From:
Peter loves this one. So do I. The recipe will serve 4 as an entree or 6 – 8 as an appetizer. I found this cookbook in a used bookstore in San Francisco. I bought it because the photos were so beautiful. It has become my go-to cookbook for outstanding vegetarian recipes. This and the Herbed Vegetable Cakes are two recipes I’ve made over and over again.
Ingredients
Pasta (I use Potsticker or Wonton wrappers)
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Filling
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 pound wild mushrooms (a variety is nice, chantrelles, oyster, shiitake), washed, drained and chopped
- 1 shallot minced
- salt and freshly ground pepper
Sauce
- 1 small bunch of chervil (1/2 cup loosely packed) (or 1 tsp dried)
- 1 bunch of flat leaf parsley (1 cup loosely packed)
- 1 bunch of curly parsley (1 cup loosely packed)
- 4 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- freshly ground pepper
Directions
Prepare the pasta: Place flour, salt, egg yolks, oil and 3 tablespoons of water in a food processor and process until the dough is smooth and forms a ball. Add a little more water if the mixture is too dry. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour. Alternatively, use pre-made won ton or potsticker wrappers.
Prepare the filling: Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a medium sauté pan. Add mushrooms and cook over medium high heat until the begin to give off liquid, about 3 minutes. Pour into a sieve and drain. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a medium sauté pan; add shallot. Cook slowly over low heat, stirring often, until almost soft, about 5 minutes. Add drained mushrooms and heat through. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Prepare the Ravioli: Cut pasta dough into 2 equal pieces. Using a pasta machine, roll out 1 piece as thin as possible. Place 1/2 teaspoon mounds of filling mixture 1 inch apart on the rolled-out pasta. Moisten exposed spaces around the filling mounds with a pastry brush. Roll out second piece of dough to the same shape and thickness. Gently place on top. With flat side of you thumb, press sheets of dough together, working around the mounds. Cut the ravioli with a 2 inch cookie cutter or a sharp knife. Place on a kitchen towel and cover with another towel.
Prepare the Sauce: Fill a medium saucepan three-fourths full with water and bring to a boil. Add a pinch of salt. Meanwhile, wash fresh herbs in cold water and plunge into boiling water. Cook for 5 minutes, remove from heat and let cool in the liquid for 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer cooked herbs to a food processor. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons cooking liquid and dried chervil if you couldn’t get fresh and process until smooth. Remove to a small saucepan. Bring sauce to a boil. Slowly add chilled butter, a piece at a time, whisking constantly. Add vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste.
To Serve: Bring salted water to a boil in a large pot. Cook ravioli for 3 minutes, remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Pour a small amount of sauce on each of 4 individual serving plates and carefully place cooked ravioli in a star pattern on top. Serve at once.
Notes
I can never find fresh chervil, so I use an extra bunch of flat leaf parsley and add a tablespoon of dried chervil when pureeing the mixture