Presenting: Chocolate Chicken Marsala Ravioli with Alfredo Sauce

Chocolate Chicken Marsala Ravioli with Alfredo Sauce

After my struggles earlier this month with the crab ravioli, I wanted to revisit a ravioli dish. Mrs. Stuntman would call me makulit, which loosely translates to 'stubborn' in Tagalog, however I needed to properly use the ravioli press (i.e. confirm the damn thing wasn't a waste of money) and needed to regain my confidence with fresh pasta.

I return this time with a slightly more involved preparation for the filling and a colored pasta made from with baking chocolate.

The Challenge

Sucessfully execute a ravioli dish.

The Sources

I used the same about.com page I used for the herb speckled ravioli; a Tyler Florence recipe on foodnetwork.com for the filling and an alfredo sauce from allrecipes.com.

Ingredients

For the filling:
8 ounces chicken breast, cut in strips
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 shallot, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/4 cup Marsala wine or chicken broth
4 thin slices prosciutto, sliced
4 bay leaves
Fresh thyme and parsley leaves
2 tablespoons bread crumbs
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated, divided
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 egg
1/4 cup heavy cream

For the pasta:
3 1/3 cups flour
3 ounces (80 grams) powdered baking chocolate
4 eggs
1 pinch kosher salt

For the sauce:
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped

Method

1. Make the filling: Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until brown. Add shallots and garlic. Deglaze with the Marsala. Take pan away from heat source and flambé. Return pan to stove. (The flame will extinguish on it's own in about 1 minute.) Add prosciutto and herbs. Sprinkle in bread crumbs and 1 tablespoon Parmesan. Drizzle in 1 tablespoon of olive oil to keep moist. Discard bay leaves. Pulse together all ingredients in a food processor. Add egg, cream, remaining Parmesan and olive oil. Pulse again. Chill while making the pasta dough.

2. Make the pasta dough: Omit the parsley, but add the cocoa with the salt. Otherwise, the instructions remain the same as the crab ravioli dish. (The link is above.)

3. Roll the dough: See the link above.

4. Make the ravioli: See the link above.

5. Make the sauce and finish the dish: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add in the ravioli and cook until the ravioli float to the top. Using a slotted spoon, remove the ravioli to a drain on a paper towel lined plate. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Add cream and simmer for 5 minutes, then add garlic and cheese and whisk quickly, heating through. Stir in parsley. To plate, arrange ravioli in pasta bowls, spoon the alfredo over the ravioli and garnish with a parsley sprig.

Successful?

I was able to more effectively utilize the ravioli press, but still not to it's fullest potential. I realized that my pasta sheets weren't wide enough to accomodate all 12 ravioli spaces, so I only used one side, as demonstrated below.

I also spent less time completing the dish than my last attempt but it was still a marathon project. Also, you might have expected this pasta to be sweet due to the addition of the chocolate, but baking chocolate is unsweetened, so it was surprisingly savory. Ultimately, it was a little too rich but well worth the effort.

Stuffed Chicken Thighs Braised in Tomato Sauce

Stuffed Chicken Thighs Braised in Tomato Sauce

About six months into my first website, I attempted a stuffed chicken thigh recipe, however I wasn't satisfied with the results. It was wrapped in bacon and stuffed with bread crumbs. As I remember it, the stuffing tasted good, but the chicken meat was very bland. I didn't season the chicken because I expected the bacon to add flavor to the chicken as it cooked. Ironically, it was one of my most popular recipes.

The Challenge

Fix and elevate a concept I previously executed poorly.

The Source

This recipe was taken from delish.com.

Ingredients

FOR THE CHICKEN AND STUFFING:
1 cup frozen (but thawed) or cooked spinach, squeezed dry
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs from day-old bread, preferably whole wheat
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons fennel fronds, chopped
2 tablespoons shallots, finely chopped
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
2 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
10 four-to-five ounce boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

FOR THE SAUCE:
2 cups onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup carrot, finely chopped
1/2 cup fennel bulb, diced
1/4 cup shallot, finely chopped
2 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 1/2 cup dry white wine
3 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
2 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

Method

1. Combine spinach and breadcrumbs in a medium bowl with the Parmesan, egg, fennel fronds, shallot, garlic, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon salt until well blended. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 day.

Chicken Stuffing

2. Place a chicken thigh smooth-side down on a work surface. Fill the thigh with 2 to 3 tablespoons of the stuffing, first filling the area (or pocket) left by the bone and placing the rest in the center of the thigh. Roll the thigh closed and secure with 2 pieces of kitchen string. Repeat with the remaining thighs and stuffing. (You may have leftover stuffing.) Season with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper and salt.

Stuffing and Tying the Chicken

3. Heat oil in a large, heavy, high-sided skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and add half the thighs, seam-side down. Cook, turning 2 or 3 times, until brown on all sides, 7 to 10 minutes total. Transfer to a clean plate and repeat with the remaining thighs.

4. Add onion, carrot, fennel, shallots, and garlic to the pan. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add wine and scrape up any browned bits; bring to a boil over medium heat and continue to boil until the liquid is reduced by about half, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in broth, tomatoes, basil, thyme, and the chicken thighs. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered and turning the thighs occasionally, until cooked through and tender, 35 to 40 minutes.

Mirepoix Browning

Deglazed with White Wine

Braising Fluid Simmering

5. Remove the thighs with a slotted spoon; tent with foil to keep warm. Simmer the sauce further to thicken it, if desired, or thin with a little broth or water if it's too thick. Season with 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Serve the chicken with the sauce.

NOTE:

1. To make fresh breadcrumbs, tear bread into pieces and process in a food processor until coarse crumbs form. One slice of bread makes about 1/2 cup fresh crumbs.

Successful?

From a flavor standpoint, this dish far exceeded the oringinal one two years ago. However, I felt like I was coming full circle because the preparation work was a marathon. With experience, I've become better organized and dishes that used to take me three hours when I first started out can now be completed in one-third to half the time.

This was not the case here. I used the leftover spinach from the gnocchi recipe, however the only Parmesan I had was in wedge form so I hand grated it, and my food processor got a workout chopping the fennel fronds, carrots, shallots, and garlic plus grinding the breadcrumbs. I also hand stripped the leaves from the thyme sprigs and hand diced the fennel bulb. In addition, tying the stuffed thighs was a project by itself. It was a very good dish, but I don't think I'll repeat it often due to the amount of work involved.