Spontaneous ravioli help

October 6, 2009 2:14 PM

Ravioli help! I need a creative, fast, tasty sauce idea...

I was left with extra pasta sheets after running out of filling while making ravioli. Not wanting to waste my, I made a few extras with scrounged ingredients. The result: Brie and asiago ravioli with dried cherries. They're great. The problem is what to sauce them with. I only have enough for one serving, so it's gonna be my quick dinner tonight.

Help me, o cooks of MeFi, I beseech thee!

posted by kaseijin to Food & Drink (16 answers total)

I like filled pasta with just olive oil, or olive oil and herbs. It's especially good with a nice fruity, flavorful oil and a little fresh cracked pepper. You could also add some bacon crumbles if you want a meaty taste in there too.
posted by katemonster at 2:19 PM on October 6, 2009

Yeah, I was going to say something simple like butter and pepper for that kind of filling.
posted by CunningLinguist at 2:19 PM on October 6, 2009

Butter + leftover asiago + toasted pine nuts. Let the heat of the pasta melt it together, though you can melt them over low heat in a saucepan if need be.
posted by Lifeson at 2:22 PM on October 6, 2009

Browned butter and white wine (or light beer) sauce?
posted by booknerd at 2:22 PM on October 6, 2009

I'd go with something nutty -- walnut sauce, or toasted pine nuts in a bechamel.
posted by palliser at 2:23 PM on October 6, 2009

I don't know if this will work with said filling, but I fooled around and made a really awesome 'sauce' with hummus a few weeks ago. I can't say an exact recipe, but I tossed in some plain hummus along with a bit of chicken broth and some fresh basil. (You could maybe do milk too, but I didn't have any on hand). It turned into a very tasty sauce--kind of cheesy/tangy almost. You may not have hummus on hand but it might be good to try next time!
posted by actionpact at 2:23 PM on October 6, 2009

- blue cheese (a runny gorgonzola would be the best option) , a spoonful of cream, crushed walnuts, a little finely cut chives.

- butter.

- grate some (organic!) lemon zest into a pan with a little butter, let simmer on a low heat, pour on ravioli

- same as above, with sage leaves replacing the lemon zest

if available, all of the above will benefit from some freshly ground black pepper and some freshly grated parmigiano.

enjoy!
posted by _dario at 2:26 PM on October 6, 2009

Fry them with butter and sage. Top w/ more asiago.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 2:31 PM on October 6, 2009

Brown butter and sage, with asiago shaved on top.
posted by rmless at 2:32 PM on October 6, 2009

JINX BitterOldPunk
posted by rmless at 2:32 PM on October 6, 2009

Response by poster: Butter and sage seems to be the consensus. It does sound good, as I have copious amounts of both fresh sage and homemade butter.

Wasn't sure how the sage would pair with the dried cherries though. Would that work?
posted by kaseijin at 2:36 PM on October 6, 2009

Response by poster: Hmmm. I guess it would work; it works for game meats. Butter and sage, it is!
posted by kaseijin at 2:36 PM on October 6, 2009

olive oil, pressed garlic, and crushed red peppers
posted by askmehow at 2:57 PM on October 6, 2009

Future project: With those flavors, I would have gone with a chipotle/cranberry reduction, probably with some Zinfandel thrown in.
posted by mudpuppie at 3:01 PM on October 6, 2009 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Holy god, mudpuppie, that sounds amazing (as did the walnut sauce). Definitely worth keeping in the back pocket for a future project, as were several of these other great ideas - I just had to work with what I had on hand today, though, without necessitating a trip to the store.

Thank you hive mind, for all of the fantastic answers! And if anybody has more, then keep rolling with them, because I will most certainly make these ravioli again! :)
posted by kaseijin at 3:09 PM on October 6, 2009

Butter and brown sugar sprinkled directly on pasta. For some reason, just heating up butter and brown sugar in a sauce pan makes an untasty mess.
posted by idiotfactory at 3:37 PM on October 6, 2009