Ravioli Verdi Con Noci Crema Di Funghi

Start by making the ravioli dough. Bring a pan of water to the boil with a good pinch of salt. Add the spinach and cook for 30 seconds just until it has wilted. Remove, squeeze it nice and tight, then run it under cold water before squeezing again to remove as much water as you can.

Using a hand blender or mini blender, blitz the blanched spinach with the 125ml of cold water, until a very smooth purée is formed.

Put the spinach purée and the rest of the ingredients for the pasta dough into a food processor or mixer and mix until the dough leaves the sides and is no longer sticky to touch.

Knead the dough on a floured surface for 10 minutes, until it’s nice and smooth – it may look dry to start with, but keep going!

Rest the dough for at least half an hour in the fridge, covered with cling film.

Roughly chop the walnuts for the filling and the garnish, and grate the garlic.

For the filling, pulse the walnuts, basil, garlic and olive oil in a food processor or finely chop by hand. Put the cream cheese into a separate small bowl, give it a loose mix on its own, then stir through the pulsed walnut and basil mix until well incorporated. Season to taste and set aside.

Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces, then roll each one into a rectangle on a floured surface to approx. 2mm thick. This is much easier with a pasta machine, but absolutely doable by hand too!

Pipe or spoon 1 teaspoon of filling in a line along 2 of the pieces of dough, with at least 4cm gap each side. Lightly brush the area around each mound with water or plant-based milk, then gently lay a second sheet of pasta on top of each, pressing around each mound with your fingers to seal them in nice and snug.

Cut the pasta into squares between the mounds of filling using a sharp knife, or a wheel cutter if you have one, and place on a tray.

For the mushroom cream, blend the porcini mushrooms along with the water they soaked in to form a smooth liquid, then pour this into a small saucepan, add the soy milk and heat until warm.

In a separate saucepan, melt the butter over a low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 1–2 minutes, then gradually pour in the warmed mushroom mix from the other saucepan, whisking continuously. Once you have a smooth sauce, bring it to a simmer and bubble for 3–4 minutes until it becomes a thick, silky sauce. Season well with salt and pepper.

Cut the oyster mushrooms into slices and sauté in a little oil until nice and brown.

Meanwhile, cook the ravioli in salted boiling water for 3–4 minutes.

To serve, spoon the mushroom cream over the base of a plate, layer on the pasta, and top with the sautéed mushrooms, toasted walnuts and tarragon. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and enjoy.

TIP: You need a small blender or stick blender to make the purée for this pasta shape. If you don’t have one, why not try my simple scissor-cut pasta shape on page 129 of Cooking With Nonna instead?