When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough EAT Sweet Potato Ravioli

Still in the midst of a rough week, I knew from the moment I woke up this morning that by the end of the day, sweet potato ravioli would be had.  Patience is certainly not my strong suit and to be honest, I'm surprised my sweet potato ravioli made it two days in my freezer.  However, in my defense, I did say that I would save them for a rainy day and it has been a rainy week here in Boston, that counts for something, am I right?

So there they were.  Beautifully fresh sweet potato ravioli, staring me in the face and begging for me to enjoy their sweet cinnaomy goodness.  But then came the question of the hour, what should I create to top these little sweets with?  I didn't want a sauce to blanket the pasta and mask the surprising center.  That just wouldn't work...the filing was the focus and I wanted it to shine!  So I started with the center of the dish and worked from there, selecting ingredients that would accentuate the core of these raviolis.  I punctuated the natural sugars of this dish with caramelized shallots and glazed pecans, which added different and complimentary layers of sweetness.  Wanting to add some earthy elements, baby button mushrooms were added and a salty crunch was brought to this dish courtesy of crispy prosciutto.  Simply put, this recipe is the epitome of a winter meal.  It provides comfort and substance.  It's the type of dish that chilly, rainy weather was made for.

Sweet Potato Ravioli with Mushrooms, Caramelized Shallots, Prosciutto and Glazed Pecans

- Sweet Potato Recipe
- Baby Button Mushrooms (or regular sized button mushrooms, quartered)
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced
~ 1 tbs butter, divided
- 2 slices of prosciutto, cut into ribbons and fried until crispy
- A handful of Glazed Pecans (I used Emerald brand Pecan Pie Glazed Pecans)
- A small pinch of salt, plus some more for the water to boil the pasta

In a small pan, add 1 part of butter to fry the mushrooms until cooked through.  In another small pan, caramelize the shallots in the other part of butter and a small pinch of salt.  Let them simmer on medium low heat until they soften and darken in color.  Meanwhile, boil a pot of salted water and once the water comes to a rapid boil, add the ravioli.  Ravioli is awesome to cook with because it lets you know when its done by floating to the top.  Once it floats to the top, let it boil 30 mins to 1 minute longer and drain.

Lay the ravioli on the plate and spoon the mushrooms and shallots on top.  Sprinkle the prosciutto and glazed pecans on top.  Serve immediately.  You can also add a little extra virgin olive oil if you find the ravioli to be sticking to each other a little.