Recipe: Wildebeest’s Vacche Rosse raviole

With all the rain in the forecast, there’s nothing like a rich pasta to make you feel cozy inside.

Today we’re joined by chef Ian McHale from Vancouver’s Wildebeest restaurant, with a recipe to help you elevate plain old pasta to something that will wow your guests.

Follow along for his recipe for Vacche Rosse ravioli with mushroom consommé, garlic puree, spruce tips and pickled mushrooms.

Ingredients

Saffron Water

• 500ml hot water
• 1g saffron

Ravioli Filling

• 250g Vacche Rosse Parmesan (finely chopped)
• 100g all-purpose flour
• 100g unsalted butter (diced)
• 1L milk

Ravioli Dough 

• 500g 00 flour
• 130g egg yolk
• 125g saffron water (see recipe above)
• 2.5g Kosher salt
• 7.5g olive oil

Mushroom Broth (makes 2L)

• 2 large onions (sliced)
• 1 leek (roughly chopped)
• ½ lb. Cremini mushrooms (finely chopped)
• ½ lb. Portobello mushrooms (finely chopped)
• 6 garlic cloves (crushed)
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• Soy sauce (to taste)

Garlic Puree

• 100g garlic (peeled)
• 250ml heavy whipping cream

Spruce Tip Oil

• 1Tbsp. spruce tip
• 100ml canola oil
• A handful of spinach

Pickled Mushrooms

• 100ml sherry vinegar
• 100g caster sugar
• 100ml Madeira
• 100g Shmeiji mushrooms

Method

Safron water

1. Add saffron to hot water.
2. Allow to steep for minimum one hour.

Ravioli Filling

1. In a heavy bottomed pot melt butter.
2. Once butter is melted, whisk in flour to make a blonde roux.
3. Cook roux out for two minutes, whisking repeatedly.
4. Slowly add cold milk in two to four stages until mixture has a thick, smooth consistency.
5. Remove from heat and whisk in the Vacche Rosse cheese.
6. Once incorporated, blend until smooth in a blender.
7. Remove and leave to cool overnight with parchment on top.
8. The next day, add ravioli filling to piping bags.

Ravioli Dough 

1. Combine dried ingredients by hand or with mixer.
2. Slowly incorporate the wet ingredients until a dough forms.
3. At this point, the dough should stretch in your hand and fold over itself without breaking. If it looks “crumby” add a small bit more of the saffron water.
4. Roll out pasta dough until you can see your hand through the other side of the dough.
5. Cut dough in half and reserve other side for top of ravioli.
6. Pipe ravioli filling (see recipe above) onto dough to your required size.
7. Place top sheet of dough and punch with a ravioli punch.
8. Place onto a tray dusted with semolina or flour and place in fridge until ready to cook.

Mushroom Broth

1. In a heavy bottomed pot, caramelized the onions, leeks and garlic.
2. Add thyme and mushrooms.
3. Cover with water and simmer for two to four hours.
4. Remove mushroom broth from heat and pass into another pot.
5. Reduce until you are happy with the intensity of mushroom flavour.
6. Season to taste with soy.

Garlic Puree

1. Add garlic to pot, cover with water and bring to a boil.
2. Repeat the process seven times, straining and then adding fresh water each time.
3. Once you have strained the last batch of water, cover the garlic with heavy whipping cream.
4. Reduce cream by exactly half.
5. Blend until smooth.

Spruce Tip Oil

1. Add spruce tip, spinach and oil to blender and blend on high until the oil splits.
2. Let hang in cheesecloth and then place clarified oil in bottle.

Pickled Mushrooms

1. Incorporate all ingredients except the mushrooms in a sauce pot and bring to boil.
2. In a separate heat-proof container add mushrooms.
3. Once pickling liquid has come to boil pour over mushrooms.
4. Reserve until ready to use.

Complete the dish

1. Bring a sauce pot filled with heavily seasoned water to a boil.
2. Add raviolis to boiling water and cook for 90 seconds then remove.
3. In a separate pot, bring mushroom broth to a boil and add your choice of wild mushrooms.
4. Add mushroom broth to a shallow bowl along with your ravioli.
5. Pipe dots of garlic puree into bowl and generously drizzle the spruce tip oil.
6. Finish with the pickled mushrooms and – if you’re feeling fancy – some freshly shaved truffle!

Find more Global BC recipes here