If you've a few chestnuts left over from Christmas, our kitchen garden cook Melanie Johnson is here to help. This is her recipe for chestnut-and-mushroom ravioli with beurre noisette and sage.
Chestnuts are a versatile and delicious ingredient, as Melanie Johnson demonstrates brilliantly with her impressive chestnut-and-mushroom ravioli with beurre noisette and sage (below) or roasted pumpkin with whipped feta and chestnuts side dish.
For the latter, roast olive oil-coated, even-sized pieces of pumpkin in a hot oven until caramelised. Arrange on a serving plate and spoon over whipped feta made by processing the cheese with a dollop of Greek yoghurt, a splash of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon and fresh herbs. Finish with a scattering of toasted, chopped chestnuts.
Recipe: Chestnut-and-mushroom ravioli with beurre noisette and sage
Ingredients
Serves 4
For the pasta
- 400g of 00 flour (pizza/pasta-grade)
- 4 eggs
- 2tbspn olive oil
For the filling
- 2 cloves garlic, diced
- 1 shallot, diced
- 300g mushrooms, diced
- 300g chestnuts, roasted and peeled
- 100g ricotta
- 50g Parmesan, grated
- 1 sprig rosemary, leaves chopped
- 2 sprigs thyme, leaves chopped
To finish
- 100g butter
- Fresh sage leaves
- Parmesan, to shave over
Method
Put the flour on a clean work surface and make a well in the centre for the eggs and olive oil. Using a fork, gently whisk them, gradually incorporating the surrounding flour. Knead the dough lightly until smooth, wrap with clingfilm and rest for 30 minutes.
To make the filling, heat a splash of olive oil in a large frying pan. Fry the garlic and shallot until soft and then add the chopped mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms have released their moisture. Add the mushroom mixture, chestnuts, ricotta, Parmesan and herbs to a processor and process until smooth.
Roll out the dough into sheets and place teaspoons of the filling on half, leaving space in between to make the ravioli. Brush a wet finger around the edges of the filling, before placing a second sheet of pasta carefully on top, trying to not get any air trapped. With a cutter press out the ravioli. Toss the ravioli in flour or semolina so they don’t stick to one another and store in freezer bags until ready to cook.
To cook the ravioli, drop them into boiling salted water and simmer for two to four minutes until the pasta is done, then drain.
To make the beurre noisette, melt the butter in a pan over a medium heat and keep heating until it browns. Add a few sage leaves and then spoon the browned butter over the ravioli. Top with shavings of Parmesan and serve for a deliciously autumnal dinner-party starter or kitchen supper.
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