Making home made ravioli sounds scarier than it really is, and it is without any doubt most definitely worth the effort. Just imagining that this has been for centuries the every day activity for thousands of warmhearted Italian Mamas, makes me already feel encouraged to roll my sleeves and give it a try. What could be that difficult?

Making the pasta dough, is no issue at all. Soft and silky, it is indeed prepared for less then 15 minutes and is no challenge at all. Rolling the pasta tough however, without a special equipment could be posing more of a difficulty as its elasticity is making the dough shrink back in after every rolling attempt to keep it stretched to paper thin proportions. Once this has been mastered, the remaining steps of the ravioli making processes are extremely easy to follow.

Home made pasta takes loving care and inevitably good will and time, but nothing compares to the variety of delicious dishes and flavours that could be combined together as a result. Like these shiitake mushroom ravioli served with fresh parsley mushroom broth and drizzled with truffle oil – beautiful, earthy-rich, mouth-watering dish ready to be served in snowy winter nights, seated close to the cracking warm fire.

Ingredients

For the ravioli filling

• 2 tablespoons oil
• 200g minced meat
• 1 carrot, finely chopped
• 1 rib celery, finely chopped
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup of shiitake mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp finely shopped fresh thyme, rosmarin and parsley
• 1 cup of beef stock
• salt and pepper

For the shiitake mushroom parsley broth

• 2 teaspoons oil
• 1 cup shiitake mushrooms thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1 cup of beef stock
• salt and pepper

For the ravioli

• 3 eggs
• 300g plain flour
• 1 tbsp truffle oil

Method

1. To make the ravioli dough: Sift the flour in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and the truffle oil. By hand, make a well in the center of the flour mix and dump the egg mixture. Working from the outside in with your hands or a large spoon, gather the flour over the eggs and work your way in until all the flour mix and liquids are mixed in. Gather the dough into a ball and use right away or keep well wrapped in the fridge until ready.

2. To make the ravioli feeling: In a medium saucepan, heat the oil and add the onion, carrot and celery stirring for about five minutes until softened. Add the minced meat and continue stirring for 8-10 minutes until the pink meat and changed colour and has become dark. Add the mushrooms and continue cooking for additional three to five minutes, seasoning with salt and paper and adding the beef stock and fresh herbs. Once cooked, take the pan from the heat and let it cool before filling in the ravioli.

3. To make the shiitake mushroom parsley broth: In a medium saucepan, heat the oil and saute the shiitake and garlic for a couple of minutes, add the parsley and the stock. Turn the heat down to low and simmer for about 30 minutes. Keep warm or reheat when ready to serve.

4. To make the ravioli: Cut the ravioli dough into two pieces, placing one piece over floured working surface, and keeping the other wrapped in the cling film. If you are making the dough by hand, roll each ball as thin as you can in between sheets of plastic wrap or parchment paper. Cut the rolled out pasta into disks using cookie cutters. Add about 2 teaspoons of the meat filling in the middle. Brush the edge of the disk with a little water and place another disk right on top, press down and drimp the edges with a fork. Place the ravioli over a floured surface and cover with damp tea towel to keep the pasta from drying until ready for boiling. Place a large stock pot of salted water over high heat and bring to a boil, add the ravioli and cook 4 to 5 minutes. Remove them with a slotted spoons and place in a serving dish.

5. Reheat the shiitake parsley sauce if necessary, pour it over the ravioli, drizzling over with truffle oil and serve.

Spring is a special season. Its tender freshness carries all the promises of a new beginning. The light, the first green leaves, the first delicate flowers, the first bird songs, all reach out to the summer celebrating the new life, the new day, the new season. Yet, while all creation longs for the coming spring, winter lingers in releasing its commanding grip and for a while we enjoy the two. Spring gently pulls the sleeves of our winter jackets and whispers in youthful cheerfulness “I am here”, while Winter proudly walks on the earth with her hand tugged underneath one of our arms whispering “I will never leave you”. And we smile at one and we bow to the other, walking together with the two, thankful for their beautify and presence in our lives.

This mushroom tagliatelle dish is a celebration of the crossing over from winter to spring. The depth and the earthiness of the mushrooms and the comforting richness of the pork, contrasted with the delicate flavour of the fresh thyme leafs tastes like the blissful caress of two kisses, one from winter and one from spring, both placed at the same time on each cheek.

Ingredients

• Tagliatelle
• 10g cooking butter
• 250g chesnut mushrooms (cut into pieces)
• 250g speck
• a handful of fresh thyme
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of black pepper
• 150g cream cheese (like Philadelphia, for example)
• 50g cream

Method

1. Heat plenty of water adding a pintch of salt and a few droplets of olive oil. Once the water is boling add the tagliatelle and let them boil. Usually, depending on the description on the package, they should be ready between 12-15 minutes.

2. On a medium heat, melt the butter in a  pan and add the muchtooms. Let them soften for 5-6 minutes and when ready take them out, preserving all the liquid the mushrooms have released and set them aside in a separate dish.

3. In the same pan add the speck and let it gradually become golden brown. Should any fat be released, take it out of the pan. Whinin 6-10 minutes the speck should be ready.  Add the mushrooms together with their liquid in the pan together with the speck and mix well. Add the cream cheese and the fresh cream until a smoth sauce has been formed absorbing all the flavours. Season with salt and pepper and add the fresh thyme leafs.

4. Ones the tagliatelle has boild, drain the water and add the tagliatelle to the pan containing the muchroom, speck and cream sauce. Season each plate with addtional fresh thyme leaves.