Grain-Free Meyer Lemon Ravioli with Caramelized Onion & Artichoke Filling

by Angela Gallardo in Recipes

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Today, we are making ravioli. I promise you can do it.

Every year I look forward to Spring’s harvest.  It’s one of my favorite seasons for produce. Asparagus, artichokes, and Meyer lemons.  Deceptively orange in color.  Much sweeter than your average lemon, not that lemons are average in any way.  And with a thin skin that blends up so nicely when sliced into my morning smoothies.

I’ve been experimenting with my own grain-free pasta recipe.  Our diet isn’t 100% Paleo and probably never will be, but we rarely eat pasta in any form.  And I can tell you, I still miss and crave it occasionally.  So naturally, I’ve been determined to find a way to get my pasta fix, sans grains. Adding the Meyer lemon in was simple and left me excited to try different flavors in the future with this awesome dough recipe.  The resulting dough was bright, sharp, and tangy thanks to the zest and fresh lemon juice.

You absolutely do not need a pasta machine to make these, but I use this one.  Nothing fancy, just a hand crank and a latch that anchors it to the table while you roll your dough. There’s also an attachment you can get for the front of the KitchenAid stand mixer.

If you don’t have a pasta machine, just use a regular rolling pin to get the dough as thin as you can without it tearing.  It should be smooth and slightly translucent before placing the filling and cutting your shapes.  Use an off-set spatula to move the raviolis, as they are pretty delicate and you do not want to tear holes in them.  You can play around with the filling and the sauce as you like.  I chose to make good use of all the artichokes I’ve been seeing.  Plus it’s fun to use vegetables in new ways, and it’s not often that I eat artichokes other than the traditional peel-and-bite-the-leaves manner.

Have you made your own pasta before?  It seems tedious but it can be a really therapeutic way to end your day.  Share your experiences, if you care to.  I’ve love to hear about them.

Meyer Lemon Ravioli with Caramelized Onion & Artichoke

Yields ~36 raviolis

Dough

• 1 c. almond flour
• 1/2 c. tapioca flour
• 2 tbsp. potato starch, plus extra for dusting
• 2 tsp. ground flaxseed
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 2-4 tbsp. fresh Meyer lemon juice
• zest of 1 Meyer lemon
• 1 tsp. sea salt

Filling

• 1 large sweet onion, sliced
• 1 tbsp. coconut oil
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 2 fresh artichoke hearts (can sub 1 c. canned)
• juice of 1 Meyer lemon

Sauce

• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tbsp. butter
• 1 c. white wine
• 1 c. chicken stock
• 1/3 c. full-fat coconut milk (can sub heavy cream)
• salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. To make the homemade ravioli dough, combine almond flour, tapioca flour, potato starch, flaxseed, eggs, EVOO, zest, and sea salt in the bowl of a food processor. Process well until everything is fully combined and the mixture resembles a dry dough, about 60 seconds.
2. With the machine running, stream in the fresh Meyer lemon juice until the dough comes together and becomes slightly sticky.
3. Dump dough onto a dry surface dusted lightly with potato starch.  If the dough is overly sticky (sticks to your hands), knead with small amounts of potato starch until the dough is soft and pliable.  Test by pressing a finger into the dough; it’s ready if the indentation remains for a moment before springing back.  Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let rest on the counter for at least 30 minutes before rolling out.
4. While the ravioli dough is resting, make the filling by combining the onion, butter, coconut oil, salt, and pepper in a shallow sauté pan on medium low heat.  Cook until onions become translucent and begin to brown, stirring occasionally, about 15-20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, juice the Meyer lemon into a pot of salted, boiling water.  Add the artichoke hearts and boil until tender, about 5 minutes. [Note: for directions on trimming fresh artichokes down to the heart, see this awesome video.]  Remove the hearts to let cool, then dice into 1/2″ cubes.  Add diced artichoke heart to the pan with the onions and sauté another 5 minutes.  Now your filling is complete.  Remove pan from heat and set aside.
6. To prepare the raviolis, unwrap the dough and cut into 4 pieces (see photo above). One at a time, roll out with a rolling pin to 1/2″ thick. Then, using a pasta machine, run the rolled out dough through the machine starting with the thickest setting (on mine, it’s a 7). Carefully run the dough through again before lowering the thickness setting.  Run through twice again.  If needed, cut in half at any point to make the dough easier to handle.  Take it down another notch and run through twice more.  The dough should be very smooth and slightly translucent, but not so thin that it holes rip into it when it’s manipulated.
7. With two pieces of fully rolled out dough available, place one down to begin with filling. Place filling down in 1 tsp. increments, spaced about 4″ apart.  Cover with the second piece of rolled out dough and with your fingers, gently press the dough tightly around the filling, as shown above.  Then, using a ravioli cutter of your shape and choice, cut raviolis carefully around the filling.  Be sure NOT to cut into the filling or holes will let the filling out when boiling.  Continue to make raviolis with the remaining dough and place on a surface lightly floured with potato starch.
8. With the raviolis cut, prepare the pasta sauce by sautéing the garlic briefly in butter over medium heat in a large sauté pan. Do not let the garlic burn!  Pour in the white wine and chicken stock and allow to simmer and reduce by a third, about 5-10 minutes.  Add coconut milk, salt, and pepper and turn down to medium low heat.
9. In a large pot of boiling, well-salted water, cook the raviolis in two or three batches, so as not to crowd the pan.  The raviolis will float to the top and need to be turned at least once, about 3 minutes to cook through each batch.
10. As the ravioli is cooked, remove with a slotted spoon and place them directly in the simmering sauce.  Once all raviolis are added, gently swirl the pan to coat the raviolis well with sauce and simmer until the sauce reduces a bit more, about 5-10 more minutes.
11. Serve over a bed of fresh arugula or just as they are.  Garnish with Meyer lemon zest.

Note: If you aren’t going to use all the raviolis at once (springtime dinner party, anyone?), there are two ways you can store the rest.  After boiling, extras can be refrigerated and will keep for up to a week.  If you want to keep them over a longer period, freeze the rest without boiling them (freeze them in a single layer before consolidating so they don’t stick to each other).  

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