Mushroom ravioli is a filling dish to warm winter

During one of those dark, rainy spells earlier this month I found myself searching for a cooking project. Something I could make with what was on hand, something a little complicated but not anything sweet (we'd just finished that king cake). As I rummaged through the refrigerator shelves, I noticed we had almost 2 pounds of mushrooms (they must have been on sale), so I decided to make mushroom ravioli.

Ravioli is just one the many pasta dumplings found in Italian cuisine. Fillings (always cooked first) include combinations of seafood, meat, cheese and vegetables. Shapes run the gamut from basic circles and triangles to elegant twisted tubes and packets. I elected to keep things simple with a mushroom cheese filling and a basic square ravioli.

Since the filling would be the star of the dish, I made it one day in advance so it would have time to firm up a bit. This also helped the creamy liquid ingredients solidify slightly. Working with mushrooms, which have a high water content, entails cooking them slowly over low heat, making sure all the moisture evaporates. Another important consideration about filling is to season it beyond what you would usually add.

The filling will be wrapped in two layers of pasta, blocking your taste buds from some of the flavor inside. As you taste-test while cooking the mushrooms, take your salt and spice levels just past what seems enough, otherwise the filling will seem bland and under seasoned in the final dish. Store it in a sealed container in the refrigerator overnight.

When making pasta, you'll find a number of passionate arguments about which flour to choose. Many recipes for homemade pasta specify 00 flour or semolina flour, or a combination of the two. The name "double zero" is the European grading for their most finely milled flour, found in specialty gourmet shops and online. Since I was only using my available ingredients, I made the reasonable substitution of unbleached all-purpose flour.

To make the pasta, you can use a stand mixer or go with the traditional countertop method. For the latter, scoop the flour directly onto the (clean and dry) counter and make a deep crater in the center. Crack the eggs into the depression and use your hands to mix the dough, taking care not to let the egg flow out past the edge of the flour.

Once the dough is kneaded into silky smoothness, let it rest for at least half an hour. Now you're ready for the second important tip in making ravioli: roll the sheets as thin as possible. The star of ravioli is what you tuck inside, so the pasta should be thin enough you can almost see your hand through it. I'm not skillful enough with a rolling pin for this, so I used my pasta machine and went through all the settings to the thinnest.

You'll want your pasta sheets about 4-inches wide and not much longer than 18 inches. Spread them out on the counter and use a melon scoop to drop balls of filling an inch apart along the long edge. Next, fold the pasta lengthwise over the filling bumps. Cut out the ravioli into squares or circles with a scalloped pastry wheel. The pasta expands as it cooks, so leave less than a quarter-inch margin around the filling.

At this point, you need to dry the ravioli. Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper and lightly dust with flour.

Arrange the ravioli in a single layer and turn them over after 10 minutes to keep the bottom from becoming soggy. After the second side dries for 10 minutes, you're ready to cook the pasta in a large pot of rapidly boiling salted water.

Fresh pasta is ready in about 2 minutes, so be sure to have your sauce prepared. To showcase the richly flavored, highly seasoned mushroom filling, top the ravioli with a simple brown butter sage sauce (see photo) and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

Mushroom Ravioli

Filling

2 T butter
1 minced shallot
1 diced porcini mushroom
6 oz diced crimini mushrooms
6 oz diced white mushrooms
2 pressed garlic cloves
1 t oregano
1 t basil
1 T minced parsley
2 T mascarpone cheese
2 T heavy cream
3 T grated Parmesan cheese
salt & pepper, to taste

Melt butter over low heat in a large skillet. Add shallot and mushrooms; cook until all the moisture is evaporated, about 10 minutes.

Stir in garlic, oregano, basil and parsley; cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Stir in mascarpone, cream and Parmesan; cook until melted and combined.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Allow to cool and store overnight in an airtight container.

Pasta

2 C all-purpose flour
3 eggs

On a clean, dry, flat surface, place flour in a pile and form a well in the middle. Crack open the eggs into the depression and use your fingers to slowly mix together the flour and eggs. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes until smooth. Cover and allow to rest for 30 minutes. Separate the dough into 3 or 4 pieces and roll each through the pasta machine, starting from the thickest setting and finishing with the thinnest.

Cut the dough into long rectangles about 4 inches wide. Place one sheet of dough on a flat surface, keeping the others covered. Along the long edge of dough, arrange mounds of filling 1 inch apart. If pasta has dried, lightly moisten with a damp pastry brush. Fold dough over filling lengthwise and gently press together, pushing out any trapped air. With a scalloped pastry wheel, cut into squares, leaving about 1/4 inch of pasta around the filling. Repeat with remaining pasta and filling. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper and lightly dust with flour. Place ravioli in a single layer, turning them over after 10 minutes. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. After the second side has dried for 10 minutes, cook the ravioli until tender, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Sauce

1 T olive oil
3 T butter
5 chopped sage leaves
sage, for garnish
grated Parmesan, for garnish

Place olive oil in a small saucepan over medium. Add butter, cooking until bubbling and golden.

Stir in sage leaves and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Drizzle sauce over ravioli; garnish with sage and Parmesan.