Goat Cheese-Manchego Ravioli with Chipotle Cream Sauce

I found this ravioli recipe on Chili Cheese Fries, and immediately knew that I had to make it! The combination of flavors just sounded divine: goat cheese, chipotle cream, fresh parsley, and fresh pasta. Yum! I cheated a little bit by purchasing sheets of fresh pasta at the store to cut down on the preparation time. Believe me, even with buying the fresh pasta, this is still a really time consuming project! Cutting out, filling, and sealing all the little raviolis (or big raviolis in my case!) was a tad frustrating, but it was totally worth it in the end because this was a truly delicious meal! (Then again, I probably won't make another batch of homemade ravioli for another year or so - I think this is one of those amazing-but-occasional recipes!)

I definitely will make components of this recipe again, though. For instance, the chipotle cream sauce is relatively quick and easy, and absolutely delicious. I was so excited to finally make a cream sauce that didn't curdle one bit! I think it's the added sour cream that keeps everything together.

The sauce is yummy just poured over regular pasta (photo at the end of this post), and I think you could recreate the flavor profile of the ravioli by adding some crumbled goat cheese, grated Manchego, and minced parsley on top of that dish. I also think this sauce would be absolutely incredible with shrimp (minus the cheese, of course)...maybe some angel hair pasta, grilled shrimp, and the chipotle cream sauce? Yes, please! My housemate Jessie also suggested using the filling in manicotti, which would also be less work than filling all the raviolis. So, I'll definitely be making this recipe in some form again. This one is highly recommended - thanks to Chili Cheese Fries for the fantastic dinner!

Goat Cheese-Manchego Ravioli with Chipotle Cream Sauce (slightly adapted from Chili Cheese Fries, original recipe here)
Serves 3-4

Filling:
8 ounces creamy goat cheese
2 ounces grated Manchego
1 T finely chopped fresh basil
1 T finely chopped fresh parsley

Sauce:
4 T unsalted butter
1 large shallot, minced
1/4 cup chipotles in adobo, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup sour cream
1 T finely chopped fresh basil
3 T finely chopped fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

To finish:
Fresh pasta, about 4 sheets
Egg wash (about 1 part whisked egg to 2 parts water)
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Mix the filling ingredients together in a medium bowl until well combined.

2. Brush any stray flour off of the pasta sheets and cut into squares or rectangles of about 2 to 2-1/2 inches on each side. Paint all the sides of each rectangle with egg wash.
2. Take one rectangle and place 1 tsp of filling in the center. Top with another rectangle, egg wash sides together. Seal with a fork by pressing the tines of the fork all around the edges. Try to push out any air bubbles as you fill the ravioli. Pop the raviolis into the fridge, covered in plastic wrap, until ready to use.

3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, start on the sauce. Melt the butter in a large pot. Add the minced shallot and saute for about 1 minute. Add the chipotles in adobo, and saute until everything is nicely softened, 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic, and saute for 1 minute. Finally, turn off the heat and whisk in the cream, wine, sour cream, and herbs.

4. When the pot of salted water is boiling, carefully slide in the raviolis (a spider utensil helps a lot here). Cook for 6-8 minutes, until tender but not mushy, gently stirring occasionally. Right when you add the pasta to the water, turn the heat back on to the sauce, and simmer gently until the pasta is ready. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

5. Gently remove the raviolis from the boiling water with a spider utensil. Serve by placing 3-5 raviolis in a bowl and ladling the cream sauce on top. Garnish with lots of freshly ground black pepper. Everyone will want seconds!

The sauce was also yummy over plain pasta, with lots of freshly ground black pepper!