Ricotta Ravioli with porcini mushrooms

Duration: 1 h 30 min

Difficulty:  Medium

Origin: Abruzzo

Ricotta ravioli with porcini mushrooms is a very popular recipe in Abruzzo. Thanks to the numerous woods and the suitable climate in autumn the tables of the Abruzzo people are enriched with delicious mushrooms. Among the many recipes that include mushrooms, one of these uses them as a condiment with delicious sheep’s ricotta ravioli, typical of the Abruzzo areas.

 Wine Pairing: Controguerra Bianco DOC

Ingredients

Doses for 4 people:

Ingredients for the ravioli sheet:

• 400 g of flour
• 1 Egg
• 1 glass of water
• salt

Ingredients for the ravioli filling:

• 400 g of sheep’s ricotta
• 60 g of grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• 1 bunch of Parsley
• salt

Ingredients for mushroom sauce:

• 500 g of Porcini Mushrooms
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 glass of wine
• 1 bunch of Parsley
• Black truffle (optional)
• Extra virgin olive oil
• salt

How to Proceed

First we prepare the dough for the ravioli.

Prepare a pastry board and arrange the flour on it, forming a well with a hollow in the centre. Shell an egg in the center, add a pinch of salt and a glass of water. Begin kneading gently at first so as not to let all the water and egg escape, but to gradually incorporate them into the flour. Once incorporated, begin to knead vigorously in order to increasingly obtain greater elasticity in the dough.

Then once you have the right consistency, form a ball, wrap it in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for at least half an hour.

Let’s use this time to prepare the filling. Take a bowl and add the sifted ricotta inside (I use a potato masher). Then add a pinch of salt. Grated Parmigiano Reggiano and finely chopped parsley leaves. (if you like, add a little nutmeg). Mix well until all the ingredients are well combined.

Once the time has passed, take the dough out of the fridge, remove the transparent film and on the floured pastry board prepare a sheet of about 1 mm thick. Place nice portions of the ricotta mixture on top of it in the bowl, about 6-7 cm apart from each other. Then cut circles around these portions of filling using a knife. Fold into a crescent shape, make the edges adhere well by pressing with your fingers, then go over the edge with a toothed wheel, this will increase the adhesion of the dough to the edges.

Once the ravioli are ready, arrange them on a tray, taking care to dust them with durum wheat semolina so as not to let them stick together and to keep them dry.

Now let’s think about preparing the mushroom sauce.

Take the mushrooms, remove the lower, hard part of the stem and wash them delicately (they spoil easily) to remove the earth and other impurities. Then dry them gently again and cut them into small pieces.

Take a pan, add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, add a chopped clove of garlic, a chilli pepper and pieces of mushrooms. Sauté the mushrooms well for the necessary time. When they are well browned, add a glass of white wine (it shouldn’t have too strong a flavour) and let it evaporate. Add a pinch of salt and then at the end of cooking, add the finely chopped parsley leaves.

In the meantime, boil a pan full of water. Add salt and then pour in the ricotta ravioli. Once cooked, do not drain them but pick them up with a slotted spoon (so as not to ruin them) and pour them directly into the hot pan where the mushrooms are. Sauté the ricotta ravioli for a few minutes, adding a pinch of pepper.

Add a grating of black truffle (optional) and serve the ricotta and mushroom ravioli piping hot.