Mushroom Ravioli (from scratch)

Every year I make my daughters a "back-to-school" night dinner. This dinner can be anything they wish and is served the night before school begins. My oldest daughter entered 8Th grade this year and her tastes are maturing. She requested homemade mushroom ravioli. Last year it was sushi but, for the most part, all previous years have either been buttered pasta or pizza. I was excited to make this meal and wanted to make it extra special for her. I made the pasta and rolled it out on my own versus a machine, cut the ravioli by hand and filled it with a mushroom mixture that brought us all to our knees. It ended her summer perfectly and filled us all for a good nights rest to prepare for the next morning.


Ravioli Dough
2 Cups flour
2 eggs
1/4 Cup olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
3 Tablespoons water

On a large work surface place your flour in a mound. Make a well in the center and crack your eggs into it, then add the olive oil, sea salt and water. Mix slowly with your hands until all ingredients are incorporated. Form into a ball, cover with a damp towel and leave on the counter for 45 minutes. Roll dough out to a thin disc (as thin as you can get it with a rolling pin and muscle) or use a pasta machine and thin the dough out that way. Cut the disc into 30 individual circles and discard remaining dough. Place a tablespoon of the mushroom filling in the center of one circle, wet the outer edge with water and your fingertip and place another circle on top of that. Pinch/crimp edges to seal completely and set aside. Repeat this process until you have 15 lovely little raviolis. Boil a large pot of salted water and cook ravioli (5 at a time... in 3 batches) for 4 minutes or until they float to the top of the water and add a minute to that.
Mushroom Filling

12 ounces mushrooms (I used button, oyster and shiitake)
4 Tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1/3 cup fresh Italian Leaf parsley
4 Tablespoons heavy cream
salt and pepper


Wipe clean and slice all mushrooms. Heat a skillet and add oil till it's near smoking and add garlic then mushrooms (only a little at a time so as not to overcrowd... otherwise your mushrooms will not properly brown). Remove to a plate and toss with parsley, cream, salt and pepper. Process this mixture in a food processor to a puree and fill your ravioli. Reserve 1/2 cup for cream sauce.
Cream Sauce

2 Cups heavy cream
1/2 Cup mushroom filling
1 Tablespoon butter
Fresh Parmesan to top
Heat cream in a saucepan and add mushroom filling. Whisk in butter and pour over fresh, warm ravioli then sprinkle with fresh cheese.