Autumn ravioli & pinot mushrooms
If I remember only one thing about the wine classes that I’m taking at Banville & Jones, it will be that Pinot Noir & mushrooms are a match made in heaven! Flavia, one of the sommeliers teaching my classes is so passionate about this delectable fact! And never have I believe it more until I made my a duo of ravioli, filled with sweet potato & butternut squash covered in a Pinot Noir mushroom sauce. I prepared this dish last Saturday for my Gourmet Club‘s Autumn Harvest Dinner. [Full review to be posted shortly]Inspired by three different recipes, I pulled together the elements from each that really spoke to me, and I created a cohesive autumnal dish. For the ravioli, I looked to recipes from Saveur as well as Williams Sonoma. I couldn’t decide whether I wanted to make sweet potato or butternut squash filled ravioli, so I made both! I opted for the wonton wrapper version of ravioli instead of fresh pasta, although I can promise you, there will be homemade pasta found on my blog at some point in time. But for this recipe, the wonton wrappers were ideal as it let me focus on the flavours of the fillings. So I took my time slow roasting the squash and the potatoes in the oven, then mixing the purées together with the chosen seasonings. And then one by one I carefully filled each of the wrappers to create a perfect little ravioli. And since I made far too much filling for the dish that evening, the next day I ended up filling and wrapping 6 dozen more and freezing them for future use.
Equipment
- 1 oven
- 1 baking sheet
- 1 skillet
Ingredients
Sweet Potato & Butternut Squash Fillings
- 1 large butternut squash
- 2 medium sweet potatoes
- extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon for each mixture
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg for each mixture
- 1 tsp sea salt for each mixture
- cracked black pepper to taste
- 30-60 large wonton wrappers
- 1 egg lightly beated
Pinot Noir Mushroom Sauce
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 shallots minced
- 1 pound of oyster & cremini mushrooms trimmed and sliced
- leaves from 2 fresh thyme sprigs
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup Pinot Noir [I used the Santa Barbara Pinot Noir]
- 1/4 cup reserved beef broth
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
Instructions
Sweet Potato & Butternut Squash Fillings
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Carefully cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise, drizzle with olive oil and place face down on a baking sheet.
- Pierce the sweet potatoes several times and place on baking sheet next to squash.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes, then remove the butternut squash and set aside to cool to touch.
- If the potatoes are still firm when poking through, continue baking until tender.
- Then remove as well and cool to touch.
- Remove each fillings from their shells, puree through a food mill and place in respective bowls.
- Seasong with cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and pepper with the same amount for each mixture. Place a dollop of filling onto each wonton wrapper, brush lightly with the egg wash along the edges then fold and press to close.
- Voila, ravioli!
Pinot Noir Mushroom Sauce
- Place a clean skillet over medium heat.
- Add the butter and a 2-count drizzle of oil.
- When the butter starts to foam, add the shallots and saute for 2 minutes to soften.
- Add the mushrooms and thyme; season with salt and pepper.
- Stir everything together for a few minutes.
- Add the red wine, stirring to scrape up any stuck bits; then cook and stir to evaporate the alcohol.
- When the wine is almost all gone, add the reserved beef juices.
- Let the liquid cook down and then take it off the heat.
- Stir in the cream and chives, and season with salt and pepper.
- Place 4-6 ravioli in a pot of salted boiling water and cook for about 2 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon to drain.
- Plate 4-6 raviolis per plate and cover with the pinot mushroom sauce.
- Garnish with fresh chives and enjoy!
Video
Notes
As for the sauce, I adapted Chef Tyler Florence‘s recipe for Red Wine and Wild Mushroom Sauce, substituting the Cabernet Sauvignon for the famed Pinot Noir to dance with my oyster mushrooms. The only words I have are “Oh My God”! Or should I say “Oh My Devil”? One of my most favourite aromas that can waft through a kitchen is the moment when you splash wine into your pan of sautéed butter, onions & mushrooms and all the intoxicating flavours escape and embrace your sense of smell. As mentioned in a previous post this week, the oyster mushrooms were to make quite the appearance in this recipe. They paired so perfectly well with the Santa Barbara Pinot Noir from California that it truly felt like a symphony on my palate. It just felt right. It was like these two ingredients were destined for courtship. Don’t believe me, try it for yourself…I promise you, they won’t disappoint. I hope you get the chance to try this combination of balanced and harmonious autumn inspired ingredients and flavours.