Recipe: Ravioli of goats cheese

serves two

For the ravioli:

A few sheets of pasta – enough to make eight 4” circles. You could use dried lasagne sheets or these days there is often fresh pasta available.

100gm goats cheese – crumbled

12 sunblushed tomatoes – chopped

150gm wild mushrooms – sliced

6 spring onions – chopped

One red onion – finely diced

A handful of chopped fresh parsley and basil

One egg – beaten

For the accompanying ragout:

1 red onion – finely diced

6 spring onions – chopped

200gm wild mushrooms – chopped

One carrot – very thinly sliced on the angle

One stick of celery - very thinly sliced on the angle

100ml double cream

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Blanch the pasta sheets in boiling water until pliable, drain and allow to cool. In a medium saucepan, sauté the mushrooms, sunblushed tomatoes, spring onions, and red onion in a little olive oil until soft. Add the goats cheese to make a paste and add the chopped herbs. Taste to adjust the seasoning but it may not need salt due to the cheese.

Using a sharp knife, cut out eight 4” circular shapes. Put four of the sheets on a work surface and place a quarter of the filling mixture on each allowing approximately ¼” of an inch around the edge for sealing the top on. With a pastry brush or your finger, wash some beaten egg around the edge of each and place another pasta round on top. Seal the edges and, if you wish, use something like a fork handle or even your finger to flute them.

To make the accompanying ragout, sauté all the ingredients except the mushrooms and cream until soft. Then add the mushrooms and cream, reduce until it thickens a little and adjust the seasoning.

Whilst it’s cooking, bring a large pan of salted water to a simmer, gently lower the ravioli into it and cook until the pasta is tender. To test, remove one and cut a little off the edge to see if it’s ready. Fresh pasta will take around four minutes whilst previously dried pasta a few minutes longer.

Drain the ravioli and serve on warm plates on and alongside the ragout, possible with a few dressed salad leaves for contrast of taste, colour and texture.