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Award-winning chef, author and forager Alan Bergo. Food is all around you.

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Puffball Ravioli, Mushrooms, and Sage Butter

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puffball mushroom ravioli with maitake, hygrophorus russula, and hedgehog mushrooms After an unsuccessful search for a big hen of the woods in my best patch, I was bent on coming back with something, any old thing, since no hunter likes to go home empty handed, and my free time to hunt is pretty limited these days. That something ended up being a little handful of mixed mushrooms and a decent sized, pure white puffball.

hygrophorus russula, hedgehog mushroom, hen of the woods, maitake

Mixed mushrooms L t R: maitake, hedgehog, hygrophorus russula.

With a fun mushroom and wine pairing tv segment coming up the next week, this was all I was going to get to come up with a new recipe. As I drove home with my consolation puffball and precious ounce or two of mixed shrooms I had an idea: what If I used sliced puffballs like sheets of pasta?

I knew the puffball noodle idea would work, but I also know that puffballs require browning to taste good. Puffballs couldn’t be shaped or filled raw either, since they would be crumbly-they would have to be cooked beforehand, then cooled slightly and shaped. Aside from that, I didn’t expect there to be much difficulty to it, and I was right.

All I did was cut rounds out of slices of puffball, fry them, brush with egg, and fill them as I would ravioli. They turned out really, really good, and they’re pretty darn creative if I do say so myself.

puffball ravioli-3
Cooking puffball powder with butter
puffball ravioli filling
pureeing the puffball cheese filling
puffball ravioli
Filling the ravioli

Saute and brown the mushrooms, sage and ravioli

As far as the filling, you could put whatever you want in them, but puffballs have a rich, mushroomy flavor, so I wanted something with a bit more zip than your basic cheese filling. Some roasted red peppers minced in the filling stand out just enough, but not so much that they steal the show.

Of course I couldn’t just do a post on ravioli either, I wanted to show a fun way to enjoy them too. Your mind might drift to tomato sauce right away with the thought of pasta, and that would be fine. Since puffballs have a soft texture though, I thought I would share a way to serve them that compliments that, since their softness is one of the attributes people mention when they say they dislike them, from my experience.

What I ended up doing Is browning the ravioli a second time to coagulate the egg that holds them together, adding some other seasonal mushrooms, and making a little pan sauce with white wine and sage.

The part of the recipe that helps the texture of the puffballs is that the ravioli are served on toast-a technique I like to use for serving foie gras, which has similar textural properties. Some wilted greens thrown in the mix helped me forget I was eating mushrooms stuffed with cheese fried in butter on buttered toast. Happy hunting.

puffball mushroom ravioli with maitake, hygrophorus russula, and hedgehog mushrooms

puffball mushroom ravioli with maitake, hygrophorus russula, and hedgehog mushrooms
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Puffball Ravioli With Kale, Mushrooms And Sage Butter

Serves 4 as a vegetarian entrée
Prep Time45 mins
Cook Time20 mins
Course: Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Puffball mushroom, Puffball Ravioli
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 1 large puffball mushroom about 3-4 lbs, skin peeled and cleaned
  • ½ cup dry white wine
  • Cooking oil such as canola or grape seed, as needed for frying (you will need at least a cup)
  • 2 eggs beaten with 1 tbsp water
  • 12 leaves of fresh sage
  • 1 recipe puffball mushroom bell pepper, and ricotta stuffing (follows)
  • Unsalted butter at room temperature-as needed for toast
  • Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
  • 8 ounces mixed fresh wild mushrooms
  • 8 ounces fresh lacinato kale
  • Four pieces high quality bread sliced ½ in thick, and cut into circles with a ring mold or glass
  • Parmigiano reggiano grana padano or other parmesan, for serving

Instructions

  • Using a long, sharp knife, slice the peeled puffball into 1 inch slices. Using a drinking glass or ring mold, cut 24 rounds of puffball. Fry each puffball round in oil on each side until golden in a pan on medium high heat, making sure each slice is completely cooked. Cool the mushroom slices on paper towels to weep excess oil. Place the cooked mushroom slices between two pieces of plastic or parchment and press them to flatten them a bit, it will help when forming the ravioli.
  • Arrange the mushroom slices on a cutting board in groups of two. Brush each slice lightly with egg wash, then place ½ tablespoons of filling one of each slice as if making ravioli. Press the slices of mushroom together to seal in the filling, then reserve.
  • To serve the dish, heat a few tablespoons of butter in a very wide pan, then add the mushrooms and puffball ravioli, fry the mushrooms and ravioli until gently browned, then add the sage and cook 1 minute. Add the wine to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Meanwhile, wilt the kale in a tbsp. of butter, and season with salt and pepper, keep warm until ready to serve.
  • On each of four preheated dinner plates, arrange equal mounds of the kale, with a piece of toast on top, then some ravioli. Arrange the mushrooms and drizzle some sage butter over each dish. Grate some parmigiano over the whole thing and serve immediately.
puffball mushroom ravioli with maitake, hygrophorus russula, and hedgehog mushrooms
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Puffball Mushroom, Bell Pepper, And Ricotta Stuffing

Yield: 2.5 cups -enough to make ravioli to serve 6

Ingredients

  • 2 cups ricotta cheese
  • ¼ cup grated parmigiano reggiano grana padano, or other parmesan
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1 cup dehydrated puffball flour
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

  • The night before assembling the stuffing, drain the ricotta by allowing it hang in a colander or strainer overnight in the refrigerator. Don't skip this step, otherwise your filling will be too wet.
  • Place the bell pepper directly on a grill or gas burner, char the skin, but don’t allow the flesh to burn. When the skin is evenly charred, place the pepper in a plastic bag or other sealed container and allow to cool.
  • When the pepper is cooled, remove the skin and seeds, then reserve until needed.
  • Melt the butter in a small saucepan, add the puffball mushroom powder and cook until combined with the butter. Continue to cook for 5 minutes more on medium heat, stirring occasionally.
  • In the bowl of a food processor, combine the drained ricotta, ¼ tsp kosher salt and pepper, cooked puffball flour, parmigiano, and roasted bell pepper. Puree the mixture on high speed until evenly combined. Double check the seasoning for salt and pepper, then reserve until needed.

Notes

This recipe uses dried puffball powder, made from the powdered, dried trim from cutting the puffball slices into rings. If that sounds a bit laborious, omit it-it'll still taste good.

More

Puffball Mushrooms

puffball mushroom ravioli with maitake, hygrophorus russula, and hedgehog mushrooms

Related

Previous Post: « Goat Milk Sorbet With Currants, Yarrow And Black Walnuts
Next Post: Lobster Mushroom Infused Butter »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Nancy | Ramsons & Bramble

    October 4, 2014 at 10:14 am

    God, that looks amazing! I am blown away by the creativity and general gorgeousness of your foraged recipes. Best I’ve found on the web! Why aren’t I served that as my vegetarian entree??

    Reply
    • Alan Bergo

      October 7, 2014 at 9:52 am

      Thanks Nancy, rest assured, there are many recipes that don’t make it on here. 🙂

      Reply

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    December 20, 2019 at 11:16 am

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Alan Bergo
HALP! I’ve been keeping an eye on two loaded mul HALP! I’ve been keeping an eye on two loaded mulberry trees and both got a bunch of fruit knocked down by the storms and wind. 

If anyone in West WI or around the Twin Cities knows of some trees, (ideally on private property but beggars can’t be choosers) that I could climb and shake with a tarp underneath, shoot me a DM and let’s pick some! 🤙😄

TIA

#throwadogabone #mansquirrel #beattlefruit #mulberries #shakintrees
Lampascioni, or edible hyacinth bulbs are one of t Lampascioni, or edible hyacinth bulbs are one of the more interesting things I’ve eaten. 

These are an ancient wild food traditionally harvested in Southern Italy, especially in Puglia and the Salentine Peninsula, as well as Greece and Crete. I’ve seen at least 6-7 different names for them. 

A couple different species are eaten, but Leopoldia comosa is probably the one I see mentioned the most. They also grow wild in North America. 

The bulbs are toxic raw, but edible after an extended boil. Traditionally they’re preserved in vinegar and oil, pickled, or preserves in other methods using acid and served as antipasti. (Two versions in pic 3). 

They’re one of the most heavily documented traditional wild foods I’ve seen. There’s a few shots of book excerpts here.

The Oxford companion to Italian Food says you can eat them raw-don’t do that. 

Even after pickling, the bulbs are aggressively extremely bitter. Definitely an acquired taste, but one that’s grown on me. 

#traditionalfoods #vampagioli #lampascione #cucinapovera #lampascioni #leopoldiacomosa #foraging
Went to some new spots yesterday looking for poke Went to some new spots yesterday looking for poke sallet and didn’t do too well (I’m at the tip of its range). I did see some feral horseradish though which I don’t see very often. 

Just like wild parsnip, this is the exact same plant you see in the store and garden-just escaped. 

During the growing season the leaves can be good when young. 

They have an aggressive taste bitter enough to scare your loved ones. Excellent in a blend of greens cooked until extra soft, preferably with bacon or similar. 

For reference, you don’t harvest the root while the plant is growing as they’ll be soft and unappealing-do that in the spring or fall. This is essentially the same as when people tell you to harvest in months that have an R in them. 

#amoraciarusticana #foraging #horseradishleaves #horseradish #bittergreens
In Italy chicken of the woods is known as “fungo In Italy chicken of the woods is known as “fungo del carrubo” (carob tree mushroom) as it’s one of the common tree hosts there. 

My favorite, and really the only traditional recipe I’ve found for them so far is simmered in a spicy tomato sauce with hot chile and capers, served with grilled bread. 

Here I add herbs too: fresh leaves of bee balm that are perfect for harvesting right now and have a flavor similar to oregano and thyme. 

Makes a really good side dish or app, especially if you shower it with a handful of pecorino before scooping it up with the bread. 

#chickenofthewoods #fungodelcarrubo #allthemushroomtags #traditionalfoods #beebalm
First of the year 😁. White-pored chicken of t First of the year 😁. 

White-pored chicken of the woods (Laetiporus cincinnatus) are my favorite chicken. 

Superior bug resistance, slightly better flavor + texture. They also stay tender longer compared to their more common yellow-pored cousins. Not a single bug in this guy. 

#treemeat #ifoundfood #foraging #laetiporuscincinnatus #chickenofthewoods
TBT brisket face 💦. Staff meal with @jesseroes TBT brisket face 💦. Staff meal with 
@jesseroesler and crew @campwandawega
📸 @misterberndt 

#staffmeal #brisket #meatsweats #naptime
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