Apr 4

Apr 4 Sweet Potato and Walnut Ravioli with Garlic Brown Butter Sauce

Fresh pasta made with pantry staples and filled with whatever you have on hand.

The fresh pasta recipe is found in Katie and Giancarlo Caldesi’s, “The Long and the Short of Pasta: A collection of treasured Italian dishes.”

The backstory

Yes. The idea of homemade pasta has been v romanticized. And although you might think it’s not for you, hear me out. It IS easier than you think. Will it take longer than your average home-cooked meal? Yes. Is it worth it? Mhmm.

My favorite part about making my own pasta is that it inspires me to be creative. This ravioli is a perfect example of that. Keep in mind, I concocted this on week three of quarantine. So, I didn’t have extravagant ingredients. All I had was my pantry staples and the hearty produce I picked up the week prior - hence, sweet potatoes. To me, sweet potatoes and walnuts made sense, and I was lucky enough to have some tucked away in my pantry. The garlic brown butter sauce was the best I could come up with from what I had on hand. It reminded me of Old Spaghetti Factory’s Brown Butter and Mizithra Cheese pasta I loved as a kid.

The key is to make your fresh pasta and roll it out as thin as you can. I rolled it to setting 7 on my KitchenAid pasta attachment. From there, lay one sheet of pasta flat. Dot the filling along the middle, I did one generous spoonful, making sure to leave about 3” in between each dot. Lay another sheet of pasta over your dots and press out as much air as possible. Continue to carefully press and seal. Let the ravioli take its shape before cutting into individual pieces.

In no way do I claim the recipe I used for fresh pasta. You can find it in Katie and Giancarlo Caldesi’s, The Long and the Short of Pasta: A collection of treasured Italian dishes. Available on Amazon for $5.99 (!). No. Brainer.

The recipe

Sweet Potato and Walnut Ravioli (filling)
Makes about 16 ravioli
Serves 2-4
Time: About 25 minutes

Tip: Before boiling your sweet potatoes, cut a ring around the middle of each potato. This will make it easier to remove the skins.

Ingredients:
1.5 lb sweet potato
4 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 cup walnuts
1 tbsp whole milk or whipping cream

Instructions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the sweet potatoes for 13-15 minutes, until you can stick a chopstick through them easily.

Strain the sweet potatoes and run them under cold water for quicker cooling. Remove the skins and place the cooked sweet potato in a food processor.

In a small sauce pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and seasonings. Cook until garlic browns, 4-6 minutes.

Transfer the browned garlic olive oil mixture to the food processor, add the walnuts and cream. Pulse until all is blended together. Make sure to taste and season as you go.

Your filling is done.

Garlic Brown Butter Sauce
Ingredients:
4 tbsp unsalted butter
3 cloves of garlic
salt
pepper
Italian seasoning
chili flakes

Instructions:
Melt the butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat.

Add the minced garlic and seasonings as you like. Go to town, don’t be shy. Just keep tasting along the way.

Let the butter and garlic begin to brown, 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat before the garlic turns black.

Drizzle over cooked ravioli just before serving.

Instructions for cooking your ravioli:
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.

Once the pot is at a rolling boil, spoon in your ravioli, 4-6 at a time, allowing them to swim freely.

Once the ravioli float to the top, after 3-4 minutes, remove from water with a slotted spoon. Repeat until all ravioli are cooked.