Ravioli Stuffed with Ricotta, Sun-dried Tomatoes, Basil and Pine Nuts

In mid-February I spent a wonderful afternoon with Chef Andrée Riffou of C'est bon Cooking who I met care of a food event at the end of January hosted at Ottawa's Urban Element (sponsored by the Chicken Farmers of Canada) through her marketing person, Paola St. Georges who I had met through Twitter!  It turns out that since Chef Andrée completed her Grand Diplôme at Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa (including one semester at the Paris school) in June 2009, she was allowed to judge exam dishes, and ended up being a judge in November 2009 (therefore, judging my exam dish…blush!).

I had the pleasure of spending an afternoon with Chef Andrée Riffou in her beautiful, fully-equipped kitchen. Chef Andrée, who earned her Grand Diplôme at Le Cordon Bleu in Ottawa and Paris, shared her passion for cooking through her new Ottawa-based food business offering Cooking Classes, Food Tours, and Team Building Activities.

The menu included mushroom soup, ravioli, and panna cotta. In between all the discussion of cookbooks, school, chefs, Paris experiences, and burn tales, we cooked.

This dish was one of my favorites of the afternoon, and I decided I needed to reproduce it in my own kitchen.

Although at school we would have made it by hand, I used my food processor to mix the dough and my pasta maker attachment for my Kitchenaid to roll the pasta. I even re-processed left-over dough in the pasta maker, which is likely a no-no at school!

The filling is delicious, and the sauce is rich. It's a perfect appetizer. Here is Chef Andrée in her gorgeous kitchen:

Recipe: Ravioli Stuffed with Ricotta, Sun-dried Tomatoes, Basil and Pine Nuts

courtesy of Chef Andrée Riffou

Makes: 30 ravioli

Ingredients:

For the pasta:

250 grams (about 1½ cups) flour

10 ml (about ½ tablespoon) olive oil

10 ml (about ½ tablespoon) water

5 g (about 1 teaspoon) salt

2 eggs, whisked with a fork

For the filling:

2 shallots, minced

450 grams (about 2 cups) Ricotta

2 eggs, whisked with a fork

5-6 pieces (about ¼ cup) sun-dried tomatoes, minced

100 grams (about 1 cup) pine nuts, toasted

Basil, sliced in small pieces (Chiffonade)

Salt and pepper to taste

For the sauce:

1 cup dry white wine

2 cups whipping cream

1 clove garlic

Basil

Instructions:

1. Prepare the pasta dough:

• In a food processor, combine the flour and salt. Slowly add the olive oil, water, and eggs. Process until the mixture forms a ball. Add a bit more water if needed.
• Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
• Roll the dough into thin sheets using a rolling pin or a pasta maker.

2. Make the filling:

• Sauté the shallots in butter until translucent and let cool. Toast the pine nuts in a dry pan and let cool.
• In a large bowl, mix the ricotta, sun-dried tomatoes, eggs, and basil. Stir in the cooled shallots and pine nuts. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Assemble the ravioli:

• Place a spoonful of filling on one sheet of pasta, spacing evenly. Lay another sheet over the top and press gently around the filling to seal.
• Use a knife or ravioli cutter to shape the ravioli. Place the finished ravioli on a floured surface to dry.

4. Make the sauce:

• In a saucepan, reduce the white wine to about ⅛ cup.
• In a separate pan, reduce the cream with garlic and basil until it thickens by half. Stir in the reduced wine and keep warm.

5. Cook the ravioli:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the ravioli for about 5 minutes until tender.

6. Serve:

• Plate the ravioli and drizzle generously with the warm cream sauce. Garnish with fresh basil if desired.

Tasting Notes
This dish is a true showstopper, with the creamy filling complemented by the richness of the sauce. While traditionally made by hand at culinary school, using a food processor and pasta maker streamlines the process for home cooks. Feel free to experiment with the filling—swap out sun-dried tomatoes for roasted red peppers or add a bit of lemon zest for a brighter flavor. Regardless, this dish is guaranteed to impress at your next dinner party!

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