Mash Up Monday Guest Post

Mash Up Monday Guest Post?  Why not!?!  When someone channels their inner Andy Warhol of food I am a fan.  That's why I started the Mash Up Monday in the first place, so that I could be as creative and/or whacky as the next.  But I see so many fantastic people out there come up with some wonderfully fascinating combos and thought, maybe I could share those too.

So I approached Shayla of Made From Scratch Recipes nearly immediately once I spied her Sweet Potato Mascarpone Ravioli.  Me and my love of pasta would die to have this for dessert.  What makes it a dessert rather than a fancy dinner?  The nutmeg cream sauce of course! Silly!  Or at least that's what's making it a mashup meal for me anyway and why I wanted to post.

I haven't been a follower of Shayla's blog for long but from what I see I likey.  We share the same "make from scratch" values and she's got a great writing sense.  I am envious that I didn't come up with this creation myself but so happy to share it with all of you!

So without further adieu - Shayla and her Sweet Potato Mascarpone Ravioli with a Nutmeg Cream Sauce

Photo courtesy of Made From Scratch Recipes

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The idea for sweet potato mascarpone ravioli came to me one night while drifting to sleep. Don’t ask why I was thinking of ravioli at bedtime. I suppose it’s just one of the many curses of being a foodie.

I love sweet potatoes and I adore mascarpone cheese so I figured, why not mix them together into a delightful ravioli filling? I paired the sweet potato mascarpone ravioli with a nutmeg cream sauce to complement to the filling’s sweet taste.

This has quickly become one of my favorite recipes and it pairs great with homemade Italian bread and white wine. The recipe produces about 12 to 15 ravioli pieces, enough for 3 to 4 people depending on how hungry you are.

Ingredients:

Pasta Dough (this dough recipe is from the Best Ever Italian Cookbook, the remainder of the recipe is my original creation):

      ·         1 1/3 cups flour
      ·         1/4 teaspoon salt
      ·         2 large eggs
      ·         1 tablespoon olive oil
      ·         1 additional egg for dough brushing, lightly whisked

Sweet Potato and Mascarpone Filling:

      ·         1 large sweet potato, baked until soft
      ·         4 ounces mascarpone cheese
      ·         1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
      ·         1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
      ·         1/4 teaspoon ginger

Nutmeg Cream Sauce:

·         2 tablespoons unsalted butter

      ·         2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
      ·         3/4 cup milk (add more milk as desired to make a thinner sauce)
      ·         1/2 cup heavy cream
      ·         1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
      ·         Dash of cinnamon
      ·         Salt to taste

Preparation:

The first step with this recipe is to preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and bake the whole sweet potato until soft, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and let cool before removing the peel.

Pasta Dough:

·         Combine the flour and salt in a medium mixing bowl.

      ·         In another bowl, whisk the eggs together lightly.
      ·         Add the eggs and olive oil to the flour mixture and stir until a dough forms.
      ·         Continue mixing the dough with your hands until it becomes more fully formed.
      ·         Place the pasta dough on a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 6 minutes.
      ·         Cover with plastic wrap and let rest on the countertop for at least 30 minutes.

Sweet Potato Filling:

·         Place the cooked and peeled sweet potato into a medium mixing bowl and mash with a fork until broken down.

      ·         Add the mascarpone cheese to the sweet potato in small amounts, mixing completely with each addition.

      ·         Add the nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger to the sweet potato filling, stir until combined. Set aside.

Final Ravioli Preparation:

·         Remove the rested pasta dough from the plastic wrap and divide in half. Place one half of the dough back in the plastic wrap to prevent drying.

·         Use a no-stick rolling pin to roll out the first half of the dough on a lightly floured surface. Turn over the dough a few times while rolling out to prevent sticking. Roll out as thinly as possible, to about 1/8 inch thickness. You can also use a pasta roller.

·         Cover the rolled out half of the dough with plastic wrap to avoid drying. Repeat the process of rolling out the second half of the dough (try to get it as close as possible to the shape and thickness of the first half).

·         Place small helpings of the sweet potato mascarpone filling in rows on the second half of the rolled out dough. Ensure that each placement of the filling is about 1 inch away from the others to provide room for the cutting of the ravioli.

·         After the filling if placed (you’ll probably have leftover filling), use your finger to rub the dough spaces between the filling with the whisked egg.

·         Carefully place the other dough half on top. If needed, carefully stretch the dough to the edge of the lower dough portion.

·         Starting at one edge, press the dough down firmly between the mounds of filling, pushing out any air as you go.

·         Cut the ravioli pieces apart using a sharp knife, ensure all edges are sealed and place the pieces on a lightly floured dish towel. Let rest for at least one hour.

·         Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boiling. Carefully place batches of the rested ravioli into the water and boil for about 2 minutes on each side. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon and place onto a dish towel or paper towel to absorb any remaining water. Boil the remaining ravioli in the same manner.

Nutmeg Cream Sauce:

·         Begin making the nutmeg cream sauce while the ravioli are boiling.

      ·         In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter on the stove top over medium heat.
      ·         Whisk the flour in with the butter until fully combined.
      ·         Slowly add the milk, stirring constantly. Continue cooking the sauce over medium heat until thickened, about 2 minutes.
      ·         Slowly add the cream, nutmeg and salt to taste.
      ·         Reduce heat to low and simmer another 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
      ·         Serve the sauce over the prepared ravioli with your favorite homemade bread.

This recipe was created by Shayla Ebsen of Made From Scratch Recipes. Browse more recipes by Shayla at the Made From Scratch Recipes blog (http://madefromscratchrecipes.com/) or on the Made From Scratch Recipes Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/MadeFromScratchRecipes). A major thanks to Running with the Devil(ed) Eggs and Katrin for supporting this guest post!