July 1, 2013

Ricotta Ravioli with Blueberry Pan Sauce

I had a childhood friend whose father went to a candy trade show every year and got to take home tons of the hottest new candy for her.  I loved candy so much that I had a candy wrapper collection in a shoebox, so naturally I was incredibly jealous of my friend and wished that I could go to a place filled with free candy.  Last week, the adult version of my childhood wish came true in the form of an invitation to Brooklyn Eats, a food and beverage trade show which supports Brooklyn’s food manufacturers and businesses.  I got to sample chocolate, jerky, cookies, sauces, jams, wraps, pastas and hors devours.  Needless to say, I didn’t need lunch that day.

Speaking of lunch and fun food experiences, there’s a pasta workshop in the building where I work and last week, I was lucky enough to be invited to sample a ravioli they’ve been working on.  These ravioli were the creamiest I’ve ever had and were served with a hot blueberry pan sauce which was strange but brilliant.

The sauce wasn’t as sweet as I had expected; instead it was buttery and salty with a mild sweetness that was tamed by the cheesy filling of the ravioli.  I ate each cheese-filled pillow slowly, cutting them into quarters which I dragged through the dark blue, buttery berry stain before eating it.  Hungry yet?  Go get the fattest, creamiest, freshest ravioli you can find and try out my version of this unique summer dish.

RECIPE 

Makes 2 servings

12-16 fresh ricotta-filled ravioli (the fattest and creamiest you can find)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
Coarse Salt

1.  Drop the ravioli into a pot of well-salted boiling water and set a timer for the cooking time indicated on the package.

2.  Meanwhile, heat the olive oil and butter in a large saute pan.  Once it starts to bubble, add in the blueberries and cook for a couple minutes until the blueberries start to melt a little. 

3.  When the ravioli are done, lift them out of the water with a slotted spoon, not letting them drain too much (a little bit of pasta water will add thickness to the pan sauce), and add them to the pan sauce.  Toss them around carefully, allowing them to get coated and to cook in the sauce for a minute. 

4.  Sample the pan sauce; it should be slightly sweet.  If it’s too sweet, add more olive oil and butter to taste.  Add salt to taste.

5.  Serve immediately with extra cheese on top.

 

6 comments:

  1. I am totally intrigued by this. Looks magical, but I can't quite put my finger on the taste. I think I'll have to try it.

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  2. Hi Sarah! It's definitely a unique dish. Use great butter and raviolis and it should turn out wonderfully! Love your site by the way!

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  3. Oh no, I pressed the wrong button and removed the above comment from anonymous which was awesome! I meant to hit "reply". Whoever it was, please feel free to post again. So glad you liked this recipe!

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  4. I tried this with ready made ravioli from the store and used a frozen berry mix since I didn't have access to fresh blueberries at the time being...but it still turned out pretty good. I'm planning on making it again, but do you think it would taste good with goat cheese ravioli rather than a ricotta cheese one?

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  5. Hi Anonymous, thanks for trying out this recipe! I think fruit goes very well with most mild cheeses, so I think a goat cheese ravioli might work. I'd say try a bite of the ravioli with a little sauce first and see how it goes. And keep me posted!

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  6. Thank you for this recipe! I made it to accompany our ravioli tonight as I always enjoy something different than the usual pasta!

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