Five-Herb Ravioli with Chanterelles, Roasted Tomato Coulis and Basil Oil
With summer fleeting away rapidly i’m rushing to use the last of the summer harvest. The overripe tomatoes were turned into a roasted tomato coulis, the herbs from the garden which don’t do well in colder temperatures were used to make a stuffing for ravioli along with ricotta, mascarpone and spinach. The overgrown basil was made into basil oil and to welcome the fall i used tiny chanterelles and a healthy grating of parmegiano-reggiano. The change of season is in the plate right in front of you, my friends.
I know what you’re thinking right now. Something that goes like: ” Is that micro-greens on the plate? Pfeww.. he’s so pretentious!”
Don’t judge me! I really couldn’t help it and i tried, and tried, to resist the urge but habits acquired in restaurant kitchens die hard. I hope those tortured baby greens won’t get in the way of our friendship, will they?
I’ve said it before and i’ll say it again. Making ravioli from scratch is fun! Have you invested in a pasta machine yet? The photo above makes them look like they came from outer-space with their UFO shape on a semolina firmament but i promise they were made right here, on earth.
I enjoyed this dish so much that i served it at a dinner party at work last week, and it received rave reviews. I hope you like it as well.
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Five-Herb Ravioli with Chanterelles, Roasted Tomato Coulis and Basil Oil
- Recipe inspired by Rob Feenie
- Serves 8
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For the pasta dough:
- 3 cups all-purpose or “00″ flour, plus more for dusting work surface
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 whole eggs
- 4 yolks
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
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for the ravioli stuffing:
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 2 cups spinach leaves, packed
- 3 tablespoons chives, chopped
- 3 tablespoons chervil, chopped
- 1 tablespoon tarragon, chopped
- 1 tablespoons parsley, chopped
- 1 tablespoon dill, chopped
- 3 tablespoons mascarpone cheese
- 2 tablespoons ricotta
- 3 tablespoons grated parmegiano-reggiano
- pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
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For the roasted tomato coulis:
- 4 ripe tomatoes, cut in half
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, sliced
- 2 or 3 sprigs of thyme
- salt and black pepper
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To finish:
- Basil oil
- Parmegiano-reggiano, freshly grated
- Chanterelles
- Micro-greens (optional)
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For the ravioli dough:
- Combine the flour, the salt, the eggs, yolks and olive oil in a Kitchenaid bowl and combine on low speed using the dough hook (this also could be done by hand in a large bowl). Increase the speed until you get a rough dough. This should take 1 or 2 minutes.
- When the mixture comes together transfer to a floured clean surface and knead the dough, turning the inside-out, until you obtain a dough that’s smooth on the outside, adding flour everytime the dough starts to feel sticky. The whole process should take less than 5 minutes. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
- Time to start on the ravioli. Take the dough out from the fridge and place it on a floured surface. Cut it in 4 equal pieces. With a rolling pin make rectangle with the pieces of dough, so that they fit inside your pasta machine.
- Start rolling pasta sheets on the thickest setting and cut in half (so it doesn’t get too long). Keep rolling reducing the setting everytime. The number “8″ setting on my machine is where i usually stop.
- You should be able to see your hand through the pasta sheets when you have reached the right thickness. You want it thin but not so thin that it becomes fragile.
- Now for the fun part. Make an egg wash by beating an egg with a tablespoon of water. Cut sheets of pasta so they have about the same length and lay them on a floured surface.
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For the ravioli stuffing:
- In a medium saute pan over medium heat, cook the onion and garlic in the olive oil until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.
- Blanch the spinach in salted boiling water and cool in an ice bath. Drain and squeeze all the excess water. Drain some more using paper towel.
- Place the onion mixture, spinach, chives, chervil, tarragon, parsley and dill in the bowl of a food processor and blend. Add the mascarpone, ricotta, parmegiano-reggiano, nutmeg, salt and pepper and process until smooth. Place the stuffing in a piping bag with a round tip.
- Pipe little mounds of stuffing on the pasta sheets. Brush the edges and the middle sections with eggwash. Cover with another sheet of pasta. Seal with your fingers and push out any air pockets. Use the back of a pastry cutter the size of the mounds to seal each ravioli. Now use a pasta cutter or pastry cutter to portion the raviolis. Reserve on a single layer on a tray dusted with semolina flour. At this point, they can be covered and frozen or simply refrigerated if you plan on using them the same day.
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For the roasted tomato coulis:
- Preheat oven to 375’F. Season the cut side of each tomato half with salt and pepper and place face down on a baking tray. Drizzle olive all around and over the tomatoes. Season with more salt and pepper. Place garlic slices and thyme sprigs over the tomatoes. Bake for 45 min to an hour.
- Remove the tray from the oven and let the tomatoes cool a bit. Remove the skins and the thyme sprigs. Spoon the roasted tomatoes and any juice/olive oil that have accumulated on the tray. Blend on high speed until you obtain a silky smooth tomato coulis. Keep warm.
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To finish:
- Cook the raviolis in salted boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain. Toss in a little butter. Sautee the chanterelles in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
- Place a four or five raviolis on each plates, spoon some roasted tomato coulis around them, spoon some chanterelles over them, drizzle with some basil oil and grate some parmegiano-reggiano over each plate. Serve immediately.
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Tags: Appetizer, Pasta, Ravioli, Vegetarian