Pecorino, Pecan & Mushroom Ravioli, rich and decadent for a dull and uncertain January weekend. Let these intense earthy parcels transport you on pillows to pasta heaven!

Pasta-licious

For years I worked at a factory in Warrington preparing Italian ready meals. I worked a various number of shifts, the graveyard shift being the worst( 6 in the evening until 2 am the next morning) 5 days a week. Known as ‘The Pasta Factory’ this is probably the place where I gained some of my most valuable life lessons. At the time, I can honestly say I hated it. People asked me why I stayed doing something I disliked so much… I guess it came down to options – at that time I didn’t have many…

As if Warrington wasn’t bad enough I also worked in another Pasta Factory, Barton-Upon Humber near Hull… this was also grim, but not nearly so bad as the Pork Pie factory in Wellingborough…but that’s another story!

It’s fair to say I’ve moved around a lot during my life-time and whilst those long, gruelling factory night shifts were not sustainable the friendships I made in those places were. Joined together by a collective crap experience, thrown from all walks of life, stood opposite each other for 8, 12 hours solid, repeating a task really helps you understand a person and get to know what makes them tick. I learned all of my people skills on the cold, wet, concrete factory floor including my ability to make pasta, although on a somewhat scaled down version.

Now that I’m not involved in producing nearly 12 tonnes per day, I can finally face making it!  No more bulk, cheap ingredients feeding the masses, instead focusing on a few simple quality ingredients.

For me what can turn a simple pasta dish into something truly sensational depends on the cheese you choose! Skip the cheddar, go for something special.  Find a market, a deli, somewhere that sells something a little different. For this recipe, I used a black truffle based pecorino, heavy, rich, creamy and salty, Perfect to pack a punch to these delicate pasta parcels.

Best eaten with good friends in times of uncertainty, on cold, dull days when you cant see the end in sight – this helps! ( well it helps me!).

For the PASTA RECIPIE

Pecorino, Pecan & Truffle Ravioli

 

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Prep time

8 mins

Cook time

5 mins

Total time

13 mins

 

Author: Kaylie Kist

Recipe type: Pasta

Cuisine: Italian

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 60g dried porcini mushrooms
• Basil flavoured olive oil for frying and drizzling
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 150g chestnut mushrooms, half slice, half very finely chopped
• 100g ricotta
• 50g pecans
• 50g black truffle pecorino (or another type of hard Italian cheese)

Instructions

1. To prepare the filling.
2. Soak the dried porcini in 140ml freshly boiled water for 10 minutes.
3. Heat a frying pan over a medium heat with a glug of oil and fry the onion until soft
4. Add the crushed garlic and fry for 2 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, drain and finely chop the porcini (discard the soaking water), add to the pan.
6. Turn up the heat add the chopped chesnut mushrooms to the mix, fry until they start to colour.
7. Turn off the heat and cool.
8. Stir in the ricotta
9. Grate in the black truffle pecorino and bring the mixture together
10. Taste and season.
11. Using the prepared pasta, fill the parcels with the mix and rest for 5 minutes.
12. Boil a large pan of salted water, turn down to a rolling simmer
13. Carefully add the ravioli to the water and cook for 4-5 minutes (depending on size)
14. Place the pecans in a bag and crush with the end of a rolling pin
15. Add the pecans and sliced mushrooms to a hot pan, fry gently in olive oil or basil flavoured oil.
16. Carefully remove the ravioli from the boiling water( do not attemt to drain!)
17. Scatter the mushroom and peacn mix over the ravioli and drizzle a small amount of basil oil.
18. Season with pepper and the remaining grated black truffle pecorino

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