Chicken and Mushroom Ravioli with Simple Tomato Sauce

Pasta Dough

Ingredients

3 cups (450g) ‘00’ flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tsp salt
4 eggs (60g each)
1 egg yolk (reserve egg white)
2 tsp olive oil

Method

Spoon flour and salt onto a clean work surface in a circular mound. Make a deep well in the centre
Crack eggs, egg yolk into the flour and drizzle in oil. With a fork, whisk eggs dragging the flour from the sides. Continue until all the flour has been incorporated and dough forms a sticky shaggy dough
Using floured hands, knead the dough together, bringing any flour from the bench to form a firm but sticky dough
Sprinkle a little more flour on the bench and knead the pasta by pushing down and forward. Continue for 5-10 minutes or until the dough is silky smooth, elastic and springs back when pressed with a finger. Flatten the dough into a disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Rest for 30-60 minutes at room temperature

Chicken and Mushroom Filling

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
150g button mushrooms, finely chopped
Sea salt to taste
1 small clove garlic, crushed
300g chicken (or pork) mince
3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1-2 green onions, finely chopped

Method

Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook 3-4 minutes or until softened. Season with salt and stir in garlic. Cook a further 2 minutes. Remove and cool
In a large bowl combine the chicken mince, cooled mushrooms, parmesan and green onions. Refrigerate
Once the dough has finished resting, cut into 4 portions and cover with a tea towel to keep moist. Take out one portion and cut this into 2
Dust kitchen bench with flour and shape dough into flat square. Using a rolling pin, roll out dough into long strips. With each roll, lift the dough up, re-dust, and flip it over. Continue rolling and flouring until pasta is about ½ mm thick and approx. 15-16cm wide. Pasta should be thin enough for you to see the outline of your hand through it. Lay pasta strips horizontally and trim edges
Working with one pasta strip at a time, brush with egg white and spoon heaped teaspoon of filling along one edge of the strip, about 1cm from the edge. Leave a 2-3 cm space between each mound of filling. Cut ravioli and fold pasta over the top, gently pressing around the filling while squeezing out as much air as possible
Using a pastry cutter, trim edges, leaving a sensible edge around the filling. Place onto a floured tray and dust with more flour. Repeat with remaining pasta and filling
Cook in batches in a large pan of gently boiling salted water for 6 minutes or until pasta is cooked. Scoop out with a slotted spoon and place into a bowl with a little of the cooking water until all the ravioli has been cooked

Tomato Pasta Sauce

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 x 400g can crushed tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
Extra virgin olive oil, grated parmesan and fresh basil to serve

Method

Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook 3-4 minutes or until softened. Stir in tomatoes and simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper. If sauce is too thick, add ⅓ cup of the pasta cooking water to it thin out
To serve, coat chicken and mushroom ravioli generously with warm tomato sauce and sprinkle with grated parmesan. Drizzle with olive oil and garnish with fresh basil

Tips & Hints

Serving size is 6 ravioli per person.
Ravioli can be cut into squares or rounds.
Pasta dough, sauce and filling can be made a day ahead and refrigerated.
Ravioli freezes easily, place the tray of prepared ravioli into the freezer for about 15 minutes. Make sure they aren't sticking to each other or the tray. Transfer the semi-frozen ravioli to airtight bags. Label, date, and place in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Cook from frozen.