09-02-14-ravioli-with-asparagus

What do lemon and ricotta ravioli and asparagus have in common? A love of cream, for one… Something I have in common with them, as well!

I’ve always liked ricotta and Victor makes really good ricotta, but it was being in Sicily and having a huge lunch at a ricotta farm that really sealed the deal. There was just something about being there and seeing it done, seeing the cows where the milk comes from… not to mention I was in love with every bit of food I ate while we were there.

So… when I saw ricotta ravioli with Sicilian lemon, I knew I had to go for it. I mean… these had my name written all over then.

I thought long and hard about the sauce. I wanted something rich to compliment the ravioli, but I also wanted it simple enough not to compete with the delicate lemon and ricotta flavor. Asparagus and heavy cream became the obvious choice.

I normally like thicker asparagus, but I had a pound of really thin pencil asparagus, so I went for it. I sliced them into about 1 1/2″ pieces and sauteed them in olive oil with a half-cup of chopped red onion. I added a pint of heavy cream and a pinch of salt and pepper and let it all simmer and thicken.

Into the sauce went 2 packages of cooked ravioli.

Perfection.

No, it is probably not the most health-conscious thing I have made, but it was damned good – and something I’ll definitely make, again!