Snuggly Wild Mushroom Ravioli with Lemon, Cream, Thyme and White Wine Sauce

What happens when mushrooms snuggle up to arugula and wrap themselves in ravioli bundles? Well, cover the bundles in lemon, thyme, cream and white wine and you have the warmest of comfort food for fall feasting. I served this dish at my last 'garden party' supper club. One of my guests commented that it was the best pasta he had ever eaten! It's all about the ingredients; how can anyone go wrong with mushrooms, thyme, cream and white wine?

Wild Mushroom Ravioli with Lemon, Thyme Cream Sauce
Ingredients:
1 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs butter
1 Tbs garlic, fine mince
2 Tbs shallots, fine chop
1 1/2 lb fresh mushrooms - Chantrelles are my favourite but any mushroom will do. Chop fine (around 5 cups)
2 oz sherry or brandy
1 Tbs lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbs fresh parsley
2 tsp fresh thyme
1/2 cup arugula, chopped fine
2 Tbs fresh chives
1 egg
8 sheets of fresh pasta 16 inch x 4 inch - there is a recipe if you want to make it by hand on my blog, just search for pasta. It's really easy, you just have to have some time to play with it.

Sauce:
1 Tbs butter
2 shallots (or some onion if you don't have shallots), dice fine
1/2 cup white wine
3/4 cup whipping cream
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 Tbs lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
2 oz pecorino cheese(crumble over pasta to finish it) or Parmesan

Directions:
Heat olive oil in medium skillet, add butter garlic and shallots. Cook stirring constantly a 2 min. Add mushrooms and cook until they are golden brown and most of the pan juices have boiled off. Add brandy and lemon juice. Cook 1 min. Season with salt and pepper. Allow mixture to cool, then add the greens(parsley, thyme, arugula, chives or whatever greens you like, experiment). Mix and taste for seasoning.

Crack egg into small bowl, beat.

Now, it's time to bundle these little buggers up. Put 4 sheets of pasta on a floured counter. Brush the pasta lightly with the egg mixture. Put intervals of about 1 Tbs of filling down on each sheet, 2 finger widths apart from each other. Two rows of about 7 spoonfuls of mushroom mix on each sheet. Put the remaining 4 sheets of pasta on top and press around the mushroom spoonfuls to make your ravioli bundles. Try and work out any air pockets if you can. Once pressed, cut with a knife or a pasta cutter if you want to get all fancy. Both will taste amazing.

Make your sauce...
In a medium saucepan, melt butter, add shallot/onions and cook 1-2 min on medium till the onion is translucent. Add wine and cook on high heat till it is reduced by 1/2, 2 min. Add cream and thyme, simmer till approx 1 cup remains, 5 min. Add lemon juice, salt/pp to taste. Optional Tips: Double the recipe if you like saucier pastas and serve on warm plates.

Place a large pot of water to boil, add salt to the water. Gently, place the pasta in the water and boil for 3 minutes. Drain the cooked pasta in a colander. Serve hot with lemon sauce and top with pecorino.

Serves 6

What to do with all those Fall Mushrooms...

I love mushrooms; chantrelles, shitake, lobster, king botele are all popping up in our BC forests now. Their savory quality finds friends in veg-heads & meat lovers alike. The recipe below intensifies their flavour and adds a salty, meaty level to their taste. You can also make this with a batch of mushrooms that's getting old to preserve them. Get wild mushrooms delivered to your door with the wild chef's best friend, skookum harvest in BC... http://skookumharvest.com/pb/wp_73e5d6b4/wp_73e5d6b4.html

Instructions:
Take any mushroom, the more complex the flavour the better - ie. shitake over 'moneys mushrooms', slice them up, toss them in olive oil and a good soy sauce, spread evenly across a baking sheet, put in middle of oven for 15 min or until the mushrooms sizzle and brown(don't dry them out completely though).

Now there are a billion things you can do...

1. Eggs with Parsley, goat cheese and mushrooms.
Poach some eggs or scramble them or whatever, chop parsley fine, throw everything in a bowl and eat with toast and butter.

2. Toss mushrooms in with fresh pasta, olive oil and a good parmesan. Simple and amazing.

3. Mix into scone or biscuit batter with some cheddar for a savoury delight.

4. Takes a spinach salad to another level.