Asparagus, Crimini Mushroom, and Ricotta Ravioli Filling

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Yes, it’s another ravioli filling recipe, though not the one I had originally intended to post. Today’s filling recipe was to include ramps, a dish Zia and I developed during my last visit home. Well, ramp season has passed and I doubt that any of the wild onions are to be found anywhere. Asparagus, on the other hand, is still around, though it’s numbers have greatly decreased over the last 2 weekends. (The ramps post is written and will be published soon.) Seeing that asparagus season is also fleeting, I thought it best to post a recipe using the spears now, while you can still get some that are locally grown. In fact, all 3 recipes presented in today’s post will take advantage of the current harvest. The “Déjà vu” recipe will feature strawberries, while “Coming soon” is a pasta recipe that includes a number of fresh ingredients. 

Today’s post will only detail how to make asparagus ravioli filling. If you’re interested in seeing how to use ravioli molds/dies to create the stuffed pasta pillows, you can see step-by-step instructions by clicking HERE. For serving suggestions, see Notes below.

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Asparagus, Crimini Mushroom, & Ricotta Ravioli Filling Recipe

Yield: See Notes below. 

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 8 oz (228 g) fresh asparagus, chopped
  • 8 oz (228 g) fresh crimini mushrooms, chopped
  • 3 oz (86 g) Spring onions, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced or grated
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/8 tsp white pepper
  • 3/4 cup (12 oz, 340 g) ricotta, well-drained
  • 1/2 cup Pecorino Roman cheese, grated

Directions

  1. Clean and roughly chop the asparagus (see Notes), mushrooms, onion, & garlic
  2. Heat olive oil and butter over med-high heat. Add asparagus, mushroom, and onion, lower heat to medium, and sauté until mixture just begins to change color — about 6 or 7 minutes.
  3. Add garlic, salt, and pepper, and continue to sauté until liquids are gone. Do not allow to burn.
  4. Remove from heat and allow to cool fully before proceeding.
  5. If using a food processor:
    1. Place the asparagus mixture into the processor, add the ricotta and Romano cheeses, and process until uniformly smooth.
  6. If not using a food processor:
    1. Chop the asparagus mixture as finely as possible.
    2. Add the cheeses and stir to thoroughly combine.
  7. Filling may now be used with your favorite stuffed pasta recipe.

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Notes

Using this recipe and my large, 2 inch (5 cm), ravioli die/mold , I made 90 ravioli. You might make more or less, depending upon the size of the die or stamp used.

Whether you use homemade or store-bought ricotta, place the cheese in a clean coffee filter, where it can drain for at least a few hours to remove the excess liquid.  The drier the better. 

You can serve your asparagus ravioli in a number of ways. I’ve found that a brown butter and sage sauce works very well, as do cream and “light” tomato sauces. For those who really enjoy asparagus, simply sauté a few chopped asparagus spears in butter and use that to dress freshly cooked ravioli. A bit of lemon zest on top works very well. In all the examples given, grated cheese should be sprinkled atop the dressed ravioli.

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Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3

I’ve made this and a couple other ravioli fillings over the course of the past couple of  months and it gave me an opportunity to experiment with a few things.

  1. All Purpose V Double 0 Flour. Last Fall I, finally, located a source for “00” flour, doppio 0. This is the finely ground durum flour used to make pasta and pizza dough in Italy. Although it’s roughly twice as expensive as AP flour, both Zia and I agree that using it creates pasta dough with a great feel. When cooked al dente, the pasta has a good bite, just as it should, and I’ll continue to buy and use it. Decisions have consequences, however, and I now have yet another container of flour in my kitchen. For those keeping track, that makes  6 — AP, bread, wheat, spelt, semolina, and now 00.  
  2. Attachment V Ravioli Die/Mold. I decided to pull out the KitchenAid ravioli maker and give it another shot. In the past I’ve found it less than perfect and, frankly, more trouble than it’s worth. All along, I thought that the fault may lie with the fillings I used, that the attachment would work best if a softer filling was in the hopper. Today’s asparagus ravioli filling was used to test my theory. I must admit that the ravioli maker worked better than it ever has and waste — which was a big problem with earlier trials — was minimal. Even if a bit cumbersome to operate, probably due to my inexperience, it did produce row after row of perfect ravioli. All’s not well, though. In order to get perfect ravioli, the dough sheets must be thick, more than double the thickness that we normally would use. That means you need to make at least twice the amount of pasta dough than would normally be required when using ravioli molds/dies. It, also, means the ratio of filling to pasta is different from the ravioli to which I’m accustomed. (Yes, my generation of Bartolini are a spoiled lot.)  In short, the ravioli attachment is back on the shelf, waiting for me to give it another go, probably in 2015 sometime.
  3. Chicken V Duck Eggs. Recently, while waiting to buy eggs at the farmers market, the customer before me bought a half-dozen duck eggs. Prior to this, I thought they were only sold by the dozen. So, I 86’ed the chicken and went duck. A couple of days later, I used them to make the pasta dough used in the ravioli pictured throughout this post. For those unfamiliar, Mom’s pasta dough recipe calls for 4 eggs and enough water to make a cup of liquid. Because they’re larger, only 3 duck eggs plus less than a tbsp of water will yield the required cup of liquid. Once made, the dough was much more yellow than normal but, to be fair, that may be due to the eggs’ freshness more than anything else. As for taste, I really could not detect a difference but, then again, without side-by-side taste tests, I should really say that I don’t “remember” a difference. Given that duck eggs are twice the price of chicken eggs, I’m not sure that I’ll be a regular customer for them anytime soon.

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It’s déjà vu all over again …

As was mentioned, we’re just about at the end of asparagus season here in the Chicago area. The tables upon tables of the tasty spears have been replaced — by strawberries! Pictured on the right is just one vendor’s berries at the Evanston farmers market. Believe me, there are many more and I defy anyone, save those with allergies, to walk around that market without buying at least one quart. So, what will you do with these sweet & juicy red gems? Why, make strawberry jam, of course! You can see Mom’s recipe by clicking HERE.

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Coming soon to a monitor near you …

Farmers Market Pasta

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168 thoughts on “Asparagus, Crimini Mushroom, and Ricotta Ravioli Filling”

    • Thanks, Anne. I’ve been on an asparagus binge lately and making ravioli with them seemed like such a natural thing to do. They were certainly well-received by my friends.

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  2. John, lovely post! The filling sounds delicious, and I’m with you on the ravioli maker – we bought an attachment for our pasta machine, and I’m not convinced. It only ever seems to allow the tiniest bit of filling in each parcel, which kind of defeats the purpose of homemade in my opinion. And dear man, I have (without exaggeration) over 100kg of flour in the house at the moment! 🙂

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  3. This filling sounds absolutely divine! I love asparagus anything (there’s actually very few foods that I don’t love). Making ravioli dough is beyond my capacity, and I’ve been thinking madly while reading this what substitute I could use. I’ve thought of lasagna roll-ups…..I hope that thought hasn’t sent you over the edge 🙂

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    • P.S. Being the good Mexican that I am, I briefly thought of tacos of some kind…there, now you can go over the edge without a second thought.
      PPS: I’m just kidding 🙂

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    • Thanks, Angeline, but I seriously doubt that ravioli making is beyond you. It is much easier than you think or else I couldn’t do it. Your lasagna roll-ups sound much like our cannelloni. No matter what you call them, I bet this filling would be great in it.

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  4. Came back on to work and ended up in Chicago:) ! I love your earlier timed posts John! I find this very interesting and shall try soonest. I can’t get crimini mushrooms here; thanks for the photo – they look similar to our Swiss Browns. I love, love, love asparagus, but have never cut fresh asparagus to pieces: so there is a ‘first’ coming up there! I usually buy ricotta readymade because of lack of time: thank you for the draining tip. Do not have a machine or attachment but I like rather thin-skin ravioli, so just as well 🙂 ! As a matter of fact may buy a couple of more packets of won ton wrappers and use those firts and foremost.

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    • Thanks, Eha, and I’m sure that your Swiss Browns will work fine here. I can fully understand buying ricotta. I probably would, too, if I still worked. I hope one day you find some time to make it. You will be surprised how good it is. Same with making ravioli. Wonton wrappers are a fine substitute and I used them often when I was working.. Now, though, I find making ravioli from scratch almost therapeutic. Some people clean, others knit. I make pasta. 🙂

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  5. John this looks gorgeous and is perfectly timed for me as I quite literally bought a food processor TODAY! My trusty stick blender has served me well over the years but I’m really looking forward to cranking up the processor and trying a few of your ravioli fillings. The crimini mushrooms will necessitate a trip to the market but it’s always good to have an excuse. Your market looks lovely with all its Summery treats. Ours is filled with root veggies at the moment!

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    • Thank you, Saskia, and congratulations on the new arrival!!!! You’ll love having a food processor. They are so easy to use and you can do so many things with one. Mine broke down over the holidays in 2011 and I didn’t know what to do! Our markets are just starting to show some variety. Summer is here!

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  6. 00 flour, so glad you found a source. It is actually not too difficult to get here in LA and it does make all the difference. Duck eggs though… I’ve never even seen one before but I’m curious now! I want duck eggs on toast now 🙂 Your ravioli are simply beautifully made, I can’t believe how perfect they look.

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    • Thanks, Paul. There just aren’t any Italian markets in my area of town and without one, 00 flour was impossible to find. I finally drove to the burbs to a great market and found 00 flour, as well as a bunch of other stuff. This was the first I’ve tried duck eggs, too. The same vendor sells quail eggs. I just have to figure out something to do with them. 🙂

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  7. Mmm, some of my favourite foods – fresh aparagus, crimini (they look like what are labelled swiss here) mushrooms and of course all the other bibs and bobs and the duck eggs. To really appreciate duck eggs they need to simply be gently fried in butter and eaten on toast! Large ravioli is the best… it’s so luxurious, like a wonderful European pillow in a swanky hotel room 😉

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    • Thank you, EllaDee. I did serve duck eggs over grileld asparagus and they were wonderful, a bit more rich tasting than chicken eggs. In pasta, though, I really didn’t notice any difference other than color. Then again, I smoked for far too long and my palate can’t be trusted. Before we came onto the scene, Mom & Zia made large ravioli by hand. Once we were born, they switched to making them smaller so that we could eat them more easily. Only recently did Zia start making large ones again. I make them because they’re easier and less time consuming to make than the smaller ones. 🙂

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  8. Delicious little stuffing for your raviolis. I love all of the different kinds of fillings and enjoy the different recipe options on your site.I remember when I was in Italy in the markets the first thing I noted was how huge the eggs are. I think 1.5 US xlarge eggs to 1 Italian egg. What do they feed their hens? Duck eggs is great exchange. I love that photo of the close up to your puffed little ravioli’s the light is hitting just perfectly for that perfect little shot. I made a little recipe the other day that was inspired by you and plan to post that some time later this week. Stay tuned and Take Care, BAM

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    • Thanks, BAM, for the compliments and I’m honored you found inspiration here. Zia will be thrilled. I’ve an Uncle who always complained about the food here in the US compared to Italy. He moved back to San Marino ages ago. One of these days I should make the trip and visit him. None of us is getting any younger. 🙂

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  9. The ravioli look wonderful! I would love to try duck eggs and see if they have a different flavor. I’ve enjoyed the eggs of the common quail in the past and they are really quite good, but I would just eat them plain to savor them.

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    • I fried 2 duck eggs and served them atop grilled asparagus. THey tasted a bit more rich than chicken eggs. But you’re right. You have to eat them plain to really detect any difference. My palate is no where discriminating enough to detect any difference when they’re used in pasta dough. I can now get quail eggs and will once I think of a use for them.

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  11. Love this filling. Few and readily available ingredients plus one could probably swap other in season vegs for the asparagus. Your cooking instructions are clear and concise, very easy to comprehend and follow. I will most likely use store bought wonton wrappers instead of making my own ravioli dough (one of these fine days I will, promise).
    Appears you have a wonderfully well stocked farmers’ market, how lucky.

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    • Thank you, Norma. Yes, you could use a variety of vegs instead of the asparagus. Swiss chard or kale would work, as would spinach, for example. If you haven’t the time, by all means use wonton wrappers. Your ravioli will still be far better than any you can buy in the freezer section at the grocer’s. And you’ll have the satisfaction knowing that you made them yourself. 🙂
      Yes, the Evanston farmers market is the best one in this area that I have found, especially since it has free parking. In the City, that means a lot!

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  12. Super-simple filling…just what we need around here. I might stuff manicotti with it instead, though…
    Our strawberry season just got rolling – heading to the local farm tomorrow for a flat! We”ll save picking our own for when the Niko is a bit bigger 😉

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    • Fillings needn’t be complicated and I wanted these ravioli to taste like asparagus. My tasters loved them. I thought the same thing, Marie. This filling would work very well in manicotti. This is peak strawberry time around here. It started to rain and I couldn’t get a shot of one vendor. His tables looked like he was ready to play bingo, there were so many of them. That will be a fun day when Niko is old enough to go strawberry picking! Please take before and after pics of him and Angel. 🙂

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  13. Ooh this one looks good and I can get all the ingredients easily here. Was interested to work out from the photo that what you call Crimini Mushrooms are what we call Chestnut Miushrooms – yay, now I know what they are! Am going ot send this post to my mum as she has just bought a ravioli maker attachment for her pasta machine….

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    • Thank you, Tanya. This is another simple filling but it’s big on asparagus flavor. I have a ravioli attachment for my pasta machine, too. (Yes, I can make ravioli any number of ways.) Your Mum will probably need to use thicker dough sheets than she would if she were making ravioli by hand, just like with the attachment for my KitchenAid stand mixer. To be sure, you can search the web, asking “how to make ravioli using” her pasta machine’s name. I bet you’ll find videos of people using it. They will be much more honest and tell you exactly how thick to roll the dough sheets. They were a help to me. Good luck!

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  17. John, you shock me–ONLY 6 kinds of flour??!! What a slacker you are. I think we had 10 at one point, before Jody cried, “Basta!” and made me throw half of them away. Now, in order to avoid moths, we keep our flour in the bottom shelf of the freezer. If there’s no room, I’m not allowed to buy any more flour. I’ve never made ravioli with the attachment (well, once, many years ago) and I suppose it produced uniform little pasta pillows, but I so disliked using it, in comparison to making them by hand with my kids that I never used it again. The filling looks great. Funny comment about the strawberries–in Scotland, they’re almost done; here in Boston, we’re in mid-stride; and in Chicago, they’re just arriving. We really are global. Ken

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    • 10 kinds? I haven’t space for these 6. Wherever would I put 4 more? Before I bought the KA attachment, I bought one that attached to my pasta machine. I didn’t like that one at all. I bought the KA thinking it would work better being it was KA. Well, it was more expensive but that’s about it. Mom was right all along. The molds work best if you’re stocking the freezer. Once you get a little experience, you can make a few hundred in a couple hours. This is quite a community isn’t it? I’m amazed every time I learn that one of our family recipes is being followed by someone across the world. Wow!

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  19. John, my taste buds are jumping up and down with excitement at the thought of this fabulous filling – scrumptious!
    Duck eggs, okay, guess I need to get me some duck eggs then. Sounds strange but for some odd reason my brain hasn’t quite liked the idea of eating duck eggs – couldn’t tell you why though!
    Have an awesome day.
    🙂 Mandy xo

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    • Thanks, Mandy. I’m glad you liked the filling recipe. Relax. You needn’t buy duck eggs. I bought them to see what the pasta dough would be like. Other than the color, I didn’t see much difference and, for the price, I don’t see the need. Chicken eggs are still the best for pasta, at least in my kitchen. 🙂
      Have a great week!

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  20. What lovely ravioli! When you mentioned ramp season being over, I immediately thought of garlic scapes, but I see you have that covered!

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    • Thanks, Dave. Last week, I bought a bunch of Spring garlic and there were scapes attached. I asked if they had scapes for sale and he said “They’re free if you buy the garlic. Next week you’ll have to buy them separately.” 🙂

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    • Thanks, Teri.
      When I have a lot of basil, I’ll make pesto with some for immediate use. If I’ve got enough to freeze, I’ll make pesto but omit the cheese and cut back on the oil. I find the cheese doesn’t thaw easily and causes the pesto to clump. When I want to use it, I toss the pasta with some oil before adding the pesto and then add the cheese that I had omitted before freezing.
      You can, also, put the leaves in a food processor with a little bit of water and give it a whirl to chop them. Use them to fill ice cube trays. Once frozen, bag the cubes and you can use a cube of basil in sauces, soups, and marinades. Hope this helps.

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  22. Super post! Lovely ravioli filling. And I really like the third picture (the oblique angle of the ravioli). Did you find a local source for “00″ flour or was it mail order? Interesting to hear of your experiences with the KitchenAid ravioli maker! I have one for my hand-cranked Atlas machine, and don’t like it at all. I bought one of the die/mold forms you recommended, and like it a lot – once you get the hang of it (not hard to do), it’s an easy way to make ravioli. I expect that’s what I’ll always use, unless I experiment with making ravioli out of a big, hand-rolled sheet of dough. Anyway, excellent recipe and post – thanks.

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    • Thanks, John. I, too, own the Atlas attachment and was equally disappointed with it. I bought the KA attachment thinking that it would be better, having watched YouTube videos of people happily making ravioli with it. I’ve given up trying to find something better or easier than the molds. As you mentioned, once you get the hang of it, it’s easy and quick. On “Ravioli Day”, I roll out the dough sheets on my KA pasta rollers and Zia works the dies. We can make quite a few ravioli in an afternoon, stocking her freezer for when family comes calling.

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  23. Those ingredients look fantastic. For some reason green asparagus is as rare as hens’ teeth here – I don’t know why, but I think the locals are very keen on white asparagus which I thought was a taste confined to more Eastern parts of Europe. I’ll just have to look at your picture.

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    • White asparagus is available here, Roger, though it’s not to common. I only saw 1 vendor with it at the farmers market — and he had none this morning. I did see quite a bit more purple this year, for some reason. One vendor called them “exotic”. How sad.

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  24. I have never tried to tackle making ravioli but yours looks so beautiful and is what an inspiration… and I haven’t even tasted it yet! This has to be just delicious! Thanks for the informative post as usual and I’ve got it on my “try” list! 🙂

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    • You can make these, no doubt about it. Granted, the first time will be a little more difficult, until you get a bit more comfortable with the steps in the process. Once you’ve made a few ravioli, though, you’ll get in a groove and be well on your way. 🙂

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  25. Mmmmm your giant pillows of deliciousness have left my mouth watering, John.

    I never knew there was a ravioli attachment for a pasta machine – and thanks to Tanya, I now know that you used Chestnut mushrooms 🙂

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    • Thanks, Marianne. I foolishly thought that crimini mushrooms were known everywhere. Here they’re also known as baby portobello or baby bellas. I prefer them over button or white mushrooms because they’ve a bit more flavor.

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    • Thanks, Kathryn. It’s the farmers markets. I walk around them and get inspired. When I get home, it’s either make a pasta or ravioli. Either way, I can’t go wrong. 🙂

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  27. You never cease to amaze me with your creative combinations for fillings. These look absolutely mouth watering. I have a farm near me that sells duck eggs but have never tried them myself. It’s not that I’m particularly interesting in the taste so much as the fact that they are bigger & I’d like to use them for my eggshells Christmas decorations.

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    • Thanks, Diane. I think duck egg shells would be great for decorating. The shells are thicker than chicken eggs so they’d probably last longer, too. It would be worth a try, in any event, and some of the prior commenters have said that duck eggs make better cakes. This could be a very special Christmas at your house this year. 🙂

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  29. Delicious and what perfect ravioli!
    Sadly I think I bought the last of the farmer’s asparagus this weekend, but now he’s got peas and broad beans – tomatoes will follow 🙂

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    • Thanks, MD. I was at the market this morning and the asparagus was almost gone and the signs said that this was the last week for peas. Time’s passage is marked by vegetables. 🙂

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  30. Ravioli are usually my pasta of choice at a restaurant, unless they have gnocchi that is. I prefer the vegetable filled ravioli and I know I would pick this one for sure! This is gorgeous John, lovely flavours. All my favourites in one delicious bite.

    I’ve often wonderd about duck eggs because I can get them at my Asian market here but seeing that you didn’t notice a difference I’ll just stick to the regular ones. And I have to say, for not being a baker, you sure have a lot of flours in your pantry 🙂 How about a dessert recipe?

    Nazneen

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    • Thanks, Nazneen. Just to be clear, I said that I couldn’t notice a difference in my pasta dough’s taste, though more yellow. Some commenters have said duck eggs make better cakes but I’ve no experience with them in that regard.
      I rarely order ravioli when dining at a restaurant. Mom spoiled me and I’ll order something else rather than risk a disappointing meal. When I’m in Italy, though, it’s a different story completely. I’ll order any and everything of the menu. 🙂

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    • Thanks, Eleni, for the compliment and duck egg info. I bake cakes so rarely that I’ll have to take your word that duck eggs perform so well. As it is, I doubt I’ll buy more for making pasta. There just wasn’t a big enough difference to warrant the higher price.

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    • Thanks, Geni. Asparagus has such a great flavor and it stands up well when combined with the ricotta. One of these days, I’m going to try it with goat cheese and see how it does. 🙂

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  33. I love your recipes. Being on a weight loss journey that will take a bit of time, I’m on a personal mission to adapt the recipes I love to lower calories without losing most the flavor. Losing weight can be delicious! Thank you very much.

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  34. John.. that’s it. I can no longer come to your amazing blog without eating anymore LOL. I am so hungry right now my stomach started growling as soon as I saw your amazing ravioli. So hungry

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  36. I love the look of your ravioli coming out of the pasta maker – they look so perfect. Amazing how such few ingredients can make 90 of these pillows. I haven’t cooked with duck eggs (mostly because they’re difficult to source) but people say they make the best cakes. Love the look of all those baskets of strawberries and there really isn’t anything better than homemade strawberry jam xx

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    • Thanks, Charlie. I wish the ravioli coming out of that attachment tasted as good as they look. I’ll stick with the dies/molds. Mom was right and I should’ve known. 🙂
      I went to that vendor this morning and half of those strawberries are gone and have been replaced by blueberries and raspberries. I’ve not made strawberry jam yet because I know once I get started, I get addicted to the stuff. I’m holding off as long as I can.

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  37. What a great summer time meal John every ingredient chosen just screams fresh flavours; my preference is to have the ravioli with the asparagus spears, some EVOO and lemon zest, my mouth was watering as I read this option. I was surprised to read that the duck eggs had no impact on the dish, I would have expected them to add richness—it’s a little disappointing. I’m looking forward to seeing what you shall do with the garlic scapes. And the berries, we have yet to see local berries yet.

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    • Thanks, Eva. I think any difference with the duck eggs was muted by using them to make pasta dough. I would like to fry up a couple alongside a couple fried chicken eggs. I’m sure the yolk would have that richness you mentioned. I just put the finishing touches on the scapes recipe this evening. I had to prepare the dish again to make sure the quantities were correct. Oh, how we suffer! 😉

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      • I’ve done that so many times…prepare what starts out as a weeknight dinner only to discover that it’s so good, I need to post about it, but damn, I forgot to write down my quantities…so back to the kitchen I go (not too soon, though, but not far enough away that I might forget what I did the first time!)

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  38. Oh yum. John, this pasta looks so incredibly delicious. I always feel like it’s such a privilege to read all of your family recipes. It’s providing those of us without Italian heritage to have the opportunity to learn things the traditional way, from the rich cultural background of the Bartolini’s! I’m going to try this recipe. Can’t wait, as I love asparagus, cheese and mushrooms. The ideal combination! 🙂

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    • Thank you so much, Laura. Sorry to say that this isn’t a family recipe. It’s one that I created, having seen so many asparagus at the market each Spring. Like you, I can’t get enough asparagus and using them to stuff ravioli was a natural progression. If you do make them, I hope you like them as much as we do.

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      • If you created it then it’s just a newer ‘family recipe’ John! It’s nice to think that this recipe may be made by future generations of the Bartolini family! And possibly mine… as I can’t wait to try it myself!

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  40. Oh John! Those little pillows of loveliness are just WOW! Your photographs are outstanding! This is a true winner recipe!! I too have been using asparagus lately. I have to tell you this… I went to a funeral this past Saturday and had the honour of meeting a lovely follower of my blog. She asked me if Chicago John was related to me! I replied that we were not related. From our “conversations”, you and I, she got the impression that we were related! Small world, no?

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    • Thanks, Lidia, and I’m sorry to read of your loss.
      Isn’t that something? Meeting another blogger like that. I’m honored that she would think us related. I think the world of your blog and she paid me a quite a compliment. Thank you for telling me about the conversation. You’ve made my night. 🙂

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  41. Wonderful photos, especially the “coming soon”. Went and read your mother’s jam recipe and we just went strawberry picking but the end of the season really. (in Columbus) We ate them ALL. They were tiny, sweet and hard to find in the field as it was fairly well picked over

    I wanted to sign up for the sour cherries offered at the farm and coming in soon but not being in my own kitchen makes it hard to make jam.

    Your ravioli filling is delicious, I know. And the duck eggs are interesting. Eggs are just perfect.
    Thanks for all your nice comments on the blogs. Summer is grand!

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    • Summer is grand, Ruth, but fleeting! Already the asparagus are gone and the strawberries have another week or two. Blueberries have arrived, as have raspberries. We’re watching time pass in fruit and berries.
      I’ve got my first sour cherries of the season and they’ll be going into a pie. Next batch will go into jam. Love them!
      Thank you, Ruth, for being such an great supporter. You never miss a post and I do appreciate the kind words that you leave.

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  43. Great recipe, John! I will make it without mushrooms … Oops another of my sins! I don’t like mushrooms. 🙂
    Thank you for your review about the kitchen aid attachment. I have been wondering whether to buy it. I will keep in mind your opinion.

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    • Thank you, Francesca, You could easily leave out the mushrooms and still have a wonderful filling. I hope you do try it and enjoy it.
      The KA attachment was a disappointment but I think that depends upon how one likes their ravioli. My family always used thin pasta sheets, say a setting of 6 or 7 on a pasta machine. To get good results with the KA, you need to go no thinner than a setting of 4, although I experimented and went to a 5 setting. The resulting ravioli were too “doughy” for my tastes.

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  44. Brown butter and sage sauce! Wow! This is a wonderful recipe, once again, John. You have so many combinations to share, and to think how many years we just ate the same tomato/basil, or tomato/mushroom–plain mushroom. LOL! Not anymore! I have been so reluctant to spend the money on the Kitchen Aid attachment, but I think I’m getting closer. I really appreciate all the information you provide. I’m very glad you don’t represent the ravioli dies as as simple to operate. I can see that practice is important. But this recipe is worth the practice. 🙂

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    • Thank you so much, Debra. You’ll find that there’s a strong flavor of asparagus in this filling and it can stand up to just about any sauce you use.
      I wish I could be more positive about the KA ravioli attachment but I was spoiled on raviolo made with thinner sheets of pasta. It’s why I don’t buy store-bought or order ravioli in restaurants. I told you. Spoiled! Before you decide to buy the KA attachment, search YouTube for videos of it in action. You’ll have a better dea of what it is all about. For Zia and me, we’ll stick with the dies.

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  45. Will definitely be trying these ravioli. Maybe as soon as this weekend. Will tell you how mine come out. Thanks

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  46. Your ravioli look so perfect and I love how yellow they are from the fresh duck eggs. I’m definitely on board with the browned butter and sage dressing, served with additional sauteed asparagus spears… sounds enchanting. I guess I’m lucky that we just happen to be in asparagus season here in Germany!

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    • Thanks, Laura, and I wish our asparagus season was just starting. Instead, it is just about finished now. I was at the farmers market today and there were few to be found. 😦

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  50. It is my belief that one can not have too many ravioli filling recipes. So thank you for another one I know we’ll make…..and that I will love. I made some more of the mushroom leek raviolis this week too. I think you’ve converted me to a full-time ravioli filling recipe taster. I’m good with that. 🙂

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    • Thank yo so much. Sarah. I havent made so many ravioli in years as I have these past few weeks — and I’ve enjoyed every one of the pasta pillows! I’ve another post featuring ravioli with ramps and I want to make another using artichokes. Can’t say I haven’t warned you! 🙂

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  51. Nice filling, John! Agree with you that a thicker sheet of pasta is no good — I always try to make ravioli sheets as thin as possible. I also agree with you and Zia that 00 flour makes for a better dough. (I’ve never seen 00 di grano duro though, only grano tenero.)

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    • Thanks, Stefan. It is a matter of personal preference, to be sure, but I just don’t care for thick-walled ravioli. They take too long to cook and taste chewy. To be honest, I was pleasantly surprised at how much better the dough was when ’00” flour was used. It really does have a better texture.

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      • When I first tried to make my own pasta, 15 years or so ago, I used all-purpose flour and the dough didn’t have any ‘strength’. It became quite the disaster, also because I was trying to work a hand-cranked machine by myself. It took a year or so before I tried again, and now it’s so easy I even make fresh pasta sometimes when I come home from work…

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    • Thank you for the compliment I order most of my ravioli equipment online. I’ve found a good web store where the prices are low and they are reputable. I’ve never had a problem with an order made with them. I’d give you their name but they don’t even ship to Canada, let alone to India. 🙂

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  53. Sadly our asparagus season is just about over, but this looks a great recipe to try next year! I wish I could get doppio 0 flour here – sometimes I’m lucky enough to find it, but it’s rare. We have to make do with what we can find!

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    • Thank you so much. I used all-purpose flour until my discovery last Fall. Now I’m hooked on “00”. My pasta dough has a much better texture and the cooked pasta a better “mouth feel.” I’d no idea the flour would make such a big difference. I’ve learned a lot reading everyone’s blogs. 🙂

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    • Thank you for your kind words. I find cheese cloth to be vastly over-rated for this type of use. A coffee filter works perfectly. No matter what you use, the important thing is to have as little liquid in the filling as possible.

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  56. Love seeing all those strawberries 🙂 In Minnesota, ours are late so it’s good to see your bounty as I know it’ll come our way eventually.

    Your ravioli are so pretty and what fun to see the “technology” behind it.

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    • Thank you, Liz, I’m glad you enjoyed the post. I was at the market this morning and already the strawberries are starting to disappear, being replaced by blueberries, raspberries, and even tomatoes, already. Summer is here no matter what the weather says.
      I’m trying to de-mystify the ravioli making process. It isn’t nearly as difficult as most think it to be. If it were, I wouldn’t be able to do it! 🙂
      Thanks, Liz, for making a point to visit each week. I do appreciate it.

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  57. Your ravioli really shows what a perfectionist you are – it’s just perfect! Love the filling of asparagus and mushroom. I know that combination makes a great quiche so I can definitely imagine how good it is in this ravioli. Sorry your ravioli attachment doesn’t work for you, but it certainly doesn’t seem to matter. You do a much better job without it.

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    • Thank you so much, MJ. Yes, the KA attachment just wasn’t right fo me. I’ve read reviews of it, though, and there are plenty who like the ravioli it produces. They obviously never tasted my Mom’s ravioli. 🙂

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  58. As always, a fabulous recipe. I always end up with frozen asparagus at the end of the season (I over buy since I love the stuff). I don’t see any reason why I couldn’t save that for this recipe do you? Usually I make soup out of it….

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    • Thank you for the nice compliment. I see of no reason why frozen asparagus could not be used. In fact, I wish i’d thought of that this morning before I went to the market. I would have bought double the amount of asparagus I did buy. Thanks for the tip.

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  59. What a wonderful asparagus and mushroom filling recipe, John! And seeing the photos of the ravioli in the making is just great. As always, thank you for sharing and have a great weekend!

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  60. What perfect, plump little pillows! Great to to drain the ricotta first, thanks. I grow my own asparagus and it obligingly produces sporadically over a couple of months so I don’t drown in excess…. Now if I could only train my courgettes to do the same….

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    • Thank you. How lucky for you that your asparagus is so polite and well-timed. I do not grow courgettes but everyone I know that does has a love-hate relationship with them. At first, it’s wonderful having fresh courgettes straight from the garden. A month later and they’re giving them away to any and every one. 🙂

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  61. I forgot about those rows of strawberries. We really should get over to the Evanston farmer’s market one of these days. We usually hit one much, much farther away (Geneva) which is nice, but nothing like that table of strawberries. And you know I love your ravioli. I could sit and stare at them all day long. They make me happy. Now I just need to make them! I still haven’t gotten my ravioli molds yet and I still intend to. Life just seems to pass by so quickly (I do sure enjoy all our busy-ness though.). Mike would just love this filling too. He LOVES asparagus. The rest of us feel “ok” about asparagus, although when combined with mushrooms and cheese and in a ravioli, I’m totally game!

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    • Thank you, Kristy. I was at the market this morning and half of that table is now filled with blueberries, raspberries, and a little broccoli. Summer is flying by, even if the weather thinks it’s still May.
      WIth 2 active children, it’s a wonder you get as much accomplished as you do. Ravioli making will have to wait. If we lived closer, I’d send over Care packages. 🙂

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  62. I just love your pasta recipes.. and can’t believe there’s a ravioli attachment for your Kitchen Aid? It took me about 10 years to try my pasta attachment, so I don’t think I’ll be buying a ravioli one any time soon, lol! I think I’ll stick with the rustic, hand-made look like your gnocchi (which I am still planning to try one day). And since I love the look of ravioli molds, they could make it into a few food photography shots if I pick some up. On the other hand, to have a dish of your asparagus ravioli just handed to me with a fork… that would be heavenly! Have a wonderful weekend!

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    • Thanks, Barb, for always leaving such nice compliments. Save your money and get a ravioli die/mold before you get the KA attachment. The molds are much cheaper and I like the results better. You know, if you lived closer, you could easily have a spot on the Bartolini Delivery Route, entitled to a number of benefits, not the least of which is a steady supply of ravioli. Just sayin’ … 🙂

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    • Oh, I’ve always a few of those “second rate” pillows just off-camera. I usually bag them separately and serve them to myself as a “test” dinner. It’s all very scientific. 😉

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  65. Pingback: Homemade Ravioli in a creamy goat cheese sauce | LauraLovingLife

  66. I have the same problem as you. Lots of different flours and also lots of different sorts of sugars. The 00 flour definitely turns out better, I cant believe the amount of strawberries in that market!

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    • The amazing thing about strawberry season is that the table was just one vendor. It makes me wonder if the farmers grow anything but strawberries. Already, though, they’re starting to be supplanted. Half of that vendor’s table space last weekend was devoted to bluebrries, raspberries, and broccoli. And in a couple weeks, tomatoes will move in. Ain’t Summer grand! 🙂

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  67. This filling looks amazing John and is making me so hungry for pasta! In fact, just before our little disaster here I acquired a pasta machine and hope to get to use it in the not too distant future. For now I shall have to add this page to my bookmarks and pins. 🙂 Envy you your strawberry season. Enjoy!

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    • With so many wonderful dishes that you prepare, I’m surprised you’ve not tried to make ravioli. It really does look much harder than it actually is. C’mon. GIve it a try! 🙂

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  70. Nothing bad going on here my friend, though I had never thought to stuff ravs with greeny spears. Good stuff in my opinion.

    The Glutton household is a big supporter of the double OO flour and it is always in stock. We were lucky in Salt Lake City to have a great local Italian store that sold just about everything one needs. The double OO is running low which reminds me we have to find a new source in the DC area (though I can’t imagine it will be an issue).

    btw, great imagery on the post.

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    • Thanks, Jed. When Celi was in town, I took her to one of my old neighborhood groceries and I was surprised to find a couple specialty items there. I didn;t have time to take a good look but I’ve a feeling that they’ll have )) flour there, as well. We Bartolini always like to have a back-up, especially when dealing with pasta supplies. 😉

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  71. John, these look wonderful. If you ever do I class on how to make homemade pasta I will definitely grab my apron and show up. 🙂 I made some before we moved with the won ton wrappers which we really enjoyed. The filling was an odd mixture of andouille sausage, mushrooms, chopped parsley, ricotta cheese and Parmesan, which peculiarly enough was absolutely yummy. I’m sure these would put them to shame, however. I have one Italian girlfriend who is always promising to include me in a day of real Italian cooking, but we live a good distance apart so doubt if this is happening any time soon.

    Nice post as always. Susie

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    • Thanks, Susie. Good to see you making the rounds again. 🙂
      I think that filling you used would be delicious. My family would probably have used spinach instead of the parsley but I think I’d like to give parsley a try. I’ve been on a ravioli kick lately and have a 3rd recipe in the queue. I can’t help myself. The farmers markets are open again and I come home with bags filled every week. Just roasting them seems so ordinary, so, it’s pasta and ravioli for them all! 🙂

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  72. I bought a ravioli maker at a garage sale a few years back. The lovely older Italian woman who sold it to me made me promise I would take good care of it and use it often. I’ve kept half of my promise… it is in the exact same condition as the day I bought it! However, I’ve yet to work up the courage to actually use it! However, a recipe such as this might change things! The ravioli filling looks amazing!

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    • Thanks, Amber. If you’re own a ravioli dye/mold, similar to the one I used in this post, it’s not nearly as difficult to use as one might think. Like anything else, it will take a few iterations before you get your stride. I posted step-by-step instructions for using a mold and you can view them by clicking HERE. Good luck when you decide to give it a go and I’ll be here to answer any questions you may have.

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  77. Pingback: Trenette with Mussels and Clams | from the Bartolini kitchens

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