Whole Wheat Mushroom Ravioli in a Lox and Vegetable Vodka Sauce

Is there anything better in life than fresh pasta? (Okay, okay, not including Nutella and ice cream.) As promised, a pasta maker has made its way into my kitchen, promising all kinds of fresh pasta to come. It also brought along its friend, a ravioli board, which I tried out in this recipe. The verdict? Making ravioli has never been so easy in my entire life. While still a decent amount of work, as you'll see in the time reflected below, this was a huge improvement over making ravioli 100% by hand. The pasta maker produced nice sheets of dough and the ravioli board allowed me to roll out a dozen uniform ravioli at a time. Uniformity, of course, also means even cooking and even better end results.

For my first ravioli attempt with my new toys, I chose to make a mushroom and mozzarella whole wheat ravioli, tossed in a delicious, homemade healthy vodka sauce with lox, zucchini, summer squash, and cherry tomatoes. The meal was an absolute delight - producing a number of leftovers as well that continued to satisfy palettes for a couple nights after. To top it all off, I also whipped up some fresh garlic bread. Perhaps carbs galore, but also utterly delicious.

Difficulty: medium
Time: 2 hrs
Cost: $21.86



Whole Wheat Mushroom Ravioli in a Lox and Vegetable Vodka Sauce
Ingredients:
4 tsp olive oil
4 c mushrooms, sliced
3/4 c mozzarella cheese, low-fat, shredded
1.5 c whole wheat flour
1.5 c white flour
4 eggs
2 summer squash, sliced
1 zucchini, sliced
1 c cherry tomatoes, halved
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 oz Nova Lox, diced
1 small can tomato paste (no salt added)
1 small can tomato sauce (no salt added)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 c vodka
1 c fat free half and half

Ready for this exciting pasta experience? First, we'll address the filling. Heat a large pan over medium high heat. Add 1 tsp olive oil, swirling to coat. When the oil is hot, add the mushrooms. Saute for 10-12 minutes or until soft and fully cooked. Remove from heat and let them cool for a few minutes. Then, place the mushrooms in a food processor. Add the mozzarella and pulse a few times until everything is chopped up together. This will be your filling, so set it aside for now.

While the mushrooms are sauteing, you can get started on your dough. Combine the whole wheat flour and white flour in a large bowl and stir until combined. Make a well in the middle and add the eggs and 2 tsp olive oil. Mix until a dough has formed. If it's too flaky, add a bit of water, just a little at a time, as needed. Your dough should be firm but fully "moldable" like a true dough. Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes or until elastic and no longer sticky. Add water and/or some additional whole wheat flour as needed to adjust the consistency.

When the dough is ready to go, follow the directions on your pasta maker to get a sheet of dough. In my case, I broke off a small fistful and ran the dough through the machine on the #1 setting (the largest), folding it and running it through again until I had a nice rectangle. I then ran it through on #2 and then #5. The #5 is the final thickness I wanted for my ravioli, but it makes it much longer.

Place the sheet of dough over the ravioli board and lightly indent the ravioli holes. Place filling in each ravioli hole, making sure to keep the area between the ravioli free of filling so your dough will properly seal. When all of the ravioli have filling, prepare a second sheet of pasta that will go on top. Before putting it on top, wet your finger and trace the lines between all of the ravioli. The wet dough will seal better to the second sheet.

Place the second sheet over the first, forming the other side of the ravioli. Use the accompanying rolling pan to firm roll the two sheets together, sealing your ravioli. Turn the ravioli board over and carefully remove the sheet of ravioli from the board. Then, carefully separate each ravioli along the perforations and set on a piece of wax paper to dry for a few minutes.

Continue until all of your ravioli has been created. You actually want the dough to rest for about 15-30 minutes to dry a bit before the boiling process, so this works out well.

While the ravioli are drying, turn your attention to the sauce. Heat the same pan you used for the mushrooms, now empty, over medium high heat. Add the final tsp of olive oil and swirl to coat. When the olive oil is heated, add the summer squash and zucchini slices. Saute for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned and cooked through. Add the cherry tomatoes and garlic and saute for another 2-3 minutes. Finally, add the lox and saute for just one more minute.

Pour the tomato sauce and tomato paste into the pan. Stir until the paste is melted and the tomato sauce is even. Add the oregano, basil, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir in the vodka and let the sauce simmer, just stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.

As it's simmering, bring water to boil in a separate pot. When it's at a light but steady boil, add as many ravioli as will fit. Boil for 3-4 minutes, then remove them with a slotted spoon and set to the side. Continue until all of the ravioli are cooked.

Now, you just need to finish your sauce. After it has simmer for 10 minutes, add the the half and half. Stir it in and let the creamy, rich looking sauce simmer for another 10-15 minutes.

Finally, add the ravioli to the pan and stir until they are well combined in the sauce. Serve immediately and delight in the amazing-ness of fresh pasta!