Recipe: Cherry and Short Rib Raviolo with Bell’s Porter

We recently joined Chef Kris in the Eccentric Café’s kitchen for the first “Most Chefinitely” ingredient challenge, where he is given a box of mystery ingredients and is put on the spot to cook a dish. This is one of two dishes he came up with, the other is Bell’s Porter Braised Short Rib.

This ravioli is robust – braised short rib and tart cherries offer a sumptuous flavor combination that’s sweet and savory. Bell’s Porter brings rich depth, and the chili crisp gives some heat to each bite.

Ingredients

• 180 g flour
• 2 g salt
• 1 whole egg
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• ½ lb of ground short rib
• 1 small yellow onion, rough chopped
• 1 small bulb of fennel, rough chopped
• 6 cloves of garlic
• 1 cup of pitted cherries (frozen cherries will work)
• ½ cup of Bell’s Porter
• 2 Tbs cooking oil
• Salt and sugar to taste
• 2-3 qts boiling, salted water
• 5-6 Tbsp room temperature butter, cut into 1in by 1in cubes
• 1 egg yolk
• Cherries, for garnish
• Chili crisp, for garnish

Instructions

Part 1: Pasta Dough

• 180 g flour
• 2 g salt
• 1 whole egg
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1. In a large bowl or a stand mixer, mix all the ingredients together until homogenous. Knead by hand or in a mixer for 5-10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and lightly springs back when poked.
2. Roll pasta out using a pasta roller or attachment to a stand mixer, following manufacturer’s instructions. Remember when you build the raviolo the pasta will be doubled in thickness, so be sure to roll it out thin.
3. Dust the rolled-out pasta with flour and set aside until the filling is ready.

Part 2: Short Rib Filling

• ½ lb of ground short rib
• 1 small yellow onion, rough chopped
• 1 small bulb of fennel, rough chopped
• 6 cloves of garlic
• 1 cup of pitted cherries (frozen cherries will work)
• ½ cup of Bell’s Porter
• 2 Tbsp cooking oil
• Salt and sugar to taste

1. In a large saucepan, heat the oil until shimmering, add the onions, fennel, and garlic and cook for a few minutes until the onion and fennel are softened.
2. Add the short rib and cherries to the pan and cook until the fat starts to render on the short rib. Add the Bell’s Porter and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.
3. Place the contents of the saucepan into a food processor and pulse until the mixture is homogenous and emulsified.
4. Taste and season with salt and sugar, and place it in a piping bag.

Part 3: Finish

• 2-3 qts boiling, salted water
• 5-6 Tbsp room temperature butter, cut into 1in-by-1in cubes
• 1 egg yolk
• Cherries, for garnish
• Chili crisp, for garnish

1. Lay out the sheets of the rolled-out pasta. I like to cut the sheets into 12-inch sections, and make 3 large ravioli, 4 inches wide. You will need 2 sheets for every 3 raviolis.
2. On one sheet of pasta, pipe 3 two-inch-wide circles of filling being sure to keep space at the edge and in between each circle. It is important to leave the center open for the egg yolk.
3. Place egg yolk in the center of each circle and cover with other pasta sheet.
4. Gently press the pasta down, around the circle, to ensure all air bubbles are pushed out and the pasta is sealed. Cut the ravioli into even squares.
5. Gently place the Ravioli, one at a time, into the boiling water and cook until the raviolo is cooked. When the raviolo is floating, it’s a sign that it’s fully cooked.
6. In a hot pan, brown the room temperature butter, gently place the cooked raviolo in the butter and add a few cherries. Plate the raviolo with the butter and cherries and top with a spoonful of chili crisp.