Ravioli with Caramelized Figs, Rosemary Browned-Butter, and Crispy Prosciutto
I didn't have much time today – and didn't really feel like spending a whole lot of time in the kitchen. My tummy was growling, my wife was getting “hangry,” and I needed to create a quick and simple dish that would satisfy everybody.
While my wife has always liked figs, a must admit that I had never tried one. As we browsed the aisle of our local farmer's market, we spotted some figs and I thought that we could try and use them in a dish. A while ago, I had encountered a recipe that combined figs with pasta – which, at the time, I thought was very odd. Still, I had it in the back of my mind. So, we bought the figs and went home.
I looked in my fridge to see what else was available. I had a bunch of stuff but didn't want to go crazy. In the end, I only used a few ingredients to make this dish – the whole thing took less than 15 minutes from start to finish. Part of the ease of this recipe is that I had a package of commercially-produced cheese ravioli sitting in my fridge – and I used them. Ideally, I would have made my own – but I just didn't have the patience today.
To top it off, the resulting dish happened to be mostly beige – and I can tell you that it is something quite interesting for a difficult eater to try. The interplay of flavors and textures is fascinating and utterly enjoyable.
Ingredients:
4 thin slices prosciutto
Fresh cheese ravioli (about 18 oz.)
6 Tbs. unsalted butter
6 fresh figs, quartered through the stem
1 Tbs. fresh rosemary, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
¼ freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Let's get started:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Pre-heat a large non-stick pan over medium heat.
Once the pan is hot, arrange the prosciutto slices in the pan and fry for two minutes on each side until they are slightly browned.
Remove prosciutto from the pan and set aside to cool.
Without cleaning the pan, add the butter and let it melt.
When it is melted, add the figs and chopped rosemary.
Cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Stir occasionally until the figs soften and start to caramelize.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Meanwhile, add the ravioli to the boiling water and cook according to package directions – mine took only three minutes.
Remove the ravioli with a slotted spoon and transfer to the pan with the figs. (Don't drain the pasta water just yet!)
Add about ¼ cup of the pasta water to the pan (Now you can get rid of the pasta water!).
Simmer the pasta and figs for about three minutes until the sauce starts to thicken.
Meanwhile, coarsely chop the cooled prosciutto.
Arrange pasta and figs in individual portions.
Sprinkle some of the prosciutto on top.
Sprinkle some of the parmesan on top.
Serve immediately!
