Foodie Friday: Lamb Ragu with Homemade Spinach Fettuccine

Nothing tastes better than homemade pasta and sauce.

This lamb ragu and spinach fettuccine dish is one of my favorites, especially since the Dude and I only make it a few times a year. It has now become a tradition for us to prepare it every New Year’s Eve. If you give this recipe a try, I assure you, this pasta dish will quickly become one of your favorites.

SPINACH FETTUCCINE

This recipe for spinach fettuccine is actually a combination of two recipes we discovered from Chefs Mario Batali and Thomas Keller. After several attempts to make the perfect pasta dough, we’ve come up with this recipe. Why spinach fettuccine? Well, there’s never anything wrong with throwing a little green in your food. Spinach is one of the world’s best foods for you and we think it adds a delicious touch to pasta dough.

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups (8 ounces) semolina flour (you can use all purpose, but semolina is better)
• 6 large egg yolks
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• A handful of spinach (baby or regular)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon milk

Try to use organic and local ingredients. I also prefer to use cage-free, local, and organic eggs.

Start by sauteing a handful of spinach with a touch of olive oil and minced garlic. Saute until wilted.

(Click on pictures to expand)

Add the sauteed spinach to the “wet” ingredients (egg, egg yolks, olive oil, milk) to your mixer and pulse. This mixture can easily become mayonnaise, so just use the pulse setting until evenly mixed.

Instructions on how to create pasta dough comes via the French Laundry cookbook by Thomas Keller: (continues…)