Eggplant basil filled ravioli with walnut pesto – ravioli alle melanzane
For all those who don’t want to do without their fresh pasta next summer, we have written down a really good recipe here: ravioli filled with aubergines and basil. We make the pasta dough as we always do and then it is rolled out thinly to accommodate a really innovative and fascinating filling!
In these little treasure chests you will find a creamy and flavorful filling of basil and eggplant baked in the oven. For the finish of the dish, we decided to refine the ravioli with a refreshing walnut pesto. But of course you can let your imagination run wild and arrange these fine ravioli as you wish, for example with a fruity tomato sauce, which in turn is reminiscent of pasta alla norma! As a little tip, we didn’t add ricotta cheese.
Speaking of walnut pesto
This sauce was born in the beautiful region of Liguria. Pesto is a cold sauce there, which has also become one of the most well-known and popular sauces in the world for several decades now.
The first traces of traditional pesto can be found in the 19th century and the basic recipe has remained the same ever since. In Italy, the real Genoese pesto is prepared in a marble mortar with a wooden pestle and a lot of patience. But like any traditional recipe, every Italian family has their own recipe for pesto.
The walnut pesto that we propose in this recipe is of course slightly different from the original. In addition to the basil, we added fresh thyme and, to add some summer freshness to this dish, some fresh mint.
Aubergine and basil filled ravioli with walnut pesto is a Mediterranean tradition summer dish that combines seasonal vegetables and pasta in a fresh and tasty combination. These aubergine ravioli are not yet a traditional dish, but I bet it could become one, since it perfectly meets all the requirements of modern nutrition, such as the speed of preparation, the taste and the lightness.
If you like our Eggplant basil filled ravioli with walnut pesto, you may also be interested in these recipes:
- Italian pasta with fresh porcini mushrooms
- Oriental pasta with halloumi
- Pizza the pasta sfoglia
- Tortelloni with truffle filling on burrata cream
- stuffed pumpkin with vegan vegetable quinoa
Eggplant basil filled ravioli with walnut pesto
Equipment
Ingredients
Ingredients pasta dough:
- 150 G flour
- 50 G durum wheat flour* semolina
- 2 eggs
- 2 egg yolk
- 2 tbsp. native olive oil*
- 1 tsp kosher salt*
eggplant filling:
- 3 eggplants
- 2 tbsp. native olive oil*
- 2 shallot
- 1 clove of garlic
- 80 G Parmesan*
- kosher salt*
- Pepper* from the mill
Walnut pesto:
- 80 G Walnut kernels*
- ½ lemon
- 1 small bunch of thyme
- 1 small Bunch of basil
- 2 branches fresh mint
- 40 G Parmesan*
- 8 tbsp. native olive oil*
- kosher salt*
- Pepper* from the mill
Instructions
Make the ravioli dough:
- Mix both flours in a bowl with the eggs, egg yolks, olive oil and salt to form a dough. Knead well and shape into a ball. Wrap the pasta dough in cling film and let it rest for at least 1 hour.
Prepare the aubergine filling:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Wash the aubergines, pat dry and cut in half lengthwise. Brush cut surfaces with a tablespoon of olive oil and place cut-side down on a baking sheet lined with baking paper.
- Bake the aubergines in the hot oven for about 35 minutes.
- Allow to cool slightly, scrape the flesh of the aubergines out of the shell with a spoon or the back of a knife and chop finely.
- Peel and finely chop shallots and garlic.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pan, sauté the shallots and garlic until translucent. Add the aubergine puree and fry until the liquid has almost completely evaporated. Set aside to cool.
- Finely grate the Parmesan and mix with the eggplant.
- Season the aubergine puree with salt and pepper.
Prepare walnut pesto:
- Soak the walnut kernels in water for about 30 minutes.
- Squeeze lemon.
- Pluck the mint, thyme and basil leaves from the stems.
- Drain nuts.
- Finely puree all ingredients, except for the Parmesan, and season with salt and pepper.
- Finely grate the Parmesan and stir into the pureed pesto.
Filling the ravioli:
- Roll out the pasta dough with a rolling pin or a pasta machine into long, thin sheets of dough. Lay out on a floured work surface or ravioli board and fill with a teaspoon of aubergine puree.
- Moisten the edges with a little water and press together to form a ravioli. Place the finished ravioli on a floured baking sheet and allow to dry slightly.
Cooking and serving:
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
- Cook the ravioli in gently boiling water for about 5 minutes, then remove and arrange on plates with the pesto and serve immediately.
