medtran49
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Makes about 10 raviolis
Lobster filling
1 Maine lobster (1 to 1-1/2 pounds) or 1 medium-sized Caribbean lobster tail, cooked, finely chopped
1 medium-sized onion, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, microplaned or finely minced
3 Tbsp butter
salt and pepper
1 very large red bell pepper, charred, skin removed, and seeds/stem removed, chopped coarsely
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup to 1 cup heavy cream
pinch of nutmeg
salt and pepper
2 cups flour
3 large eggs
Make the pasta dough by making a well in center of flour on a board, then whipping in eggs. Knead to form a smooth dough. You can also make the dough in the food processor. With the flour in the FP and it running, add the eggs 1 at a time (crack them all in a small bowl, and just add 1 by 1) and process until a ball of dough starts to form. You may have to add just a bit of water. Knead on a floured board to bring it together. Whichever way you use, form the dough ball into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and let sit for at least 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook onions in butter in a skillet until translucent and tender. Add garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Place 2/3 of the onion/garlic/butter mix in a small sauce pan and set aside. Add lobster to remaining 1/3 onion/garlic/butter mix, stir gently and set aside. See filling option below.
Add the chopped red bell pepper to the reserved 2/3 onion/garlic/butter mix. Add a little bit more salt and pepper, remembering there is already S and P in the onion mixture. Place over medium heat. Cook for 3-4 minutes until red bell pepper is well cooked and soft. Turn heat down if you start to get browning. Add the wine and allow to reduce for 2-3 minutes. Add the cream, bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 3-4 minutes. Using an immersion blender or a countertop blender or food processor, blend sauce until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning. Set aside.
Roll out pasta dough in wide sheets. We go to #5 out of #6 settings on our pasta machine. Using a scoop that hold about a tablespoon, place mounds of lobster filling on a pasta sheet spacing about 3 inches between each mound. With a small brush or your finger and using water, dampen all the way around the mound. Lay another sheet of pasta on top (or fold in half if you have really wide dough) and use your fingers and sides of your hands to seal the dough around the lobster filling mounds. Try not to leave any air because air pockets can make your raviolis explode when cooking. Using a 2-1/2 to 3 inch round or square cookie cutter, cut around each mound to make your ravioli. I always press the edges with my fingers to make sure there is a good seal. Place on a floured board.
Once you are done cutting out all the raviolis, cook them in lots of salted, gently boiling water just until they float. This probably won't take more than 2-3 minutes, maybe 4 at most. While the raviolis are cooking, warm the sauce over low. Serve with a bed of sauce, raviolis, then a drizzle of sauce on top, don't want to totally cover up those beautiful raviolis you made!
Optional filling: You can stretch the lobster meat and get a few more raviolis by making a small amount of thick bechamel with butter, flour, milk, salt and pepper, plus a bit of nutmeg. Cool and then gently mix in lobster meat. If you make too much to be in proportion with the amount of lobster you have, just stir it into the red bell pepper sauce after you have used the immersion blender. Traditionally, Italians don't mix dairy and seafood, but there's cream in the sauce, besides the fact that Maine or Caribbean lobster aren't Italian either. Plus, you really can't taste the difference in the filling with or without bechamel.
You could substitute cooked shrimp or crab, even some kind of white-fleshed fish for the lobster.
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