Swordfish Ravioli (ravioli di pesce spada)

John and I were in Europe on a cruise last summer with John and Anne, good friends of ours.  Whenever we book a holiday I always do the research on places to visit, things to do and of course where to eat!  We had planned to meet J&A during our second night in Venice.  I made arrangements for us to have lunch the next day.  The thing is I also wanted to visit Murano and this would be our last day before setting sail.  Before we arrived in Venice I hadn’t really checked the travel times from Venice to Murano – how far could they possibly be from one another when everything seemed to be within easy reach?  We could visit Murano or have lunch.  After much debate agonizing as to what to do, we apologized to our friends saying we wouldn’t be able to eat at Osteria Alle Testiere…one I really wanted to try as it had rave reviews from FT’s How to Spend It Magazine.  We later met back at the ship where J&A gave John a cook book from the restaurant and said happy birthday.  We both looked at each other, puzzled and smiled.  It wasn’t John’s birthday nor was it mine.  Turns out something went bonkers with J&A’s iPhone and the calendar showed John’s birthday being that day.  They thought that was the reason for the special restaurant and bought him the book.  Bless!  I love it when a story unfolds.

Serves 4
inspired by Venice, Food and Wine

filling –
500g (1 lb.) swordfish fillets
100g (3.5 oz.) ricotta
salt and pepper
bunch of fresh mint, chopped

sauce –
500g tomatoes, peeled and chopped (you can also use canned Italian chopped tomatoes)
1/2 onion, finely chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
bunch of fresh basil, chopped

Pan-fry the swordfish with a tiny bit of olive until pink inside.  Allow to cool and mash.  Mix with the ricotta, salt and pepper, and chopped mint.

For the sauce, add oil to a pot and place over a medium heat; add onions.   Cook onions until translucent then add tomatoes and basil.  Stir to combine and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

You can make your own pasta, buy fresh lasagna sheets to make the ravioli squares/circles or use wonton wrappers.  Arrange a tablespoon of the filling in the center of each pasta square or circle then cover with another pasta square or circle.  Press the edges together to ensure the filling doesn’t fall out when added to boiling water.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add ravioli in batches otherwise too many will cause them to stick together.  Once the water comes back to a boil, cook ravioli for 5 minutes.  Drain and keep warm in a bowl.  To serve, add a bit of the tomato sauce to bottom of the dish topped by ravioli and more sauce.

The Culinary Chase’s Note:  You can substitute other fish for the swordfish such as monkfish (use thyme) or seabass (use dill).  Don’t worry too much if the squares aren’t perfect…this makes them more authentic and hand made.  Enjoy!