SAGE AND BROWNED BUTTER RAVIOLI & VOUVRAY
This is the dish to make on your next date night. Or your next dinner party. Or tonight, for just you.
Our Sage and Browned Butter Ravioli is the definition of simplicity meets savory meets sensual. On top of that, it beautifully meets our definition of the “rule of 10”…with less than ten ingredients, a budget of around $10, and a prep time of about ten minutes, it is difficult to do better than this on your next dinner party menu.
What makes the dish great? To start, the base ravioli allows you so much versatility. Go with plain cheese, or ones filled with spinach or butternut squash, or even something like sweet potato or mushroom. We love the spinach and ricotta best with this recipe, but find every filling we’ve tried delicious.
Brown butter, cooked until fragrant is like liquid gold, coats the sage and ravioli like a warm and silky blanket, and has slow dances with your mouth with every bite. The sage become irresistibly crispy as it takes a hot bath in the browned butter, while the acidity of the lemon mellows the richness of the butter just enough. And you can never have too much cheese, especially when it is Parmigiano-Reggiano.
It will take you longer to chill the Vouvray you’ll want to pair with this than it will take you to prepare the dish. But a sufficiently chilled class of off-dry Vouvray is a perfect bedmate to this ultimate comfort food recipe. The sky-high acidity of the wine will nestle itself under the richness of the ravioli and lift it up to heights that no other wine could do with the same finesse and delicacy.
The traditionalists may balk at our pairing of a classic Italian dish with a classic French wine, but if there was a case for international relations making the world a better place, our Sage & Browned Butter Ravioli and Vouvray pairing is it.
The Food
SAGE & BROWNED BUTTER RAVIOLI
Ingredients:
18-20 oz store-bought or homemade ravioli
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
6 tablespoons salted butter
Freshly ground black pepper
20-25 fresh sage leaves
1 lemon
Parmigiano Reggiano for serving
Preparation:
- Cook the ravioli according to the package instructions, keeping in mind that the rest of the dish will take about ten minutes to complete.
- While the ravioli is cooking, prepare the rest of the dish. Mince the garlic and chop the walnuts before you begin the sage brown butter sauce, since the sauce cooks very quickly.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the butter. Cook for about 3 minutes or until browned and fragrant (it will smell nutty), swirling the butter and stirring occasionally.
- Once the butter begins to sizzle and becomes foamy, add the minced garlic and chopped walnuts.
- Continue to stir and cook over medium-low heat until the sediment in the skillet turns deep golden brown (about 2-4 minutes).
- Add pepper to taste, and the sage leaves.
- Continue cooking about 2 minutes more, until sage is slightly crispy, stirring occasionally. Add about ½ tablespoon lemon juice.
- Once ravioli has finished cooking, add them to the skillet, stirring gently to coat them in the browned butter.
- Divide ravioli among 4 plates or bowls, top with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano, cracked black pepper and a squeeze of lemon.
Alternative Additions/Substitutions:
- Feel free to try the following mix-ins or substitutions:
- Swap out ravioli for tortellini or gnocchi
- Stir some mascarpone cheese into the sauce
- Stir pumpkin purée into the sauce
- Add crispy pancetta, prosciutto or bacon
- Add roasted butternut or acorn squash
The Wine
VOUVRAY
Vouvray is made from Chenin Blanc grapes grown along the banks of the Loire River in the Touraine district of France. The Loire is over 600 miles long, spanning from the Atlantic Ocean and English Channel through to the center of Continental Europe.
A sprawling region that produces nearly every type of wine made across the globe.
And its Chenin blanc grape is as versatile as they come. Depending on the style--and Vouvrays come in nearly every style imaginable--the wine can exhibit notes of honey, pear, fig, honeysuckle, quince, and (green or yellow) apple. And often with subtle notes of ginger and beeswax – hinting at the presence of noble rot.
It has a naturally high acidity, which in addition to being a great food pairing wine, helps Vouvrays age exceptionally well for over a decade.
Depending on the style made, a Vouvray can range from lean, dry and minerally, to fruity and succulently sweet.
And in terms of how to serve your Vouvray, you want it cold—45 degrees Fahrenheit or 8 degrees Celsius—to fully appreciate the development of the fruit.
Profile Brief:
Primary Grapes: Chenin Blanc.
Secondary Grapes: N/A.
Body: Light
Acidity: High
Tannins: None
Alcohol: Low
Flavors: Honey, pear, fig, honeysuckle, quince, and (green or yellow) apple. And often with subtle notes of ginger and beeswax, depending on the style made.
Photo Credit
This is the 1997 Domaine Vigneau-Chevreau Vouvray we opened the night we made our Sage & Browned Butter Ravioli. It was absolutely delicious, having aged well, and presented a bit orange in color, with a slight sweetness, but not cloyingly sweet, and still with strong acidity that kept the fruit intense…baked orange rind, with ripe and baked lemon, and a long, much appreciated, finish.
Buen Provecho!
Expressing to you so much more than simply "enjoy your meal".