Duck & Porcini Ravioli
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 60 minutes plus resting time if making pasta from scratch
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4 people
- 200g/7.06ozs. bread flour
- 2 large eggs
- 4 cups duck meat (or any leftover meat from Christmas)
- 1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese (plus extra to sprinkle)
- 50g/1.7ozs. crumbled blue cheese (optional)
- 20g/0.7ozs. dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in hot water for 15 minutes
- 5 sticks of green spring onion
- Salt and pepper
- 150g/5ozs. butter OR duck broth*
Every time I buy or make a cooked duck I keep the carcass and cook the broken down carcass it in the pressure cooker for 30 minutes with 3 cups of water to make a broth. There's still plenty of meat on the duck too that slips off easily after pressure cooking.
Step 1 - Make the ravioli dough first (you can also buy Chinese won ton squares or rounds and use those if you don't want to make the pasta from scratch). To make the ravioli or pasta dough, with a fork mix the flour and eggs in a bowl and then knead for 10 minutes until elastic and smooth textured (or 5 or so minutes in a mixer with a dough hook) adding a little water if needed (I used about 2-3 tablespoons). Cover with cling film and rest for 1-2 hours or overnight in the fridge.
Step 2 - Make the filling by placing the duck meat, parmesan, drained porcinis and spring onion in a food processor and process until smooth (it doesn't have to be super smooth, more all chopped up and mixed). Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Step 3 - Roll out the pasta using a rolling pin on a well floured surface. You want to roll it out as thinly as possible without breaking it and ideally roll it into a rectangular-ish shape. Cut it into long strips, around 9cm/3.6inches in height.
Step 4 - Roll little balls out of the filling and place in a row with about an inch between the balls. Brush some water on the top and between the balls and fold over the pasta and press down between the balls.
Step 5 - Use a ravioli cutter to create the fluted edges. Then press out any excess air and seal the unfluted end. Make sure that the edges are sealed well (I go over them just before I pop them in the pot to cook).
Step 6 - If you are making a browned butter sauce, make the sauce first. All you have to do is heat up the butter in a frypan on medium high heat and cook it until it smells nutty and brown. Keep that ready to place the cooked ravioli in. It isn't so much of a big deal if you are using home made pasta but if you are using the Chinese wrappers they will stick together if you drain them in a colander (I learned this the hard way). Place a pot of water onto boil and cook the ravioli for 2-3 minutes and they float to the top. Remove with a slotted spoon and pan fry gently in the browned butter. Serve with grated parmigiano reggiano and freshly ground black pepper. Tip: if you are using the Chinese wrappers, pan fry them on a medium high heat in the butter and you'll get a nice crispiness to the pastry.
Step 7 - If you are making the ravioli with a broth, heat up the broth in a pot and season to taste. Cook the ravioli in the broth and then serve it with a ladleful of the broth. Serve with grated parmigiano reggiano and freshly ground black pepper.