Vegan Pumpkin, Ricotta and Smoked Gouda Ravioli- with Creamy Walnut Sage Butter Sauce

 This ravioli dish is so indulgent and warming, with from-scratch toasted ravioli stuffed with pumpkin puree, vegan tofu ricotta, and smoky coconut Gouda, served with a creamy butter sauce, flavoured with sage, garlic, walnuts and coconut milk. The dish is quite complex but totally worth it!

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

For the ravioli:

• 4-6 servings of vegan pasta dough: I use this recipe. 
• 100ml coconut milk from a can- set aside the rest for the pasta sauce
• 2 tsp tapioca starch dissolved in 2 tbsp warm water
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• pinch salt
• pinch garlic powder
• 100g firm tofu 
• 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 400g can pure pumpkin puree
• 1 tsp agave or maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp dried sage
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tbsp vegan margarine 
• salt and pepper to taste

For the sauce:

• 1 tbsp vegan margarine 
• handful finely chopped fresh sage
• handful chopped walnuts
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 300ml coconut milk from a can- leftover from the ravioli filling
• 1/8 tsp mustard
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 2 tsp tahini
• dash of nutmeg to taste
• 1 tsp tapioca starch (dissolved in 1 tbsp warm water)
• salt and pepper

Method:

Make the cheeses:

1. To make the "Gouda": add the coconut milk (100ml), tapioca starch (dissolved in water), nutritional yeast, paprika, salt and garlic powder to a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk continually for 5 minutes or so until thickened. Transfer to a container and allow to cool in the fridge to set for 20/30 minutes or so.
2. To make the "ricotta": in a food processor, pulse tofu, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, salt, dried basil and dried oregano until combined. You may need to add a couple splashes of almond milk if the mixture is too dry- the texture should resemble ricotta cheese. Taste and adjust seasoning. 

Make the filling: 

1. Whilst waiting to the Gouda sauce to cool, saute the onion and garlic in a little olive oil with a pinch of salt, for about 10 minutes, until cooked. 
2. In the food processor add: the tofu ricotta, the can of pumpkin puree, the vegan Gouda sauce, agave, dried sage, nutmeg, and margarine. Pulse all of the ingredients together to form a well-combined filling. Season with salt and pepper, taste and adjust seasoning/ spices. 

Fill the ravioli: 

1. Use a pasta machine: In batches, roll the pasta dough through a pasta machine roller, working up from setting 1 - 4 until a smooth, flat sheet is formed. This is easiest if the dough is well-floured. 
2. Cut the pasta sheet into a rectangle (reuse the cut away dough). 
3. Place a few blobs of the filling along the bottom of the rectangle, about a cm from the bottom, and a couple cm apart from one another. 
4. Fold the top of the dough over the row of filling, and cut them apart between the blobs of filling. 
5. Crimp the edges firmly with a fork. Repeat to use up the rest of the dough. 
6. Save any leftover filling to add to the sauce.

Make the sauce: 

1. Melt the vegan margarine in a saucepan and cook for a minute or so over medium high heat.
2. Add the chopped sage, walnuts and minced garlic to the hot butter, and fry for a few minutes, until the garlic is fragrant. 
3. Whisk in the remaining ingredients: the coconut milk, mustard, nutritional yeast, tahini, nutmeg, dissolved tapioca starch, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat until thick, then reduce heat to keep it warm.
4. If you have any leftover ravioli filling, add it to the sauce! 

To serve:

1. Bring a large pot of water to the boil. In batches (about 1/4 of the pasta at a time), boil the ravioli for 3-5 minutes until it floats. 
2. To make toasted ravioli (optional but recommended!): Heat a large frying pan over high heat with a little oil or butter, and transfer the boiled ravioli (a batch at a time) to the frying pan. Shake the pan every now and then to ensure the ravioli doesn't stick. Fry for 3-5 minutes whilst you boil the next batch before transferring to a plate.
3. Repeat these steps with the rest of the ravioli: boil, toast in the frying pan, transfer to a plate. 
4. Place the toasted ravioli into bowls, and pour over the creamy sauce. Garnish with sage.

Enjoy!