Vegan & Gluten Free Ravioli Two Ways

First things first, pick your filling. The ingredients given will fill one batch of pasta so either pick one or do both but half the amounts. 

To make the pasta: Sift your dry ingredients into a bowl. Chickpea flour can be incredibly lumpy and the last thing you want to find in your pasta is lumps of unmixed chickpea flour. I used a standmixer with the dough hook attachment for the next bit but you can do this by hand if you’re patient and feeling strong. Pour the liquid ingredients into a well in the centre and kneed until smooth. When ready, a good pasta dough should be firm but not at all sticky. You should be able to kneed it with your hands and still have clean hands afterwards. If it’s too sticky then add a little more flour, no more than a tablespoon at a time, and continue kneading until the texture is just right. The dough can be used straight away or wrapped very tightly in cling film and placed into a fridge for up to 2 days.

Making the Cashew Ricotta: This batch is a development from the version in my lasagne soup but the method is the same. If you prefer my old version then feel free to use that instead. Once the cashews are soaked, they should be soft and mailable to the touch, drain well and placed to a blender jug. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy. It’s ready, place until the fridge until needed. You may not need all of it for this recipe but anything you don’t need will be great on toast!

To make the beetroot filling: Want to know a secret? When I’m doing this I don’t bother peeling the beetroot. If buying them raw they should be well scrubbed before cooking but I’ve never seen the point in peeling them when they’re about to go in the blender. Top and tail the beetroot before throwing the in blender with rest of the filling ingredients apart from the mint. Blend until smooth and stir through the mint leaves. Taste and season to taste, each batch of beetroot will be different so don’t be afraid to keep tasting till you get it right. 

To make the butternut squash filling: Preheat the heat to 220 degrees (200 Fan/435 F). Toss the squash in a little oil and season lightly before roasting for 45 min – 1 hour, or until soft and caramelised around the edges. Mash the squash with a fork or potato masher (I’m not a fan of using a blender for this one as I prefer the more interesting texture). Add the rest of the filling ingredients and stir well. Taste and season as needed.

Forming the Ravioli: Before starting make sure you have a few basic items to hand; a rolling pin, biscuit cutter (I use this to cut out my ravioli), lined baking tray, damp tea towel, and a fork. I like to separate the pasta dough into 4 equal sized portions when rolling out as it just makes everything a lot easier to handle. Make sure you keep the rest of your dough firmly wrapped into cling film while you work to stop the dough drying out. Place your dough onto a very lightly floured surface and roll the dough until its about 2mm thin and slightly transparent. To make sure the dough doesn’t stick to the work surface, turn and flip regularly, adding more flour as needed. When the dough becomes too large to easily turn without tearing, don’t be afraid to use the rolling pin to help. 

When rolled out, cut out as many shapes as possible with the biscuit cutter. Cover the shapes with the damp tea towel and repeat with the rest of the dough. Here we come to one of the best parts of working with GF dough – if you have any offcuts, don’t throw them away. Knead them back into a smooth ball of dough, and keep rolling and cutting until you’ve used all the dough – no waste here!

I like to put my filling into a piping bag for this next step but a steady hand and a spoon will work just as well. Line up half of your pasta shapes on the workbench and place about half a tablespoon of filling in the middle of each. Brush the edges with a little water  using your finger before covering with a second piece of dough. Carefully press down, removing any air from inside and sealing using a little pressure around the edges. Lightly crimp around the edges with the fork before placing on the lined baking tray – repeat until all the pasta dough has been formed into ravioli. 

To cook, bring a large pan of water up to a boil and place the butter into a wide frying pan. Once the butter is melted add the sage and walnuts. Cook, stirring occationally, until the walnuts are toasted and the sage leaves are crispy. Stir in the rest of the ingrediants and season to taste. Meanwhile, place the ravioli into the simmering water and cook until the ravioli floats – fresh pasta doesn’t normally take more than 2-3 minutes. Gently, drain well and serve with a drizzle of the sage and walnut butter.

Enjoy!