Morel and Ramp Ravioli

Two spring specialties unite in this delicious pasta recipe!

By David Toews and Laura Porturas

Video directions (FYI the sauce is thicker in the video than is ideal—our next round we added a splash of broth to thin):

My wife, Laura, and I love foraging for morels in the springtime in Pennsylvania. However, there is a limited diversity of recipes, so wanted to add one more to the mix. In central Pennsylvania, ramps and morels occur at roughly the same time—early spring, usually mid-to-late April, depending on the temperature of the season.

A note about foraging: First, do not consume any mushrooms if you are not 100% sure of their identity! Laura and I learned about morels from experts in the field and never consider eating anything we aren’t absolutely certain about. We focus only on yellow (Morchella americana) and black morels (Morchella angusticeps), though recognize there are other species that seasoned foragers will also consume. Morels must be cooked thoroughly, so don’t be skimpy on the simmering.

Second, also be sure about ramp identification (also known as wild leeks, forest leeks, and spring onions). There are imposters, most commonly where we live it’s Lily of the Valley—which look similar, but lack any onion or garlic smell (but are toxic!). Also, ramps take years to develop, so harvest them judiciously and only remove one of their two leaves, keeping the bulbs intact for future years.

Okay, with that out of the way, onto the fun! This ravioli with cream sauce combines the ramps into the pasta dough, with a ravioli filling of morels, shallots, and goat cheese. The mix of morel and goat cheese is also a perfect pairing (this combo is also nice if you only have a small morel harvest and can make small crostinis with goat cheese crumbles).

The ravioli are then boiled and combined with the white wine and cream sauce topped with pepper and parmesan. You’ll need two pieces of somewhat specialized equipment: a pasta maker (to flatten the dough) as well as a ravioli template (to make the ravioli squares).

Serving size—good for at least two servings (approximately 20 ravioli).

Dough ingredients:

  • 2 eggs
  • 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ tsp of salt
  • ¾ tbsp of olive oil
  • ¾ tbsp of lukewarm water
  • 3 tbsp of fresh ramps (about 10 medium-to-large leaves), chopped

Filling ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2-3 cups of chopped morel mushrooms
  • 2 large or 3 small shallots, chopped finely
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 tbsp goat cheese (added later, not sautéd)

Sauce ingredients:

  • 1 cup Heavy cream
  • 1/3 cup White wine
  • 1 tbsp Butter
  • Parmesan
  • ½ cup broth (chicken or vegetable) for thinning

Dough directions:

  • To make the dough, combine the flour, eggs, salt, olive oil, and water in a food processor. Mix briefly until combined. Chop the ramps, and add to the mixture. Continue mixing until the dough comes together (into a clump), less than a minute.
  • Remove from the food processor, kneed for 1-2 minutes to smooth it out, and form into a single log. Use extra flour if needed. Cover, and let rest for about 15 minutes.
  • Slice the log into 3/4” discs, of which there will be approximately 9 for a two egg pasta.
  • Using the pasta machine (ours is a Marcato Atlas 150) with the smooth roller set to 0—the thickest setting—to pass the first disc through. Pass each disc through at the 0 setting, then repeat at 2. Do a final pass on 4. In our experience, any thinner (e.g. a roller setting of 6) is too thin and the ravioli might break.

Filling Directions:

  • Melt 2 tbsp of butter. Add the chopped shallots and sauté until they start to brown.
  • Add morels and sauté until golden. Pull off heat and place into a bowl. Reuse the sauté pan later for the sauce!

Ravioli Instructions:

  • Place one flat side of the pasta sheet onto the template. Press gently with the mold insert to form pockets for the filling.
  • Add the morel and shallot filling to the ravioli.
  • Sprinkle with crumbles of goat cheese.
  • Add a top sheet to the ravioli to seal it in the filling. Use a rolling pin to press down, creating the seal and cinching the edges of the squares.
  • (The excess strips of dough can be combined together and run back through the pasta machine to create more sheets and additional ravioli if needed).

Making the sauce:

  • Add the butter to the sauté pan and melt. Add wine to deglaze and simmer.
  • Add heavy cream, pepper, and parmesan to let simmer and cook down. Add broth to thin as desired.

Cook ravioli:

  • With a rolling boil of well-salted water, add the ravioli. Cooking will only take 3-5 minutes.
  • Strain carefully—they are delicate, and can break open easily.

Plate the ravioli and drizzle the sauce with a spoon. Grate parmesan, and add salt and pepper. Add parsley and/or leftover filled filling (goat cheese and morel bits) for garnish.

Bask in the taste of woods in the spring!