This weekend, we took a trip to Portland, Maine. While we were there, we visited one of my favorite shops—Leroux Kitchen—located in the Old Port, right on the waterfront. I love this shop because there are about 20 different infused oils and vinegars to taste, an upstairs full of cookware to check out and literally hundreds of kitchen gadgets to look through. Among those gadgets was a ravioli cutter, which inspired me to come up with a ravioli dish as soon as I threw it into my basket. Similar to an earlier pasta dish and savory tart I’ve made before, this ravioli is rich, filling and full of complimentary flavors and textures. I used leftover frozen shumai dough to make the ravioli, which cut the prep time in half and provided the perfect texture to seal in some rosemary-laced portobellos, salty oil-cured olives and sweet sauteed shallots.
PORTABELLO AND SHALLOT RAVIOLI WITH TOASTED WALNUTS
- Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
for the ravioli wrappers
- 1 cup pastry flour
- 1 cup rice flour
- 1 1/2 tsp Ener-G, whisked with 1/2 cup water
- 3/4 tsp salt
for the raviloi filling
- 8 oz baby portobello mushrooms, minced
- 1/2 TB crushed dried rosemary
- 1 tsp dried fennel seeds
- 2 shallots, minced
- 5 cloves of garlic, minced
- 5–7 oil-cured olives, minced
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
for the sauce
- 1/4 cup Earth Balance
- 1/4 cup canned coconut cream (skim the cream from the top)
- 1/4 cup chopped spinach
- toasted walnuts
Instructions
To make the wrappers
- Place the flours, Ener-G/water and salt into a mixer. Blend until the dough is smooth and pulls away easily from the sides of the bowl, adding a bit more water as needed.
- Remove the dough, roll into a ball and place into a greased bowl and cover with saran wrap. Allow it to rest for about 30 minutes.
- Separate the dough into four equal pieces. On a well-floured surface (I kept a small bowl of rice flour nearby), flatten the dough out as thinly as possible, using a rolling pin. Use a biscuit cutter to cut out perfect circle shapes, re-rolling any unused dough. Reroll each piece to maximize the thinness of the dough.
To make the ravioli filling
- Saute the portobello in a bit of olive oil over medium-high heat for about 12 minutes, or until most of the moisture has evaporated. Sprinkle with the rosemary and fennel and saute for one minute more.
- Remove the mushrooms, add a bit more oil to the skillet, and saute the shallots and garlic for about three minutes. Remove from the heat and combine them with the mushrooms and olives. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and set aside.
To assemble the ravioli
- Place about a tablespoon of the mixture onto a piece of ravioli wrapper. To create a seal, run a thin layer of water around the edges. Top with another wrapper and press down gently but firmly. It’s important to do this to ensure the ravioli does not break open during boiling. Using the ravioli cutter, cut out a nice round shape and place on a lightly floured surface.
To prepare the ravioli
- Once your raviolis are all assembled, bring a medium-sized pot of water to a boil. Add some salt and olive oil and slowly slide the ravioli into the water. Boil for about 5 minutes, then gently flip over and allow to boil for about 5 minutes more. Carefully remove the ravioli from the water and place in a serving dish.
- Lightly toast the walnuts by placing them into a dry saucepan over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- To make the sauce, melt the Earth Balance and coconut cream over low heat. Stir in the spinach and drizzle over the pasta. Top with the toasted walnuts and serve immediately.
erinwyso says
Leila, thanks for sharing this experience and I love your ability to adapt recipes and make them so creative. You inspire me to rethink and reshape recipes, which I often forget about when I have a solid plan in my head to execute them! Glad you enjoyed!: )