One of our favorite food markets in Columbus, Ohio is the North Market which features a number of restaurants stalls and food providers. In the past, we have only been in Ohio for a short stay so we were only able to try the restaurants, but now that we are living here for baseball season, we have been able to try some of the food providers as well. Our latest visit brought us to Pastaria, where we purchased their mushroom and pancetta ravioli. Admittedly, this was a bit of an impulse purchase, but it forced us to be creative in the kitchen to decide how to serve it. What we came up with was this creamy pancetta and mushroom cream sauce, which brings out all of the earthy and savory flavors in the ravioli. To balance out the decadence of this meal we serve this with our super simple arugula salad, which provides the perfect peppery kick to the dish. We know that most people aren’t going to have access to a ravioli as specific as this, but the beauty of the sauce is that it will pair well with any cheese or mushroom ravioli you can find at the store.
Semi-Homemade Mushroom & Pancetta Ravioli
A great recipe to give store bought ravioli an elegant makeover.
Ingredients
- 24 mushroom and pancetta ravioli (any cheese or mushroom ravioli can substitute)
- 4 oz cubed pancetta
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 shallot, minced
- 10 oz cremini mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
- 1 tbs fresh thyme leaves, minced
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 cup vegetable stock or chicken stock
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
- fresh basil, for garnish
Directions
- Heat a large pot of salted water to a boil. Keep at a simmer until it is time to cook the ravioli.
- Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the olive oil, garlic, and shallot to the pan. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook for another 3 minutes, or until the shallot and garlic start to become fragrant. Add the mushrooms and thyme to the pan, along with a pinch of salt to bring out the liquid in the mushrooms. Cook for another 4-5 minutes, or until the mushrooms have reduced in size by half.
- Add the white wine to the pan. Cook until the wine has reduced by half (roughly 5 minutes) before adding the stock and heavy cream. Stir well to combine and reduce the heat to medium; season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Cook the ravioli according to package directions so that they are al dente. Gently remove the ravioli from the pot with a slotted spoon and drain any excess water. Put them directly into the mushroom sauce. Gently stir everything and cook the ravioli for a minute in the pan so absorb the sauce.
- Serve the ravioli on each of four plates. Top with a generous amount of freshly chopped basil and the toasted pine nuts to serve.
TUCK & TATE 