Sweet Potato, Garlic, & Sage Ravioli
In our old apartment I made pasta twice, the first attempt which was very cramped and well documented. Our new kitchen has counter space, which meant that when rolling out pasta I can now do it in the kitchen, instead of on the coffee table while sitting on the couch. Although, perhaps that’s the real Italian way to do things…probably not.
This recipe completes the trio of posts about the various meals I made for my fiancée on our anniversary last month (French toast made with challah, anyone?). I knew that I wanted to make a pasta dish, and decided on something like tortellini or ravioli, since spaghetti seemed just too pedestrian for the occasion.
I found it overwhelming the number of varying recipes online, not only for the actual pasta but also for possible fillings. We both love sweet potatoes, which led me to the filling I used, which also involved sage and garlic.
I can’t recall ever cooking with sage before making these, and I really had no idea what it tasted like. I just always associated it with very fancy meals so felt that it went well with the occasion.
I cut out circles of dough with a cup, but if you want you could also make square ravioli. Roll out your pasta sheet, cut it in half, and place spoonfuls of filling with a couple inches in between. Place the second sheet of pasta over the first, and cut the pasta in the space between the filling. Aside from a different shape, I would imagine that it goes a bit quicker.
Aside from tasting great, one of the other perks of fresh pasta is that it only takes 2-3 minutes to cook!
- 2 C All purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1½ tsp sea salt
- 3 eggs, plus 1 for the egg wash
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 large sweet potato, mashed
- 2 cloves garlic, minced and briefly sauteed
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 Tbsp chopped sage (fresh or dried)
- ½ tsp salt
- To make the pasta, whisk together the flour and salt in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Add 3 eggs and mix with a fork, gradually incorporating the flour.
- Add the olive oil and begin to knead with your hands once the dough starts to come together.
- Knead for 5 minutes, then cover in plastic wrap. Let the dough sit on the counter for 30 minutes.
- Sautee the garlic and mix the other filling ingredients in a bowl with the mashed sweet potato. Set aside until dough is ready to be filled.
- Roll dough out either using a pasta machine or rolling pin. Cut circles from the dough and place a spoonful of filling in each. Brush egg was around the edge of the dough, and place a second circle on top. Use a fork to seal the edges. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Pasta will keep in refrigerator for a few days.
