I love butternut squash ravioli and sweet potato ravioli, but it’s so hard to find a recipe for this dish that doesn’t feature a sage and brown butter sauce. Instead, I wanted to find something equally (or more) appetizing to top off my pillows of pasta. I opted for figs and prosciutto with a balsamic dressing, and it turned out really well. I added freshly grated Parmesan to top it off.
I had some dried figs leftover from a goat cheese and fig crostini I made as an appetizer a few weeks ago.
I decided to bring them back to life a bit by quartering and simmering them in sherry. I wanted to make sure they’d be moist and tender, not chewy, when I added them to my pasta.
I also usually like to make my own pasta when I make raviolis. I bought a pasta machine that clamps to the side of my kitchen island, and since I’m far from mastering making spaghetti or anything more intricate than simple sheets of pasta, ravioli is usually my go-to. Today, though, I had leftover spring roll wrappers, which I swapped instead of using fresh pasta. They worked out well — I think I’d still prefer homemade pasta because it has more substance and flavor, but I’ll keep these in mind for raviolis with lighter, more subtle fillings. The wrappers certainly didn’t compete with the filling here.
Ingredients
about 1/2 cup dried figs, quartered
1/2 cup sherry
1 large sweet potato
2-3 oz. goat cheese
about 20 dumpling wrappers
2 oz. prosciutto
1-2 Tablespoons olive oil
balsamic glaze (sold in Italian specialty stores, or reduced balsamic vinegar)
Steps
1) Peel and dice sweet potatoes into 1-inch cubes. Roast for about 20 minutes, or until they are tender. Transfer to a bowl and mash. Add the goat cheese, stirring until melted and incorporated into the potatoes. Set aside.
2) Form the ravioli by using a 3 or 4-inch circular cookie cutter to cut individual ravioli forms from the spring roll wrappers (or, you can make square-shaped ravioli and skip this step). Add a small dollop of the mashed sweet potato mixture to the center of the ravioli wrapper and close into a semi-circle. Keep the pasta sealed by gently wetting the edge by swiping it with your fingertip after dipping it in water. Crimp the edges with a fork.
3) Add the quartered figs and sherry to a small saucepan and simmer over low heat.Keep this on the back burner while you prepare the other components of the sauce.
4) Thinly slice the prosciutto and heat it in a 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat. Add the figs and sherry once the figs have softened. Drizzle in a few tablespoons of olive oil.
5) Meanwhile, heat a large saucepan of water to boiling. Once it reaches a rolling boil, gently add the sweet potato ravioli, a few at a time. Allow the ravioli to cook and rise to the surface of the water and remove with a slotted spoon. Ravioli can be added to the prosciutto and sauce to keep it warm while you cook other batches.
6) Plate the ravioli and drizzle with balsamic glaze. Sprinkle with fresh Parmesan and serve.
