The story of these ravioli stuffed with mushrooms and a surprise yolk is as winding as it is amusing—it’s a testament to the notion that things unfold in their own time and rhythm, precisely when they need to happen. Unexpectedly, one day, I came across some wild mushrooms. Instantly, I began dreaming of making gigantic, handmade ravioli with durum wheat flour, the kind you serve just one per portion, filled with forest mushrooms and a surprise egg that oozes decadently when pierced with a fork.
I brought the mushrooms home like a treasured little bounty and set out to buy semolina. However, as often happens when I make culinary plans, I found none at the usual places I relied on. I sighed, resigned myself, and turned the mushrooms that were at risk of spoiling into crostini instead. The very next morning, after I had used the mushrooms, Marius informed me that he had semolina at his grocery store. Since my culinary fantasy was still lingering in the back of my mind, I returned to my original plan. I had pasta flour, so I set off to search for mushrooms in the same spot where I had initially found them.
You guessed it: I couldn’t find any. Instead, I stumbled upon beautiful blue crabs from Greece, priced at 19 lei per kilogram—too lovely to leave behind. Since I already had semolina from Băcănia Veche, I transformed the crabs into fantastic fagottini filled with crab meat. Just when the mushrooms seemed to be fading into a mere dream, and I was preparing to move on with my culinary and editorial plans, reality hit, and the mushrooms were mine. Two hours later, the marvelous dish you see below came to life—just in time for a special dinner. Did I mention that this story is about how things happen precisely when they need to?
Preparation:
Pasta Dough:
I used the same proportions as for the crab-filled fagottini; it’s not a strict recipe, but more a guideline based on intuition, as I learned during my time making pasta in Italy. The ingredients include 175 g of Italian bread flour, 75 g of semolina di grano duro, and 4 egg yolks, combined with warm water and a drizzle of olive oil. I mixed everything together to form a dough, which I kneaded gently until it became elastic and took shape. Then, I wrapped it in plastic wrap and refrigerated it for half an hour.
Mushroom Filling:
Next, I prepared a duxelles using the wild mushrooms. I cleaned the mushrooms with a brush to remove any dirt and chopped them as finely as possible. I sautéed them in butter along with a finely chopped shallot, 2-3 crushed garlic cloves, chopped parsley, a few fresh thyme leaves, salt, and pepper. Finally, I added two tablespoons of sour cream with 35% fat content, mixed everything well, and transferred the mixture to a food processor, which turned it into a smooth paste. I set the filling aside to cool, allowing me to focus on the pasta dough.
Ravioli with Mushrooms and Surprise Egg Yolk:
I rolled out the dough, divided it in two, and passed each part through a pasta machine, gradually adjusting the thickness until I reached a sheet so thin that you could almost see through it. From this, I cut out a series of equally sized circles and a corresponding set of larger strips.
Next, I transferred the mushroom filling into a piping bag and piped small rounds onto the first series of dough circles, leaving about 1 cm of space from the edges. In the center of each circle, atop the mushroom filling, I placed an egg yolk.
I covered the circles of dough with the larger strips, taking care to remove as much air as possible without breaking the yolk. I retouched the shape of the ravioli where necessary and used a fork to create a decorative pattern along the edges.
I let them dry slightly while I prepared some beautiful, fresh sage leaves, which I submerged in hot oil for 1-2 minutes until they became crispy.
Final Preparations and Plating:
In a large pot, I brought salted water to a boil. I gently placed three ravioli into the boiling water and cooked them for two minutes. Cooking them longer would firm up the surprise yolk in the center, depriving us of the pleasure of that enticing runny goodness. A sign that the ravioli are ready is when they float to the surface. Meanwhile, I heated a pan and melted a cube of butter until it caramelized lightly, transforming into beurre noisette.
I drained the ravioli and placed one on each serving plate. Using a teaspoon, I drizzled a little of the caramelized butter over them. I finished with strips of Parmesan cheese, a small piece of lightly sautéed mushroom as a hint of the filling, and the crispy fried sage. For garnish, of course, I added some microgreens. Since I had a truffle left, I shaved a few slices over the ravioli.
I can only say this: the moment you pierce the center of the gigantic raviolo with your fork, allowing the surprise yolk to flow out—well, that moment is more than just pleasure. It’s indulgence. It’s delight. And a true blessing, matched only by the joy of balancing it all with a glass of wine.
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