This sauce was birthed recently when I was preparing for a Recipe Throwdown. Some gals I know have been making efforts to have monthly recipe challenges/parties and this month was a Six Course Italian Small Plate Dinner. Each contestant was assigned a course and I got pasta! I love the opportunity to share vegan dishes with friends and show people how deliciously you can live as a vegan! I decided to make a ravioli. Ambitious indeed.
I poked around the web for recipes for vegan pasta dough and there seemed to be a general consensus that equal parts regular flour and semolina (pasta makin') flour with some water or broth would do the trick. I chose to use half semolina flour and half whole wheat flour.
1.5 c flour
1.5 c semolina flour
3/4 c veggie broth
Create a dough ball and let it rest while you make your filling of choice. I went with a mushroom and onion blend.
1.5 c finely chopped mushroom (I used white buttons.)
1 c finely chopped onion (I used vadalia.)
Several large cloves of garlic
Sea salt to taste
Mists of olive oil and a little Earth Balance
Add all ingredients to a pan and cook filling enough just to get it tender. It will cook a bit more when the ravioli boils.
Roll out your dough as thin as possibly (general web consensus is about 1/8 of an inch)-Or be smarter than me and just get a pasta maker or the attachment you always meant to get for your Kitchen Aid.
Use a cookie cutter, glass tumbler (be careful), or lid to make circles or squares. I used the plastic lid of a jar.
To assemble, place a dollop of filling in the middle of a circle/square an cover with another circle/square. Seal the edges by pinching with your fingers and/or using a fork like a pie crust.
Fill a pot with water or veggie broth and let it come to a boil. Carefully drop in your ravioli. You can put several in the pot at the same time, but don't overload it. Boil approximately seven minutes (the raviolis will float). Pull out finished raviolis with a slotted spoon or a spider and put them on a plate. Spray them with olive oil so they don't stick together.
Now for THE SAUCE.
15 basil leaves
1 TBSP of olive oil
Sea Salt to taste
1/4 TBSP lemon zest
3/4 c plain soy yogurt
Grated Garlic
Make a little bit of pesto (don't cheat and use store bought-it's fresher and you are controlling the oil and additives).
In a small bowl (cereal bowl size) finely chiffonade several basil leaves (I'd say at least 15) and mix with a tablespoon of olive oil and an obscene amount of grated garlic (I use about 5 giant cloves).
Add salt to taste.
Add lemon zest.
Now that you have simple homemade delicious pesto, add it to plain soy yogurt.
Mix well. Add salt or garlic powder if needed to taste.
Warm it on the stove (or in the microwave if you must).
Drizzle over your fresh ravioli.
Take a bite.
Dance with joy.
You're welcome.
Seriously, dairy lover Mr. BB30 loves this sauce so much he has asked me to make it for him twice already. He has a weakness for creamy pasta sauce and has been sad without it (he's been buckling down lately). He says this sauce fills the void left by Alfredo. I think that's a pretty big compliment. While I did not take top honors at the friendly Throwndown, I was so get people's reactions and marvel at how the sauce could possibly be vegan. Yay!
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