Can I have some coffee on my pasta?! Ask that question in any restaurant in Italy and wait to see the look of disbelief on the server’s face!
Well, sacred traditions aside, I honestly believe that a great pairing is one that balances itself on the palate. Therefore, there are so many pairing choices when it comes to cooking with coffee, and yes, one of them is fresh pasta.
Due to its sweetness, the pumpkin in this recipe is a great ingredient to pair with coffee in a savoury dish like these ravioli. The pockets are sealed together with the mild fattiness of fresh cream cheese and nutty hazelnuts.
For a dish this daring that faces off against Italian tradition, I could have not picked a more special coffee. I believe the Panama Geisha Washed from Difference Coffee is possibly the most precious coffee on Earth!
Save this recipe for when you want to try something a little bit different. You will not regret it.
Chef’s tips: This recipe is all about the pasta making, which takes time. Make the pasta ahead, even the day before, and let it rest properly before rolling it out.
Serves: About 4
Preparation Time: 1 hour
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
INGREDIENTS
RAVIOLI
1 capsule of Panama Geisha washed Difference Coffee
1 small pumpkin or butternut squash
150 g of cream cheese
20 g of toasted hazelnuts
30 g of unsalted butter
1 garlic clove
1 sprig of sage
Baby spinach to garnish
Salt and pepper to taste
FRESH PASTA
300 g of 00 flour or pasta flour or all-purpose flour
1 whole egg
100 g of yolks
Extra flour to dust
PREPARATION
Knead the flour and eggs until you have a smooth and elastic pasta dough.
Wrap the dough with film and leave it to rest for at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, start to prepare the filling.
Trim the pumpkin and roughly slice it. Place the slices in a microwave-safe dish, cover with film, and cook at maximum power for about 12 minutes in total, checking every 3 minutes for softness.
When the pumpkin is soft, remove it from the dish, drain in a sieve, and transfer it to a food processor. Pulse the pumpkin until it’s pureed. Season to taste.
Alternatively, roast the pumpkin slices in a 160-degree oven with a drizzle of oil, a few leaves of thyme and a couple of crushed garlic cloves. Cover with foil and cook for approximately 20 minutes, or until soft.
Transfer the pumpkin puree into a piping bag.
With the help of a pasta machine, roll the pasta thinly. (This can be done by hand with a rolling pin too.) Pass the dough gradually through the narrower and narrower settings to make very thin pasta sheets.
Dust one pasta sheet with a pinch of coffee powder obtained from the Difference Coffee nespresso compatible coffee capsule. Place a second pasta sheet on top and pass it one more time through the pasta machine to incorporate the coffee.
There are numerous ways to shape ravioli but this is perhaps the easiest: Place dollops of fillings, approximately 5cm away from each other, across the middle of the pasta sheet, keeping the edges free of filling. Fold the sheet on itself lengthwise and let the edges touch. By doing that you are covering the dollops of filling with the pasta sheet. Now seal the edges by pressing the pasta around the filling, making sure not to leave air pockets inside.
With a sharp knife, pastry cutter or wheel, cut the ravioli and place them on a tray with parchment. (Believe me it is much easier than it sounds once you have seen it done once!)
Cook the ravioli in boiling water for approximately 1 to 2 minutes, depending on the thickness.
Meanwhile, melt a knob of butter in a pan on high heat with a garlic clove and a sage sprig until brownish. Remove the garlic and sage, and deglaze with a splash of pasta water.
Drain the ravioli, then toss them gently into the pan with the brown butter. Add a ladle of cooking water, a knob of fresh butter and coat them well with the created sauce.
Plate the ravioli with the sauce, and garnish with the cream cheese and a little of the leftover coffee powder. Top with the chopped hazelnut and baby spinach leaves, and enjoy!
