Ravioli with Zucchini and Lemon Thyme | Print This Recipe

Yield: 10 appetizers or 5 main course portions

Ravioli Stuffing

• Olive oil 1 Tbsp/15 mL
• Finely chopped shallot 2 Tbsp/30 mL
• Zucchini, seeded and cut into brunoise (skin on) 2 cups/480 mL
• Leeks, white and pale green parts only, washed and cut into brunoise 3/4 cup/180 mL
• Parsley chiffonade 1 Tbsp/15 mL
• Chopped mint 2 Tbsp/30 mL
• Chopped lemon thyme (may substitute lemon verbena) 1 1/2 tsp/7.5 mL
• Fresh goat cheese log 8 oz/227 g
• Ricotta impastata 8 oz/227 g
• Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano 1 cup/240 mL
• Eggs, beaten 2 ea
• Kosher salt as needed
• Freshly ground black pepper as needed

Fresh Pasta Dough

• 00 flour 13 oz/369 g
• Semolina durum flour 3 oz/85 g
• Large eggs 4 ea
• Olive oil 2 Tbsp/30 mL
• Salt 1/2 oz/14 g
• Warm water as needed

Assembly

• Vegetable or chicken stock, homemade or low-sodium 2 cups/480 mL
• Ravioli 60 ea
• Butter 4 oz/113 g
• Small zucchini, split lengthwise, seeded, and cut into 1/4 in/6 mm crescents 1 lb/454 g
• Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano 1 cup /240 mL
• Roughly chopped parsley 1/2 cup/120 mL
• Salt as needed
• Ground black pepper as needed

1. For the stuffing: In a large sauté pan over low heat, add the oil and sweat the shallots until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the zucchini and leeks and cook until just tender, about 3 more minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the herbs. Allow to cool to room temperature.
2. Combine the cheeses and the eggs in a large bowl. Gently mix the zucchini mixture into the 3 cheeses. Season the mixture with salt and pepper.
3. For the pasta dough: Add the flour to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook or a food processor with a dough blade. Mix the eggs, olive oil, salt, and water together and pour the mixture into the bowl. Start mixing on first speed or pulse in the food processor until combined. Mix the dough until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl and is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes for the mixer or 2 to 3 minutes for the food processor. Remove the dough from the bowl and let it rest, covered in plastic wrap, for at least a half hour.
4. Roll the pasta dough into very thin (about #7 on a pasta machine) strips 5 in/13 cm wide. Cover the strips with a damp towel or plastic wrap until ready to stuff them. Do not lay the strips on top of each other unless they are well dusted with semolina flour.
5. Make the ravioli with one teaspoon of filling each. To make round ravioli, place the filling close enough to the bottom of the pasta strip that you can fold the top half over and cut with a 2-in/5-cm round cutter. Pick up each piece and gently squeeze the edges to seal them. For half-moon ravioli, the pasta strips can be narrower, still folded over and cut with a round cutter. Make sure to squeeze out any air bubbles while sealing them, otherwise the ravioli may burst while being boiled.
6. Bring 2 qt/1.92 L of water to a boil in a 3-qt/2.88-L saucepan. Add 1/4 cup salt and blanch the zucchini crescents, drain, and then shock in ice water. Drain and hold aside until needed.
7. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water liberally and add the ravioli. Meanwhile, in a sauté pan, heat the vegetable stock over medium heat until steaming. Mount the butter into the stock and reduce to a sauce consistency, about 5 minutes. When the ravioli float to the top of the cooking water, after 4 to 5 minutes, drain with a colander or large strainer, reserving about 1 cup of the cooking water to thin the sauce with, if necessary. Add the blanched zucchini and ravioli to the sauté pan that the sauce is in. Stir the grated cheese and parsley into the sauce and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary.
8. Place ravioli into the serving bowl, and spoon the sauce over the ravioli.

Recipe taken from: Guide to Cheese Identification, Classification, and Utilization