Passalacqua Winery

Antelope Loin Ravioli

Recipe adapted from Justin Townsend on Harvesting Nature. Jessica tested the recipe and paired it with the Fiano and Russian River Quince Pinot:

This dish was well worth the time and effort. I love the flavors of butter and sage combined with the antelope, while the texture and flavor of homemade pasta is unbeatable. This was a standout meal, and pretty versatile for wine pairing. Set aside time on a weekend afternoon to spend with family hanging out and making pasta together. It will be time well spent!

Read all of Jessica's recipe notes and wine pairing recommendations here.

Ingredients

For the Pasta Dough
2 cups Flour
3 large eggs (room temp)
½ tsp. salt
1 tbs. olive oil
For the Filling
½ lbs (8 oz) Antelope Loin
¼ cup shredded Asaigo Cheese
Salt, Black Pepper, and Garlic Powder to taste
For the Mushrooms
1 tbs. butter
1 cup sliced mushrooms
3 garlic cloves, minced
For the Sauce
8 tbsp (1 stick) butter
¼ cup fresh sage leaves, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Over the years, I’ve landed on a dough recipe that works for me, so I used that one only because I’m very comfortable with it (see recipe to follow). I find pasta dough easier to work with the longer it sits, so I made the dough first and went on to cook the antelope loin and mushrooms while the dough rested. I cut the meat up into very tiny pieces so it would sit better in the ravioli. I don’t have a ravioli press so the way I made the raviolis was a bit different than the original recipe.

Start by making the pasta dough
Add the flour to a bowl and make a well in the middle. Add 3 eggs, salt and olive oil to the middle of the well and mix with fork, breaking up the eggs and slowly start adding in some of the flour. Once the dough comes together a bit start using your hands to press dough together, you can turn it out of the bowl onto a clean counter top (will be shaggy and won’t come together right away). Continue kneading for ~10 minuets. If dough is too dry sprinkle a bit of water over dough. Eventually dough will become a cohesive smooth ball. Cover with saran wrap and let rest half an hour minimum, up to 4 hours.
While the dough rests make the filling the cook the mushrooms.
Make the filling
Bring a cast iron pan to medium high heat. While the pan heats toss the antelope loins with olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Once the pan comes up to temperature, sear each side ~2-3 minutes (do not overcook). Set aside and allow to cool.
Once the antelope is cool, cut into very small pieces, mix with cheese and set aside.
Next, cook the mushrooms
Add 1 Tbs of butter, mushrooms, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste to a pan over medium heat. Cook 2-3 minutes until mushrooms soften. Continue to cook until mushrooms have released all the moisture and start to darken in color. Set aside.
Once the dough has rested, make sheets of pasta
I use a pasta machine that attaches to my Kitchenaid. A hand crank version will work just the same, but you may need a helper to crank the handle while you hold the dough.
Divide dough into 4 sections. Working with one section at a time, keep unused dough covered with plastic wrap. Begin with pasta maker on the widest setting usually 0 or 1. Feed the dough through then fold the sheet in half and feed it through again. Repeat 3 or 4 more times until the dough is smooth. Now you are going to stop folding the dough and the dough will only get one pass in each setting. Continue to increase the setting one notch after each pass, sprinkle with flour as needed to avoid sticking. For the ravioli I typically only go up the setting 6 or 7 to keep the dough from getting too thin.
Assemble the ravioli
Next, take your thin finished pasta sheet and lay it on a lightly floured piece of parchment. Depending on the width of your pasta sheet you can either make piles of filling down one side of the sheet then fold the sheet over to create your raviolis. But if your sheets are coming out pretty narrow you can place the filling down the middle, and place your next sheet right on top. Before folding over or adding the top sheet you must damped each edge and between the piles of filling to help form a seal. Dip your finger in some water and dab a little water on each edge that will be cut. Close and press each edge with your fingers to seal, then cut with a knife or ravioli cutter.
Place finished raviolis on a baking sheet with lightly floured parchment paper making sure they don’t touch, and continue with remaining pasta dough.
Once you have all your raviolis made, put a large pot of heavily salted water on the stove and turn to high. While you wait for the water to boil start the butter sage sauce.
Make the sauce
Start by melting the butter over medium heat, add the sage and let cook on medium for ~ 5 minutes to brown the butter, you should notice the butter smell turn to a more nutty smell. The butter should be at a light simmer, but don’t let burn. Turn off and keep on the stove to stay warm.
Cook the ravioli
Boil for ~ 4-5 minutes at a low boil (if the water is boiling too vigorously the raviolis might break open). You will likely have to cook in batches; the raviolis will float to the top and you only want to have a single layer floating on the top of the water. You may have to turn each one as they are cooking to thoroughly cook each side. Once you have the first batch cooked place raviolis in a bowl and add the butter sage sauce, stir carefully, the butter will keep the raviolis from sticking to one another. Continue cooking and adding to the bowl, stirring after each addition.
Once all raviolis are cooked, carefully stir in the cooked mushrooms and finish with a little more asiago.