Duba Explorers Camp – Black Ravioli, Pumpkin & Goats Cheese with Chorizo Salsa

By Chef Francios

Ingredients

For the Pasta

• 200g all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs
• 4 teaspoons black food colouring
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 50 ml olive oil

Pumpkin and Goats Cheese Filling

• 300g pumpkin, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• olive oil for roasting
• 100g goats cheese

Blue Cheese Cream

• 30g blue cheese
• 100ml cream

Chorizo and Corn Salsa

• 2 large ripe firm tomatoes, flesh removed from seeds and diced into ½ cm cubes
• 1 red onion, finely diced
• 100g Chorizo sausage, diced and fired till crispy in a pan
• 100g cooked corn
• 5 stalks coriander, stem removed and diced
• salt and black pepper to season
• 1 pack micro herbs

Method

1. Step 1
   On a large, clean work surface, pour flour into a mound. Make a well in the centre about 8 cm wide. Pour eggs, squid ink, olive oil and salt into well and, using a fork, beat thoroughly.
2. Step 2
   When combined, gradually incorporate the flour into the eggs until the dough has formed. Knead until the dough is smooth. Wrap a ball of dough tightly in plastic wrap and rest on the countertop for 30 minutes.
3. Step 3
   For the Pumpkin and Goats Cheese Filling, spread diced pumpkin and garlic onto a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. Roast until caramelised, about 30 minutes at 180 deg.
4. Step 4
   Remove from oven and transfer roasted pumpkin and garlic to a bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mash together with a fork until smooth and creamy. Season to taste and set aside.
5. Step 5
   Cut the dough into 3 equal parts. Set pasta maker to widest setting and pass dough 3 times through the machine at this setting. Narrow the setting by 1 notch and repeat. Continue passing the dough through the rollers, reducing the thickness by 1 setting each time until it reaches the desired thickness. The last notch is usually ideal. Lay sheets on a lightly floured bench, place teaspoon amounts of the Pumpkin and Goats Cheese Filling along with the pasta sheets, about 7cm apart. This should make two sheets of 8 ravioli.
   Brush some water around each teaspoon of filling. Roll the remaining 2 portions of dough through the pasta machine into 2 long sheets and lay a second pasta sheet on top of the sheets of filling, pressing around each spoonful to seal.Cut each ravioli with a 6cm round pastry cutter and ensure edges are completely sealed.Add ravioli to boiling water in batches and cook until al dente, about 3 minutes. Remove from water and strain.
6. Step 6
   Add the cream and blue cheese to a small saucepan and bring to a boil, reduce heat and let the sauce reduce by half. Set aside.
7. Step 7
   Mix all the salsa ingredients together in a bowl and season.
8. Step 8
   To Plate, spoon the blue cheese cream on the bottom of the plate, place ravioli on top and spoon over 2 tablespoons of the salsa mix, garnish with micro herbs.