One thing I enjoy about spring is the appearance of morel mushrooms! My husband has a great eye for spotting them, and I love to work them into recipes - like this Morel Mushroom Ravioli which is super cheesy, indulgent and completely vegetarian. Side note: searching for them is something you can still do while practicing social distancing! Added benefit: fresh air, nature walks, etc. If you've never tried them, they are the king of the mushroom fam. They have a nutty, meaty flavor and are delicious fried up in butter all on their own or worked into fancier dishes. I even saw them on the menus of some very trendy NYC restaurants last year!
This recipe is one that is a bit more challenging and which takes a little longer to make, as it is completely from scratch. But can I just tell you how totally worth it, it is? This is one you can really be proud of. And once you get the hang of it, you can prepare it fairy quickly! So if you have some extra time and want to create something spectacular, try it out! Also people are always baking with kids, but I use my Kitchenaid mixer for pasta 9/10, and it is a similar concept! So here's an idea to keep them occupied. Or save this for a special date night.
Start by making your sheets of pasta. I do this by mixing eggs, water, flour and salt with your flat beater. Then switch out for your dough hook (more detailed instructions below). Let the dough rest for 30 minutes, separate into four rectangular shapes and make into pasta sheets with the Kitchenaid pasta sheet attachment. **You can also do this with non-Kitchenaid pasta making kits.**
While your dough is resting, clean your mushrooms. Cut them in half and rinse well then soak in water for about 15 minutes to remove any dirt or debris. Lay them out to dry.
Prepare your ravioli stuffing: ricotta, fresh mozzarella and fresh spinach and garlic sauteed in olive oil.
Mix together well.
Fold over each of your pasta sheets directly in the middle, then reopen. There should be a horizontal crease. Add spoonfuls of your stuffing spaced out.
Fold back over. Use a fluted pastry cutter to cut out square raviolis, pushing edges together to seal. Dust with more flour.
Place on parchment paper with extra flour and let them rest.
They should look something like this!
While your ravioli rests, start on your sauce! (But bring a salted pot of water to boil for them.) You'll need butter, shallot, garlic, white wine, half & half, mascarpone cheese and of course your morel mushrooms. Smaller mushrooms work best for this sauce.
Melt butter in a saute pan over medium heat. Add shallot and saute for a couple minutes. Add garlic and saute one more. Then toss in your mushrooms and cook for a few minutes.
Deglaze with some white wine and cook down for a minute. Stir in half and half and turn down heat to simmer for a couple minutes then turn off heat. Stir in mascarpone until melted and creamy. Boil your ravioli just a couple minutes. They will float when done. Homemade pasta cooks much faster!
Dish up your ravioli, top with sauce and fresh parsley. Sprinkle on some fresh Parm as well!
Enjoy!!!
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- 4 large eggs, beaten
- 3½ cups flour, plus extra for prep
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 Tablespoons water
- 1½ cups Morel mushrooms, cleaned
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 6 garlic cloves, minced and divided
- 1 cup baby spinach leaves
- ⅔ cup Ricotta cheese
- 8 oz fresh Mozzarella, shredded
- 1½ tablespoon butter
- 1 shallot, diced
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 cup half and half
- 8 oz Mascarpone cheese
- fresh parsley, for topping
- fresh Parmesan cheese, for topping
- Place eggs in your mixing bowl and beat with a fork.
- Add flour, eggs and water.
- Place flat beater on Kitchenaid mixer. Turn to speed 2 and mix for 60 seconds. Add more water if the dough is too dry ½ tablespoon at a time.
- Switch beater to dough hook. Turn to speed 2 and knead for 2 minutes. Remove the dough and knead by hand for 2 minutes. Let it rest for 30 minutes.
- While resting, cut your mushrooms in half and rinse well. Soak in a water bath for 15 minutes to clean. Lay out to dry.
- Separate dough into four, rectangular pieces. Toss more flour over them.
- Add pasta sheet attachment to Kitchenaid. Set it to #1.
- Turn onto speed two and run through one of your rectangular doughs. Fold in half and repeat. Do this multiple times. Add more flour if too sticky.
- Switch sheet attachment to #2 and repeat.
- Switch sheet attachment to #3 and run through a couple more times (shouldn't have to fold in half now - it should be a long sheet, the width of the attachment).
- Switch sheet attachment to #4 and run through two more times.
- Place sheet on a floured surface (i.e. kitchen counter) and repeat with three other doughs.
- Heat olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add garlic (3 cloves, minced) and saute for a minute. Add spinach and cook until spinach wilts down and combines with garlic. Set aside to cool.
- Fold each dough sheet in half, then open back up.
- In a small bowl combine ricotta, mozzarella and spinach/garlic to make ravioli stuffing.
- Place spoonfuls of stuffing on one half of each pasta sheet. Should fit about 6 per sheet.
- Cover with the other folded half of the pasta sheet.
- Use a fluted pastry cutter to cut out square raviolis. Press together edges well. Place on parchment paper with extra flour and let rest.
- Bring a salted pot of water to boil.
- In a medium-sized skillet melt butter over medium heat.
- Add shallot and saute 2 minutes.
- Add remaining garlic and saute 1 more minute.
- Add mushrooms and cook for about 5-6 minutes or until tender.
- Pour in white wine to deglaze. Stir well and cook down for a couple minutes.
- Turn down heat to simmer and add half and half. Cook another couple minutes.
- Turn off heat and add mascarpone, stirring until melted and incorporated. Sauce should be creamy.
- Boil ravioli for just a couple minutes, they will float. Drain.
- Place ravioli in bowls for serving, top with sauce, parsley and fresh Parmesan.
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