Oh Em Gee Ricotta Mushroom Leek Ravioli with Pesto Sauce

One of the best foods in the world is the dumpling. This is because the definition of a dumpling can include pretty much any kind of dish that is made of a piece of dough, stuffed with whatever kind of filling, then cooked. Ravioli are like the Italian version of dumplings, and for that I love them. It's hard not to be satisfied after consuming a plate full of them.

Before I discuss the recipe, I want to give a shout-out to Tofutti brand for having a long product shelf-life. I bought my container of Tofutti Better Than Ricotta Cheese in about March, and lost it in the back of my fridge. I reunited with it again today, fearing the mouldiest. I was more than pleasantly surprised to find it still had another month and a half 'til expiry and in perfect condition for eating. YES!!

So, I have posted about making ravioli before and the good news is, that with the dough hook-thing on my food processor, I am only getting speedier and speedier at making these little things, this dish taking less than 3 hours from sauce to filling to dough to plate. If I hadn't paused to wash some dishes, it probably would have been quicker, so don't ever feel daunted by pasta-making. It's not always as time-consuming as it seems.


Pesto Ingredients:

• 2 bunches of basil (about 4 cups, loosely packed)
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp of lemon juice
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• pinch of salt

Add the basil and pine nuts to the food processor and blend until paste-like. Add the lemon juice, garlic and salt and blend again. While blending, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. DONE! I usually would have a taste and add anything else that needs adding, being mindful that the flavours will deepen and emulsify after a night in the fridge.

As with my last ravioli, I used Vegan Dad's dough recipe, replacing 1.5 tbsp of all-purpose flour with besan (chickpea flour) to give colour and bind.

Follow the dough recipe and roll out in a pasta roller or, if you've got muscles and patience, with a rolling pin.


Filling Ingredients:

• 1 tub Tofutti Ricotta (I subtracted about 5 tbsp for later use)
• 10 small Swiss Brown mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 leek, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely diced
• 1.5 tbsp Nuttelex
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• pinch of salt
• pinch of pepper

Finely dice the leek and add to a large frypan with the melted butter in it. Mince the garlic and add to the leek. Make sure to keep the heat on low so as not to burn anything. Slice the mushrooms as thinly as possible (I use a cheap mandolin from the Tokuya on Bourke St). Make sure to give the leek/garlic mixture a few stirs whilst slicing the mushrooms. Add the mushrooms to the frypan and grind some salt and pepper over it.

Melt down the veggies a bit more, then add the nutritional yeast and lemon juice. Cook until you have cooked most of the liquid out of the mixture. Let cool for a couple of minutes (it's okay if it is still warm) then add to the ricotta. Stir until all the ingredients are combined and let rest in the fridge while you finish the dough.

 

I won't go on and on about how to compile the ravioli, as I have described the process on this blog before. I will, however, comment on the Tofutti Ricotta being delicious. I had feared it would be yucky, based on a few reviews I have read. Rather, it worked wonderfully - the texture and moisture content was perfect, and the taste went well with my ingredients. Worth the high price if you can't be bothered making tofu ricotta.

Mushroom, Spinach and "Ricotta" Ravioli

On a recent trip to the USA, I decided to treat myself to something I had lusted after for years - a pasta machine. I found this model for only about USD$60 - almost a one hundred dollar discount from what it sells for in Australia. I couldn't pass it up.

It's taken me a few months to get the hang of it, but I'm finally becoming more skilled in rolling the dough. So, for dinner last night, I decided to use my pasta roller & ravioli press to make the quickest handmade ravioli I have ever made. I follow Vegan Dad's pasta dough recipe, with a few minor adjustments: I used Type 00 flour instead of semolina, and substituted about 1.5 tbsp of the 00 for besan (chickpea flour), which I found gave the dough a bit of colour and bind.

I let the dough sit for a bit while I made the ravioli filling.

Ravioli filling ingredients:

• 175g tofu (I use the extra-firm, but you can use silken as long as you press out the water)
• 75g spinach, finely chopped (I use fresh because I find it easier to work with)
• 4 large mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1-2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1-2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp vegan sour cream
• handful of parsley, roughly chopped
• salt and pepper

First, crumb the tofu into a bowl. The tofu has to be drained of as much water as possible. With all the other wet ingredients, it is easy to make the filling too wet, in which case the ravioli will fall apart. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until well combined. Taste test and adjust the ingredients to suit. (Here is where you can also add things like dried herbs and crushed pine nuts if you choose to.)

I use one of these to make the ravioli, but it can just as easily be made with one of these. Roll out the dough, setting enough aside to cover the raviolis. Fill the holes with a heaping teaspoon of filling (too much and they will leak, not enough and there will be too much air inside!), cover, and use a rolling pin the push the air out and cut the edges.

Carefully remove the ravioli from the mould and place on a floured sheet to dry. If you pile the ravioli on top of each other, make sure to dust with flour in between layers, to prevent sticking.

Cook the ravioli for about 2-3 minutes. The only way you can really confirm their done-ness is by taking a bite out of a corner! This recipe makes about 40 ravioli. Leftover ravioli can be frozen and used later. Make sure to either freeze the ravioli spaced apart or use plenty of flour in between layers, or they will freeze together and make a mess when thawed. 

Normally, when eating ravioli, I would make a cream sauce, but last night I felt like I needed some meat, so I made a very simple TVP and leek tomato-based sauce. Served with shavings of Sheese-brand bleu cheese: