Mushroom filled Ravioli

Hi Girls! I know you know this and I'm just gonna repeat it here - There is nothing quite like fresh pasta. Once you make it yourself, you just won't want the store-bought stuff anymore, unless you are in a pinch :) And Cori - thanks for the pasta machine. It helps so much rolling out the dough for the ravioli.

Okay, I wanted to make ravioli and I wanted something fun for a filling and as a sauce. I decided on mushrooms - I was just in an earthy kind of mood and mushrooms fit the bill. 

I pulled together a few recipes for this - one just for the pasta, another for the filling, and the third for the sauce. It's all pretty easy (it must be if I made it) and it's all really good. 

Something to consider, make the ravioli just before you are going to eat it. Don't make the dough in the morning and leave it out till dinner time. It dries up really fast. It is not the end of the world if you do this, it just makes it less fresh. It is surprising how much of a difference it makes!

And because you are bringing three recipes together, there is a sequence to consider. I made the sauce first, then I made the filling and set that in the fridge. With those done, I made the pasta dough. Then it was just a matter of assembling the ravioli, heating up the sauce while the pasta was in the water, and combining it all together at the end. 

I hope you make it and that you love it. And yes, if you don't like mushrooms, well, look for another filling and another sauce. You can make a simple cheese filling on the ravioli and tomato-based sauce. Hmmm, that sounds really good for this weekend! 

Okay, here is the recipe!

Pasta

(This takes about an hour to make)

Ingredients: (I learned that is this the standard pasta set of ingredients and ratio)

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled

• 3 large eggs

• ½ teaspoon sea salt

• ½ tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

• Place the flour on a clean work surface and make a nest. 

• Add the eggs, olive oil, and salt to the center and use a fork to gently break up the eggs, keeping the flour walls intact as best as you can. Use your hands to gently bring the flour inward to incorporate. Continue working the dough with your hands to bring it together into a shaggy ball.

• Knead the dough for at least 10 minutes. In the beginning, the dough should feel pretty dry, but stick with it! It might not feel like it’s going to come together, but after 8-10 minutes of kneading, it should become cohesive and smooth. 

• If the dough still seems too dry, sprinkle your fingers with a tiny bit of water to incorporate. 

• If it’s too sticky, dust more flour onto your work surface. 

• Shape the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

• After the dough has rested, slice it into four pieces. Gently flatten one into an oval disk. Run the dough through a pasta maker two to three times on the widest setting.

• Run the dough through the pasta maker two to three times on the next thinner level. 

• Repeat this process until you get the dough to be thin enough that you can easily see your fingers through the dough. I went to the thinnest level on the pasta maker Cori got me and it worked out great. As the dough gets to the thinner settings on the machine, you probably only need to run the dough through once. But play it by ear.

• Repeat with the remaining dough. (Note - Fresh pasta can be stored in the fridge, wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 2 days). 

• You will need two sheets of dough to make your ravioli - see the directions below. 

• Once you have the dough in sheets, it is time to make your ravioli! 

To make the Mushroom Ravioli filling

(This takes about 30 minutes to make, so you can make this while you're rolling your pasta out, or directly after you have the pasta sheets rolled out)

Ingredients:

• ½ ounce dried porcini mushrooms (substitute with dried shitake mushrooms if you can't find porcini's - that's what I did cuz I could not find dried porcini mushrooms)

• 4-ounce fresh mushrooms, finely chopped (I use white or brown button mushrooms)

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 tablespoon snipped fresh Italian parsley

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten

• ½ cup goat cheese

Directions:

• Soak the dried porcini (or shitake) mushrooms in enough boiling water to cover for about 15 minutes or until soft.

• Drain and discard the liquid. Squeeze the mushrooms to remove any additional liquid.

• Finely chop the rehydrated mushrooms.

• In a medium skillet, cook the fresh mushrooms in hot oil over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes or until the liquid is evaporated.

• Add chopped porcini (or shitake) mushrooms, parsley, and garlic. 

• Cook and stir the mixture for about 1 minute. 

• Remove from the heat. 

• Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

• In a medium bowl, combine the egg yolk, goat cheese, and mushroom mixture. Cover and chill until needed.

To Assemble the Ravioli

• In a small bowl, combine 1 egg and 1 tablespoon of water; set aside.

• Cut rolled pasta dough into 2-inch-wide strips. Brush the strips lightly with the egg mixture.

• Leaving a ½-inch border around the edges, place about 1 teaspoon of filling at 1-inch intervals on one strip of dough.

• Lay a second strip of dough, brushed side down, over the first.

• Using your fingers, press the dough around each mound of filling so that the two moistened strips stick together.

• Cut dough between filling to make individual ravioli. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.

To cook ravioli

• Boil a large pot of salted water. 

• Gently drop about one-fourth of the ravioli, one at a time, into the boiling water and stir to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pan. 

• Simmer gently for 3 to 4 minutes or until tender.

• Using a slotted spoon, transfer the ravioli to a serving dish.

To make the mushroom sauce

(This takes 20 - 30 minutes to make. You can make it ahead of time and have it ready to go when the ravioli is done cooking)

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon Olive oil

• ½ Onion (finely chopped)

• 3 Garlic cloves (minced)

• .5 lb. Mushrooms (sliced)

• 3 cups Baby spinach

• ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes

• ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes

• Black pepper and salt to taste

• 1 cup Heavy cream or half & half

• ½ cup Parmesan cheese

Directions:

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. 

• Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 1 minute. 

• Increase the heat to medium-high and add the mushrooms. Cook until tender, about 4 minutes.

• Add the garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach. Season with red chili flakes, salt, and pepper. Cook further for 1-2 minutes or until spinach is wilted.

• Turn the heat to low and add the heavy cream (or half and half) to the pan. Bring to a gentle simmer.

• Stir in the parmesan cheese and cook until melted.

• Add in the cooked ravioli and give a nice stir. 

• Serve immediately and enjoy!