A few years ago, one of my daughter's insisted that we visit The Broadway Restaurant by Amar Santana in Laguna Beach, California. We were fortunate enough to get seats without a reservation and guess what, it was right in front of the food prep. area.  This is my favorite place to sit at any restaurant.  Once seated, I was terrible company as I was transfixed and completely engaged with the chef, gleaning anything and everything I could.  My favorite heavy appetizer, light meal was the "egg yolk ravioli".  Inspired by this "small plate", I came home wanting to place my own twist on this dish which is now SO delicious.  This spinach mushroom raviolo / ravioli with bacon sage butter has a spinach, mushroom, ricotta and parmesan cheese filling encased in a vegetable wrapper and finished with sage butter, crispy sage leaves, caramelized bacon and black pepper.  The richness of the runny egg yolk combined with the cheese and mushroom umami and the crispy bits of bacon and fragrant, earthiness of the crispy sage is like the grand finale of a fireworks display in both taste and mouthfeel!

Due to the richness of this dish, one or two raviolo should be served per person. Ravioli without the egg yolk can be supplemented for those with heartier appetites.

Tips for making Spinach mushroom raviolo / ravioli with bacon sage butter

The raviolos contain egg yolks while the raviolis do not. Only make sufficient raviolos (with egg yolks) for the meal as they are not able to be frozen.  On the other hand, raviolis without the egg yolks freeze well for future use.

Wrappers.

For these raviolo, I prefer the green vegetable dumpling wrappers rather than the regular dumplings.  This is purely for aesthetic reasons and it doesn't hurt to get extra nutrients from the spinach and broccoli powder! The key to successful raviolo / ravioli is to get the oval / round shaped dumpling wrappers that are thick. Thinner wrappers are more fragile and tear easily.  So, find the thickest wrappers possible.

Spinach mushroom mixture.

The filling mixture needs to be as dry as possible to maintain the integrity of the dumpling wrapper.  

Spinach.

Many recipes call for blanching the spinach.  This creates too much liquid in the spinach.  It is best to saute the spinach until it is just wilted and then remove it from the stove.  If you need to wash the spinach, use a salad spinner to dry the spinach.

Mushrooms.

One thing I love about this recipe is the variety of mushrooms that can be added so use an assortment of different mushrooms in the filling.  Use a large skillet when sauteeing the vegetables since mushrooms (and spinach) release their juices when heated, and the large surface area helps the liquid to evaporate quicker, keeping the mixture somewhat dry.  Season the spinach mushroom mixture with an all natural mushroom seasoning that gives it extra umami. This is a great salt substitute in any cooking!

Cheeses.

If the ricotta cheese is watery, drain it through a cheese cloth to remove the excess liquid.

Assembling the spinach mushroom raviolo / ravioli with bacon sage butter.

Place the filling into a piping bag or a plastic storage bag. Remove as much air from the storage bag and cut the corner of one edge, making sure you discard the small plastic corner so that it doesn't end up in your raviolos! When piping the mixture onto the wrapper, make a ring a 1/4 "  (.5 cm) from the edge of the wrapper and about 3/4" (2 cm) high.  This acts as a wall to secure the egg yolk. Seal the raviolos with the egg white from the egg.  If you are making raviolis, water can be used to seal the raviolis. Ensure that there are no air pockets in the raviolos /raviolis as the air pocket will expand, causing the seams to split during cooking.

Cooking the raviolos / raviolis.

Allow the water in the saucepan to come to a slow boil with bubbles breaking the surface but not vigorous enough to damage the ravioli. Use a slotted spoon to stir the water.  Gently add the raviolos / raviolis ensuring that they do not stick to the bottom of the saucepan.  Cook for 2 minutes before removing them.  Transfer the cooked raviolis to the sage butter saucepan to coat with the sage butter.  Remember, you do not want to overcook the egg yolks so this step is done quickly!

Garnish.

Crispy sage leaves and (caramelized) bacon in sage butter is used as the garnish.  Keep the skillet in which you are cooking the bacon fairly dry by pouring out the bacon grease into another container as the fat renders (melts).  Some of the fat rendering, combined with butter, will be used as the garnish.  In addition to crispy sage leaves and bacon, freshly ground black pepper and grated parmesan cheese can be added.

Storing raviolis.

Raviolos (with egg) cannot be frozen.  Place raviolis (without egg) on a silicone mat on a baking tray to prevent the raviolis from sticking.  Ensure that the raviolis do not touch each other as separating them when frozen may cause them to break.  Freeze the raviolis on a tray before placing them in a freezer bag. When boiling frozen raviolis, place the raviolis in the slow boiling water, making sure that the raviolis do not stick to the bottom of the saucepan.  The raviolis are ready when they float to the surface of the water.  Enjoy and let me know what you think in the comment section.