A couple of weeks ago I had a butternut/mascarpone ravioli at a locally-sourced restaurant. The pasta was served with a sage brown butter sauce. I had been thinking about trying to recreate it and tried my hand at it last night.
OMG! I don’t mind saying I may have outdone myself. This sweet potato-mascarpone filling is so good that I could eat it by itself. (In fact, I had enough filling left over for a small side dish. I think I will try a sweet potato-mascarpone casserole for Thanksgiving.) I need to work on the sauce, BUT I may have browned (or actually blackened) the butter a bit too much. These would also be tasty with an Alfredo Sauce, too.
So, the sweet potatoes came from the farmers’ market last weekend, the onion from our earlier harvest, and the sage from the herb garden. Alas, I did cheat and buy won-ton wrappers for the pasta. Hey, there is only so much a girl can do!
Sweet Potato Ravioli with Mascarpone and Sage
2 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled
1 T. olive oil
5 T. butter, divided
½ c. onion, diced
1 ½ T. fresh sage leaves, chopped
¼ t. fresh ground nutmeg
4 oz. Mascarpone
1/4 c. toasted chopped hazelnuts, optional
2 T. white wine
1 t. balsamic vinegar.
60 wonton wrappers
2 large egg whites, beaten
Cook sweet potatoes until soft (either stove top or in microwave).
Heat oil and 1 T. butter in a sauté pan and brown onion and sage. When onions are soft and caramelized, add to sweet potatoes and mash well to mix. (I did this in my stand mixer.) Allow to cool to room temperature. Add Mascarpone and salt and pepper to taste.
Line large baking sheet with parchment paper (or use a silicon pad). Place 1 wonton wrapper on work surface. Using pastry brush, lightly brush wrapper with beaten egg whites. Place 1 tablespoon sweet potato filling in center of wrapper. Top with another wrapper. Press edges together to seal. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling. Set aside while sauce is made.
Melt remaining butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Cook until butter begins to brown, about 4 minutes. Add Hazelnuts and toast a few more minutes. Remove from heat and add wine and vinegar. Stir continuously until a bit thick.
Cook raviolis in boiling water (in stages) for three minutes. Drain and toss with sauce. This made a ton of raviolis (30). I plated two servings of three raviolis and froze the rest. I also had some filling left over and froze it for a side dish later on.