Stuffed Ravioli in Saffron and Cream Sauce



My favorite cuisine after Indian is definitely Italian. I love the use of cheese, herbs and spices that their dishes contain. And raviolis are my personal favorites on any Italian menu. As a cook, I always try to combine flavors that I think go well with each other, irrespective of their origin, and that's how most of the fusion dishes are created. So when my husband asked me to make Ravioli for dinner, I tried to combine the traditional Italian ingredients with a touch of Indian-ism to the sauce, creating this Ravioli stuffed with Pesto sauce and ricotta cheese topped with a sauce made from saffron, cream and tomatoes!

I'm sending these Stuffed Ravioli's to Dhivya's JFI-Saffron event this month.

Ingredients
1 packet of ravioli sheets
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/4th cup Pesto sauce (or see recipe below)
1/2 cup blanched spinach - chopped (you cna use mushrooms or any other veggies for stuffing)
1/2 cup tomatoes - cut
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp egg wash or cornflour mixed with water - to seal the raviolis
2 tsp saffron
4 tbsp parmesan cheese
1 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup plain whole milk
2 tbsp salt
2 tsp black pepper powder
chives or basil - chopped for garnish

Method

Pesto Sauce: Take 2 cups of fresh basil leaves. Add them to a mixer, add some salt, black pepper powder, fresh garlic cloves(3-4 buds) and a tiny splash of lemon juice(optional). Also add 1 cup fresh parmesan cheese. Now keep adding a tbsp of pure olive oil slowly while blending the mixture. When its half crushed, add some pine nuts to it, and blend again to form a thick yet spreadable pesto paste. keep adding EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)as required.

Ravioli: Boil the tomatoes for 4-5 mins or until tender, then blend to for a tomato puree. Fresh tomatoes give a distinct flavor to the sauce, so try avoiding ready-made puree if possible. Add some butter to a pan, then add the tomato puree and saute for some time. Whisk the whipping cream with the parmesan cheese in a separate bowl to form a thick mixture. Now add this to the tomato puree and blend well. Add plain milk if you think the sauce is too thick. Season it with salt and black pepper according to your taste. Maintain low-to-medium flame throughout the process and keep stirring continuously in the same direction.

Take 1 tbsp milk in a small cup, warm it in a microwave, and add the saffron strands to this. Crush the strands within the milk to induce the saffron color and flavor. Keep rubbing between your fingers to extract the maximum color. Now add this to the sauce, remove from flame and mix well to get a beautiful reddish-orange color. Keep the sauce aside while you make the raviolis.

Mix the ricotta cheese, spinach and pesto sauce in a bowl, and add salt to taste. Now take the ravioli sheets and cut them into desired small shapes using a cutter or knife. Brush the surface of each sheet with cornflour mixture or egg-wash. Now take a spoonful of the filling and set it in the center of the sheet. Roll the sheet over the filling, or place another sheet on the top and press along the edges gently with your fingers, sealing the ravioli. Start with pressing around the stuffing and proceed to the periphery to remove air pockets which could burst open the ravioli when you cook it. Now take a pan and cook the raviolis as intructed on the packet. Generally, it is cooked in boiling water for 5-6 mins, or until it starts to float on the top of the water.

Layer the cooked ravioli in a dish, then top it with a generous coating of the sauce. garnish with chopped basil or chives and serve hot. Indulge into the rich and fragrant flavor of saffron and cheese!!


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24 comments :

Suganya said...

Where do you get yr ravioli sheets Mansi? I am not able to find any in stores near-by. So I always use wonton wrappers.

Mansi said...

Suganya - try Trader Joe's or Pasta section of Safeway...I agree they can be hard to find sometimes, but TJ's might be a good place to look! also the World Food markets carry them...so try finding one close to your place.

sunita said...

I didn't know you get ravioli sheets as well :(...the other day, I ended up making it from scratch ...btw, your dish looks lovely...thanks for sending it over.

Anonymous said...

That looks great. I am sure it tasted great too, the colour of the sauce is so tempting. I am not a great fan of any kind of pastas but I may want to try this.

Sharmi said...

looks yum!

Kribha said...

I love any kind of pastas and especially raviolis. Your sauce looks so yummy and creamy. I have TJ in my location. will look for it. Thanks for sharing.

Padma said...

I love stuffed Raviolli!

FH said...

That girl is making everybody spend lot of money on Saffron this month!!:D

Looks delicious, we love stuffed ravioli.

musical said...

Really yummy! saffron and cream sauce must really delicious! I buy my ravioli sheets from Trader Joe's or Whole Foods too :).

Anonymous said...

This by far is the most beautiful ravioli I've ever seen!! thanks to the indian touch, huh? the ones you get in italian restaurants have hardly any sauce on it, and are almost like they have thawed frozen pasta and served you!!!

Mansi, I love the way u've combined the flavors here, and thanks so much for sharing this recipe!:)

Cindy said...

Very creative - I can imagine these flavours really working together!

Swaruchy said...

What a beautiful Ravioli....Nice and rich color Mansi.......When shall I come down to ur place and have it ....?

Calories In That said...

How much does Saffron go for these days?

Tee said...

I loved your sauce! I have some ready made frozen ravioli (i am too lazy to make my own), will try out your sauce and let you know :)

Mansi said...

Melonie - we get saffron for 4-5 bucks an ounce...but as even a small amount gives a lot of flavor and color, it's not that expensive:)

Tee - lemme know how it goes!

sunita - now you know an easier way out!:)

sra said...

I can imagine the taste!

Anonymous said...

Woooh That looks so comforting and tempting, I never get tired of eating Pastas and sauces. and love to buy pastas from OmahaSteaks and ChuckeCheese.com sores at Couponalbum.com
with good discounted prices..

Ruth Daniels said...

It is an awesome dish and of course it's going into this week's Presto Pasta Night! Thanks for sharing.

Lissie said...

great fusion cooking! sounds delicious...

Finla said...

Super delicious. Well i guess i will just sit here and imagine i am eating a whole plate of your Ravioli and the sauce.

Katie Zeller said...

That is a gorgeous sauce - such a vibrant color! I'm finally starting to use my saffron a bit more.
I never thought of using purchased pasta sheets...duh! How easy - well, easier, anyway. I'm inspired!

Anonymous said...

The word ravioli comes from the ravvolgere, meaning 'to wrap' in Italian. Molise, Liguria or Emilia Romagna could be the home of your tasty recipe.

Tee said...

Mansi, I tried out our saffron &cream sauce with ready made ravioli yesterday for dinner. It was Superb! Loved it a lot...normally, just the alfredo or tomato sauce becomes too strong for ravioli, but this one was perfect! This is a keeper recipe...also,i used Italian style stewed tomatoes instead of tomato puree and it went very well with the sauce (though, of course fresh tomato puree will be excellent, i just was lazy ;))

Mansi said...

That's great tee!! i am so happy you made this and also enjoyed it!! I was so skeptical of using saffron but something inside me said it'll go well and I'm so glad I tried this recipe:) now everyone can enjoy it, just like you!

thanks for your feedback!!