach and Ricotta Filling with Gorgonzola Cream Sauce

 We decided that it would be fun to make homemade pasta with our house guests for dinner. Well, maybe if we hadn't had so much alcohol - it would have made more sense but too late - the pasta making was a little dysfunctional.  Tim had prepped everything else but the pasta  but we were beyond capable of making pasta - so the ravioli was a little misshapen. However, all the flavors were fantastic.
The pasta was delicious.

Ravioli with Lamb, Spinach and Ricotta Filling

Make Pasta but do not have too much to drink prior to pasta making.

For the stuffing:

1/2 lb ground lamb
3/4 lb young spinach leaves
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 egg yolks
6 tablespoons butter
6 fresh sage leaves
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving

1. Saute the lamb and set aside.
2. Put the spinach in a large pan of lightly salted boiling water and cook until starting to wilt, 2 minutes at most.  Drain and plunge into ice-cold water, then drain thoroughly and press out as much of the remaining water as possible.  Chop the spinach coarsely and mix with the ricotta. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and stir in the grated Parmesan and egg yolks.  Add lamb as well and mix.
3. If the ravioli are to be stuffed without the aid of special molds, roll out the dough as thinly as possible and cut into 2 sheets, each about 20 x 12 inches.  Using the back of a knife and a ruler, score a grid of 2 inch  squares on one of the sheets.  Put an equal amount of stuffing on each of the squares.  If this process takes a long time , the dough will start to dry out, so you will need to brush a little egg white around each bit of stuffing, so that the second sheet of dough will stick.  Lay the second sheet loosely over the first one and press down lightly around the stuffing, so  that the edges are well sealed.  Using a ruler and a fluted pasty wheel, cut out the squares and lay them on a lightly floured cloth.   Cook the stuffed pasta in boiling salted water for 4 to 5 minutes, remove with s a slotted spoon , and arrange on plates.

Sauce:

2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons  flour
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup cream
5 ounces Gorgonzola cheese

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, sprinkle in the flour, and cook gently, stirring, 1 to 2 minutes; do not brown.   Pour in the stock, whisking constantly.  Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and simmer 20 minutes, whisking occasionally.
2. Remove the pan from the heat.  Mix together the egg yolk and cream.  Add a little of the hot sauce to the egg yolk and cream mixture, then stir into the rest of the sauce.  Strain the sauce.  Reheat gently (do not boil  or the sauce will curdle), then add the melted gorgonzola cheese and blend thoroughly.