Pass the Cook Book Club: Breakfast Sausage Ravioli & Giveaway

Ravioli is now acceptable for breakfast. Stuffed with fluffy potato, crispy bacon, and spicy pork and then covered in a sage cream sauce. It’s a dream come true.

If you are like me, you accumulate cookbooks faster than cooking from them. Kita (Pass the Sushi and Girl Carnivore) saw a need and filled it by creating Pass the Cook Book Club. Every month a three recipes are picked from one cookbook and on the 4th Thursday we share what we made. This month I had the honor of picking the cookbook and recipes.

It was an easy decision to pick the Breakfast for Dinner cookbook by Lindsay Landis and Taylor Hackbarth (Love & Olive Oil), but narrowing down the recipe choices to three proved incredibly difficult. I’ve been wanting to cook from this cookbook ever since they came to Memphis (yea it took me way too long, don’t shun me Lindsay & Taylor) and there were far more than three which would have made my taste buds throw a party. Little pagemarkers were sticking out all over the place that I may as well have marked off every recipe. But there can only be three so in the end I chose Breakfast Sausage Ravioli, Italian-Style Stuffed French Toast, and Lemon Poppy Seed Thumbprints. And as the syrup on top (instead of cherry since this is breakfast we’re talking about) we are also giving away 3 copies of Breakfast for Dinner to our readers! After checking out everyone’s recipes, be sure to use the Rafflecopter widget to enter.

As you already know, I made the breakfast ravioli. This was the #1 recipe on my list of things to make from this cookbook because not only have I only made homemade ravioli a handful of times (which I realize I more than most), but it’s breakfast-ized! How amazing is the world that we live in to have ravioli for breakfast!? Of course they are stuffed with all kinds of breakfasty goodness such as fluffy potato, crispy bacon, and spicy pork, but what made me fall in love was the sauce – the creamy, buttery, sage-flavored sauce. It was so amazing that I had to double the recipe for the sauce. It took a lot of self control to not rub it all over my face.

One year ago: Chicken Burgers with Garlic-Rosemary Greek Yogurt

Two years ago: Whole Wheat Thin Crust Pizza Dough

BREAKFAST SAUSAGE RAVIOLI

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

PASTA DOUGH

1-3/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 large eggs

1/4 tsp salt

Water, as needed

FILLING

1 medium (5 oz.) Yukon gold potato, peeled and chopped

1/4 cup ricotta cheese

1 strip bacon, diced

1/2 lb. ground pork

1 tsp dark brown sugar

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp dried thyme

2 fresh sage leaves, minced

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

SAUCE

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cup heavy cream (I used half-and-half)

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

4 fresh sage leaves, minced

Salt and pepper, to taste

Shredded Parmesan cheese, for topping (optional)

Directions:

1. For the pasta dough: In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Make a well in the center, add eggs and lightly beat with a fork. Gradually incorporate the flour. Knead by hand or with your stand mixer’s dough hook. Add more flour or water as needed, 1 teaspoon at a time, to form a firm dough. Knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for another 1-2 minutes or until smooth. Divide into quarters and wrap tightly with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes before rolling out by hand or with a pasta roller.
2. For the filling: In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until tender. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a large bowl. Smash well and stir in ricotta cheese. Reserve water in pot and set aside.
3. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until it starts to brown, about 2-3 minutes. Add pork, crumble, and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in brown sugar and spices and cook for 6 minutes or until the pork begins to brown. Add to the potato mixture and stir to incorporate. Add more salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Reserve grease in skillet and set aside.
4. For the ravioli: Roll each ball of dough into thin sheets *. Lay 1 sheet on a lightly floured surface. Place teaspoons of filling an inch apart over the entire sheet. Brush water in the spaces between the filling. Lay another sheet of dough over the first and press around filling to seal. Cut into squares with pastry wheel *.
5. In the same large pot from earlier, bring salted water to a boil. Working in batches, boil ravioli for 7-8 minutes, or until tender. Transfer with a slotted spoon to serving dishes and reserve 1/4 cup pasta water.
6. For the sauce: Place skillet with bacon and pork drippings over medium heat. Add wine and simmer for 2 minutes, scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add cream, butter, and sage. Simmer until thickened slightly, about 3-5 minutes, whisking constantly. If needed, add reserved pasta water until sauce is the consistency of thick cream. (I pulsed the sauce in a food processor to homogenize it.) Spoon over ravioli and top with Parmesan.

* I used a pasta roller and a ravioli press which created about 4 dozen ravioli.

Source: Adapted slightly from Breakfast for Dinner, by Lindsay Landis and Taylor Hackbarth of Love & Olive Oil.

Disclosure: Giveaway provided by Quirk Books.
a Rafflecopter giveaway