The second day of Christmas - ravioli stuffing and more

On day 1 I am going to prepare the ravioli, but as I have planned a mushroom broth on day 2, we´ll be very efficient and prepare two things at a time. NB I won´t give you a recipe for pasta dough for there are millions to be found.

Base:

25 gr. of dried porcini

500 gr. of fresh, mixed mushrooms

Fresh thyme and sage

Soak the porcini in tepid water for half an hour and then squeeze them gently and dry them.

Don´t throw away the water, it will be used for the broth.

Clean the mushrooms with kitchen paper, remove the stems but don´t throw them away. Cut them into slices and pieces.

Divide the porcini and the mushrooms in two parts and put one part aside.

Ravioli-filling, day 1:

1 shallot, chopped into very small pieces

The first part of the mushrooms and porcini, chopped a little smaller

1 spoonfull of olive oil

salt, pepper

1 small glass of white wine

grated parmesan, ca. 2 spoons

Chop the thyme and sage really small.

Fry the shallot in the olive oil at moderate fire until it´s soft. Add the mushrooms and the herbs and fry them until they´re slightly brown. Add the wine, make it boil and then lower the fire. Let evaporate all liquids completely. Remove the pan from the fire. Then add salt and pepper and the grated parmesan, mix well and let it cool down.

Prepare the pasta dough (you can find recipes everywhere) and make the ravioli by putting a small spoon of the filling on it, cover it and cut it into regular pieces.

Mushroom broth, day 2:

1 carrot, chopped

1 onion or shallot, chopped

The second part of the mushrooms

2 shallots, chopped

1 garlic glove, pressed

Fresh twigs of rosemary, parsley, celery and the thyme and sage from the base

salt and pepper

olive oil

Use the stems you have put aside before. Make a bouquet garni from the other half of the thyme, sage, parsley, celery and rosemary. Put the stems, carrot, onion, the porcini water and the bouquet garni in a pan, add water (about 1 liter), salt and pepper. Make it boil, then lower the heat and let it simmer for at least half an hour. Pour the broth through a sieve.

Fry the onion and garlic in the olive oil at a moderate heat, until they´re light brown. Add the broth and make it boil again, the add the mushrooms. Lower the fire and let it cook for 10 more minutes.

You can add a broth cube, e.g. Porcini, but it´s not necessary.  

Pasta boscaiola

Typical for my blog recipes: another one that can be made in a simple or an extended version. The best thing about this dish is that it can be cooked in many ways, all tasty.

It is an autumn dish, but considering the weatherforecast for the coming up weekend you may be happy with this recipe.

Ingredients for the simple version:

• 3 spoons of olive oil extra vergine
• 2 sausages
• 250 grams of mushrooms (mixed)
• 1 onion
• 1 glass of dry white wine (I use Soave)
• fresh sage (or dried if you don´t owe a herbgarden)
• fresh thyme twigs (or dried)
• salt, pepper
• parmesan
• 300 gr. short pasta like pennette

Chop the onion. Clean the mushrooms with kitchen paper and cut them into slices.

Remove the skin from the sausages and cut the stuffing into pieces. Chop the sage. Leave the thyme as it is.

Heat the oil at middle heat. Fry the onion until light brown, add the mushrooms and fry them for a few minutes. Add the sausage stuffing and stir until light brown. Lower the heat, add the wine and turn up the heat again. Let it boil for a minute, then lower the heat.

Add the herbs, salt and pepper, cover the pan and let the sauce simmer at low heat.

Cook the pasta al dente and pour it.

Remove the thyme twigs from the sauce and mix the sauce with the pasta. Serve with grated parmesan.

For the extended version:

• The ingredients for the simple one, and/or:
• 50 grams pancetta or frying bacon, into small pieces
• 5 – 10 gr. dried porcini
• 100 g. cherrytomatos
• 10 black olives

Soak the porcini in lukewarm water for 10 minutes, squeeze them and cut them into pieces.

Follow the former recipe, but add the pancetta or bacon to the onions. Add the porcini with the mushrooms. Add the tomatos when adding the herbs. Don´t use salt then, the pancetta is sufficient.  

Add the olives right before serving.

For a vegetarian version:

Leave out the sausages and pancetta and use chopped tofu instead. If you like, you could marinate it for an hour in a mixture of olive oil, sage, oregano, salt and pepper.

Follow the recipe(s) as described.