MAKE CHEF ANTONIA LOFASO’S SPRING PEA RAVIOLI

You can craft Chef Antonia Lofaso’s delicate Spring Pea Ravioli in less time than you think.

Jazzed up with a hint of Chili Oil, lemon zest, and parmesan, this Spring Ravioli is filled with a minty pea and ricotta filling. It’s surprisingly easy to make—especially if you gift yourself a ravioli maker. It’s key to the success of this recipe. And priced as it is, it’s a bargain. It makes 12 ravioli. And while today’s ravioli is a delicate salute to Spring, you can make endless variations on fillings…from sweet corn and ricotta this summer to hearty meat versions when colder weather reappears.  Chef Antonia thinks 3 ravioli are the appropriate number for a portion.  Andrew and I devoured 6 each. The difference may be that Chef Lofaso serves hers as an appetizer.  We served it as our main course with a side salad and a great loaf of bread. It’s a perfect meatless meal! If you wish to make just 6, cover half the ravioli maker with pasta  The other key to timesaving is to use fresh, store-bought pasta. Just beware. Pasta sold as fresh lasagna sheets may not be thick enough to make ravioli. We got ours at Whole Foods.

Ravioli has been on Italian tables for a very long time.

Ravioli first made their appearance in the 14th Century. Their origin is slightly fuzzy but later they were particularly popular in Lombardy, Liguria, and Emilia-Romagna. Each of those regions put its spin on the little pasta packages filling them with ricotta, spinach, pumpkin, and sage. Ravioli started out as a way to stretch leftovers. Cooks would take whatever delicious bits of meat, cheese, and vegetable they had on hand, tuck them into pockets of dough and an Italian classic was born. Over time, ravioli evolved from a humble peasant dish to one fit for the nobility. As Italians emigrated to North and South America, Ravioli found their way into home kitchens and onto restaurant menus from Buenos Aires to Boston. Today you find ravioli in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and flavors from traditional classics to bold modern shapes. Sauced with Marinara, bathed in brown butter or served in a cream sauce, Ravioli is a favorite of pasta lovers worldwide.

Our Guest Chef for the Day is Chef Antonia Lofaso.

I just had the great pleasure of taking a Ravioli lesson from Chef Antonia Lofaso, the heroine of Food Television’s Top Chef and, most recently, robbed, I tell you, on Food Network’s Tournament of Champions.  I was covering the Chef’s appearance at Meliá Paradisus Palma Real Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. The Chef and Chef Alan Vargas –New York’s Dominican Star Chef- presided over an Epicurean weekend at this beautiful property. (More on that in the article I wrote for Matador Network. Here’s the link: https://matadornetwork.com/read/melia-paradisus-palma-real/)

Food Network and Bravo made Chef Lofaso an American Idol

If you’ve spent any time watching Food Network over the past few years, then you know this Top Chef superstar. She began her cooking career at Wolfgang Puck’s renowned Spago, and rose to fame as a top-four contender on “Top Chef: Chicago,” later returning for “Top Chef: All-Stars” and “Top Chef Duels.” Today, she’s a regular on the Food Network and is the Executive Chef and owner of three of LA’s hottest Italian restaurants, one of which is SCOPA Italian Roots.  During an interactive class, Chef Antonia taught us how to master handmade ravioli with her famed Spring Pea Ravioli dish. Chef Antonia offered a Ravioli-making kit branded with the name of her Venice CA restaurant SCOPA Italian Roots.  You can watch Chef Antonia make a slightly different recipe on this YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quPasL9OyuA but please remember to use the recipe. And next time you are in Los Angeles, make tracks to SCOPA at 2905 Washington Blvd, Venice, CA 90292 Tel:(310)821-1100

Chef Antonia Lofaso's Spring Pea Ravioli

May 9, 2024

Servings: 4 Appetizer Portions or 2 Main Courses

Prep: 30 min

Total: 90 min

Difficulty: As long you have the Ravioli Maker and use Store Bought Pasta sheets, this is a breeze to make

There's nothing like the start of spring! Celebrate the season with a bright ravioli recipe that wraps sweet spring peas in fresh pasta dressed in a refreshing lemon-butter sauce

By: Monte Mathews

Ingredients

• For the Pea and Ricotta Filling: 1.5 Cups Frozen Green Peas
• 1.5 Cups Whole Milk Ricotta
• 1 Cup Mint Leaves
• Zest of 1 Whole Lemon
• 3/4 tsp. Kosher Salt
• 1/4 tsp. Black Pepper
• 1/4 cup Grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• For the Lemon Butter Sauce:
• 1 Lemon Juiced
• 1 Stick Cold, Unsalted Butter
• 1/4 tsp. Kosher Salt
• Chili Oil to taste
• Microgreens or Pea Shoots as garnish. Note: Do not leave these out--they make the dish so much more beautiful.

Directions

• Step 1 First Make the Pea and Ricotta Filling: In the bowl of a food processor, combine the frozen peas, whole milk ricotta, mint, lemon zest, Parmigiano cheese, salt, and pepper, and process until smooth. Put the filling into a quart-sized plastic bag: Form the bag into a cone shape and refrigerate for an hour.
• Step 2 To form the Ravioli: Take a sheet of pasta dough and put it on top of the metal part of the pasta maker. Take the plastic part of the Ravioli maker and position it directly over the pasta. Push it down until it forms 12 ‘bowls’ in the pasta. Take the plastic bag of pea filling out of the refrigerator. Snip off the tip of the cone, and fill each bowl with pea filling. Place a second sheet of pasta on top of the filled ‘bowls’
• Step 3 Then, using a rolling pin or a wine bottle, press it gently around the mounds of filling to ensure it is thoroughly closed. Repeat pressing the dough with the wine bottle or rolling pin until the jagged edges of the metal show through. Gently remove the individual ravioli.
• Step 4 Arrange the ravioli in a single layer on a baking sheet sprinkled with flour, and let them dry for one hour.
• Step 5 When you are ready to cook the ravioli, bring a large skillet of salted water to a boil (think: salty as the sea). Add the ravioli and cook, until the ravioli rises to the top of the water
• Step 6 Cook a further two minutes. Remove from heat.
• Step 7 To Make the Lemon Butter Sauce:
• Step 8 In a small saucepan, slowly melt the butter over low-medium heat and add the lemon juice. Once the butter is completely melted and the bubbles have subsided, add the drained pasta to the saucepan and gently toss to coat it well. Dot the chili oil around the ravioli.
• Step 9 Sprinkle the microgreens over the top of the ravioli.
• Step 10 Serve the spring pea ravioli hot, and enjoy!
• Step 11 .

Here are some other Spring Pasta Recipes to enjoy plus another FOOD IN A FLASH post featuring Store-Bought Ravioli

https://chewingthefat.us.com/?s=Spring+Pasta

Pasta with Asparagus and Mushrooms

Two Ravioli Recipes so simple, I’m almost ashamed of myself: Lobster Ravioli with Creamy Tomato Sauce and Cheese Ravioli with Black Truffles and Mushroom Sauce