Mushroom & Spinach Ravioli with Chive Butter Sauce

Mushroom & Spinach Ravioli with Chive Butter Sauce (from AllRecipes, 6 servings, 2.5 hours)

Ingredients

Ravioli

• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1 ½ Tbsp. water, or more if needed
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, or more if needed
• ¼ tsp. salt

Filling

• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ½ cup chopped onion
• 1 (8 oz.) package fresh mushrooms, coarsely chopped
• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• ½ cup mozzarella cheese
• ½ cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley (I used ¼ tsp. dried parsley)
• ½ tsp. ground cayenne pepper
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 egg white, beaten

Sauce

• 3 Tbsp. butter
• 1 ½ tsp. chopped fresh chives

Directions

1. Whisk together olive oil, water, and whole eggs in a bowl until evenly blended; set aside.
2. Combine flour and salt in a separate large bowl, and make a well in the center. Pour the egg mixture into the well and stir just until combined.
3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, 5-10 minutes, adding more flour or water as needed. Wrap dough tightly with plastic wrap, and set aside to rest.
4. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the garlic and onion; cook and stir until the onion begins to soften, about 2 minutes.
5. Add the mushrooms, and continue cooking and stirring until the vegetables are soft and the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and allow to cool.
6. Beat cream cheese in a bowl until smooth. Stir in the cooled mushroom mixture, Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, spinach, chives, parsley, and cayenne pepper. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Using a pasta roller, roll pasta sheets to 1/16 inch. Cut 3- to 4-inch circles using a large cookie or biscuit cutter.  Working with one circle at a time, brush the pasta lightly with the egg white. Scoop about 1 heaping tablespoon full of the mushroom filling onto the center of the pasta, then cover with a second piece of pasta, pinching the edges to seal. Place the finished ravioli on a floured baking sheet, and repeat the process with the remaining pasta and filling. Do not stack the ravioli, they will stick together.
8. Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the ravioli and return to a boil. Cook until the pasta floats to the top, 3-4 minutes; drain.
9. To make sauce: Melt butter in a skillet over high heat, cooking and stirring until browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Allow butter to cool slightly, then stir in chives. Serve over hot ravioli.

I was feeling quite ambitious when I made this dish, which is good because it is a bit more work than I am used to, but the end product is worth it.  My husband and I both loved this dish!  The dough was easy to work with and had a slightly chewy texture after it was cooked.  The brown butter sauce adhered nicely to the pasta.  The filling was creamy and cheesy, but the veggies add some color to it, which is pleasing to the eye.  I did have some filling leftover because I only had about ½ Tbsp. in the first few raviolis – I didn’t want to overfill them and then have the cheese mixture seeping out the sides.  If you fill them just right, each bite has a great taste of pasta, cheese, and brown butter!

I have never made brown butter sauce before, so I was a little nervous about burning it, luckily, didn’t burn the sauce, but I did fry the chives.  Be sure that you let the butter cool prior to adding the chives.