Chilling Secrets

A successful self saucing ravioli starts with great tasting stocks and sauces. To enable the soup (or sauce) to hold inside the ravioli, the filling must be well chilled with the accompanying sauce stablized with gelatinous stock or gelatin. The principle behind the soup in the ravioli is the same as for Shanghai soup dumplings, xiao long bao.

The ORIGINAL recipe presented below is for a ravioli with a buttery French style sauce with a hint of Japanese ginger, lemon and green onion. The lemon myrtle is used in place of yuzu (native Japanese citrus) zest. Lemon myrtle is an Australian bush herb which you can obtain fresh by mail order from Tumbeela. In Perth, Zanthorrea Nursery stocks plants which grow well in pots. This recipe is a beautiful "fusion" dish which relies on sauces that take time to perfect. There should not be any overpowering garlic from the stock.

Lemon Myrtle Scented Self Saucing Ravioli

Wrappers
Dumpling skins, from oriental stores or make your own, or use homemade pasta sheets
Fresh herbs for decorating such as coriander, parsley, basil or oregano

Filling
1 chicken breast
1/4 cup julienned soaked black cloud ear fungus
1/4 cup enoki mushroom
1/4 cup julienned spring onion
1 tablespoon chiffonade fresh lemon myrtle leaves (finely slivered with leaf spine removed)
1/2 cup chicken veloute, chilled (recipe follows)
1/2 strong gelatinous chicken stock or white glace, chilled (recipe presented previously)
salt and pepper to taste

Poaching stock
chicken stock
shallot slices
ginger slices
garlic and fried shallot olive oil infusions, optional
salt to taste
handful of fresh lemon myrtle sprigs (or substitute with strips of lemon zest)

Accompanying Dressings
Peppercorn sauce or pepper jus flavoured with mountain pepperleaf and green onion
Olive oil infusions
Lemon myrtle white wine vinaigrette

Suggested side vegetables
Blanched asparagus, spring onion or beans

Garnish
Mustard sprouts
Spring onions
Shallots, thinly slices



To make the dish:

1. Moisten 2 dumpling skins with a damp tea towel. Place herb in a decorative pattern on one skin before covering with the second skin. Roll the assembled skins on a pasta machine (or with rolling pin) until single thickness again. Trim to shape with a pastry cutter. Cover with a dry tea towel and refrigerate until needed. If using fresh pasta sheets, check out Chef Chopper Dave's version with cheese, pear and duck glace.

2. Bring the stock for poaching to boil, then add the shallot and ginger. Season with salt and olive oil infusions of choice. Simmer for 5 minutes until aromatic. Add the lemon myrtle sprigs. Dip the chicken breast in the poaching liquid briefly and remove. Bring the liquid back to boil. Drop in the chicken breast and cover. Remove the pot from heat immediately. Let the chicken sit in the pot for 10 minutes. Remove the chicken and chill in the freezer immediately for a juicy tender texture. Do not worry if the the chicken is slightly under cook.

3. When the chicken is well chilled, dice or shred and add to the remaining filling ingredients. The veloute and gelatinous chicken stock must be stiff enough to cut with a knife. The ratio of veloute to chicken stock can be adjusted to allow for a more soupy or saucy dish depending on whether the dish is for starter or main course. Chill for 30 minutes until needed.

4. To assemble the ravioli, place tablespoons of chilled filling in rounded mounts in the centre of a wrapper. Moisten the edges and cover with another wrapper, carefully pressing out all the air. Keep refrigerated. May be stored frozen.

5. Bring the poaching liquid to boil. Carefully lower a ravioli into the pot using a skimmer. Boil for about 5 minutes until the ravioli starts floating off the skimmer. Cook until the sauce is heated through by which time, the ravioli skin will puff slightly with an air pouch showing. Remove to a warm plate.

6. To serve as a main course, arrange 3 ravioli in a stack like pancakes, or a single layer around a plate. Tuck side vegetables under the ravioli. Drizzle with dressing of choice around the plate. For a soup course, place one ravioli in each soup dish. Spoon in enough poaching liquid without immersing the ravioli. Drizzle dressing of choice over the ravioli. Garnish as desired.

Chicken Veloute (pronounced veh-loo-TAY)
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon plain flour
1 cup strong gelatinous chicken stock made with pork rind as a booster
1 teaspoon gelatin, optional
salt and pepper, to taste

1. Cook the flour in butter without browning until a roux (thickened paste) forms.
2. Bring chicken stock to the boil.
3. Add the gelatin.
4. Add the boiling stock to the roux while rapidly beating with a wooden spoon or whisk.
5. Simmer for 15 minutes for the flour to cook through for a smooth glossy sauce.
6. Adjust seasoning.

Note if the sauce is lumpy or grainy just add a bit more stock and simmer longer, or strain the sauce.

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