Ravioli of Westhaven Goats Curd, grilled eggplant and basil, roast capsicum sauce:
Paul Herbig

Ingredients

• 350g eggplant
• 2 Tablespoons rinsed and drained tiny capers
• 1 1/2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
• 1/2 cup of freshly chopped basil
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 100g Westhaven goats curd
• 1 quantity pasta dough or gow gee wrappers
• Best quality extra virgin olive oil
• Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Method

• Slice each eggplant, then salt it if large and leave to drain for 30 minutes.
• Rinse the eggplant and pat it dry with kitchen paper, then peel and dice it finely.
• Brush the eggplant with olive oil and char grill on both sides for a few minutes. Let cool and dice.
• In a separate pan, sauté the capers in a little olive oil, and then add these to the eggplant.
• Sauté the garlic in the same oil until translucent but not golden, then add to the bowl.
• Tip the basil into the bowl with the lemon juice, and then season. Carefully fold in the goats' curd and check the seasoning again. Allow the mixture to sit for a while for the flavours to meld.
• Make the pasta dough as instructed, dividing it in two before allowing it to rest.
• Using a pasta machine, roll each piece of dough through the settings until you reach the finest.
• Trim the ends of the pasta sheets to square them up, ensuring the sheets are the same length.
• Lay the sheets on a floured workbench, and then place 4 spoonfuls of filling about 8cm apart down one of these.
• Flatten out the filling a little.
• Moisten the pasta or Gow gee wrappers (if using) around the filling with a pastry brush dipped in water.
• Carefully position the remaining sheet of pasta or second wrapper over the other, pressing down around the moulds of filling to ensure a good seal.
• Cut between each mould of filling to create 4 large ravioli or trim Gow gee wrappers with a cutter to achieve even shape.
• Bring a shallow pan of water to a boil, then add salt and reduce to a simmer.
• Slide in 2 large ravioli at a time - they will rise to the surface very quickly and will only take 2 minutes to cook.
• Drain the ravioli well, then drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil (a green tuscan oil, if possible), add parmigiano-reggiano and serve. (These ravioli are also delicious served with nut brown and crisped sage.)

This recipe could be finished in the following ways:

• Served with a fresh roasted tomato sauce, pesto or salsa agresto.
• Served on a sautéed mix of fresh and wild mushrooms, garlic cream and drizzled with a little white truffle oil.
• Served on slow roasted tomatoes with reduced balsamic and herb oil.

Roast Capsicum Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 red capsicums
• 1 onion chopped
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• 150ml tomato juice
• 1 small fresh chilli, seeded but whole
• extra virgin olive oil

 

 

Method

• Preheat oven to 180°c, run capsicums with olive oil and place in a baking dish into a 200°c oven, roast till skins shrink away from flesh, remove and wrap in plastic to allow skins to steam off.
• Sweat off onion and garlic, add thyme and chilli together with skinned and diced capsicum.
• Cook mixture down with tomato juice until it reduces by half.
• Puree and pass through strainer, adjust consistency and season.

To Serve

• Place a little roast capsicum sauce in the middle of a plate and top with ravioli.
• Place on a spoonful of pesto.
• Top with shaved Parmesan and drizzle with white St Raphael oil and cracked pepper.