Truffled Edamame Rotoli in Sauternes Broth

This is one of the most attractive pastas I have ever made, on the inside and out.  As the dutiful author of a Seattle food blog, I owe it to you to share, but it’s so dang good I was this close to keeping this little gem in my secret bag of tricks.  The striking green color peeking out the layers of rotoli whets even the most finicky appetite.  This dish is a pan-global crowd pleaser, borrowing just a little bit from several different cultures.  It looks incredibly sophisticated on the plate, but the flavors are so deceptively simple even my (ultra-refined) toddler gobbles it down by the handful.  If you’ve never made your own pasta, what better time to start, as these simply formed sheets are much more forgiving than if you were making ravioli, for example, and yet I daresay they are more beautiful. 

Last time I found myself in the unparalleled NYC, a friend and author of the beautiful blog Culinary Musings suggested we meet at Buddakan in the Meatpacking district for a lil drinky-poo and something delish on which to nosh.  They serve edamame ravioli on their dim sum menu and I haven’t been able to get it out of my head ever since.  I finally set out to recreate it, though I will say that the end: a. this is only very loosely-based on the original and b. imho, mine’s better :) If you ever make it to Buddakan, let me know what you think. If you get around to making these rotoli I know exactly what you’ll think, and it won’t have much to do with the analytic part of your brain. Rather, the pleasure centers associated with taste will be doing cartwheels over each other to get more, more, more, and you’ll undoubtedly eat more than you should. 

Rotoli just means rolls in Italian, this is one area I decided to deviate from the original inspiration.  While I can’t get enough of ravioli-making, I wanted to try a different type of pasta that would really showcase the green of the edamame.  I figured instead of hiding it inside a closed pocket, I would just roll up little tubes then cut them into pieces, that way you’d be able to see the green peering through the layers on the side.  It was the right call because so much of food is its visual appeal before it even hits your lips, and this dish is pretty as a picture. 

Truffled Edamame Rotoli in Sauternes Broth

Edamame Puree:

• 1 bag shelled edamame, boiled and drained
• ¾ c whole milk ricotta
• thinly sliced leeks that have been sweated in butter
• salt & pepper to taste
• white truffle oil to taste
• ½ c packed shaved Parmigiano Reggiano

Pasta:

• 1-2 c flour (start with a cup, add more as needed)
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 large eggs (I use duck eggs for their stiffness)

Sauternes Broth:

• 1 1/2 c Sauternes
• ½ c chicken stock
• 2 fresh bay leaves, crushed
• truffle oil to taste

Garnish: a few reserved edamame pods to add color to the plate

1.  In a food processor, blend the cooled edamame (reserve half a cup of pods for garnish), ricotta, leeks, and Parmigiano.  After it is completely smooth with no lumps, add the salt, pepper and truffle oil. Give it a few whirls in the processor and taste to adjust seasonings. 
2. Mix the eggs into the salted flour until they are completely blended. Knead more flour in as needed until the dough becomes smooth and elastic.  Tearing off walnut-sized pieces and working on a well-floured surface, roll out pasta into rectangular shapes approximately 4x8”.  It’s easy if you form a tube with your piece before you start rolling it, that way it will naturally roll into a rectangle.  You’ll want the thinness to be one stage above as thin as you can roll it- basically the level you would roll for lasagna sheets.  Allow the sheets to hang for a few minutes, but don’t leave them for too long as they’ll become brittle and crack when you’re filling them.  You can cover them with a tea towel as they’re resting in order to avoid excessive brittleness. 
3. Bring a medium stockpot of salted water to boil. Meanwhile, working with one sheet at a time, spread an equal amount of filling all over the pasta sheet, completely covering it.  Roll each filled sheet from the shorter end to end like you would a crepe, only tighter.  Place the sheets on a sheet pan and cover with a tea towel to prevent dryness. 
4. Once you have rolled each pasta sheet, begin boiling the involtini one at a time in the prepared water. After two minutes (or when they float to the top) remove them to a sheet pan with a slotted spoon.  You can place them in the oven on its lowest setting to keep warm as you finish the rotoli and make the Sauternes broth. 
5. For the broth, simmer all ingredients except the truffle oil until it is reduced by half.  Remove the bay leaves and add truffle oil to taste. 
6. To assemble, cut each involtino into four or five pieces and arrange on a plate.  Drizzle with Sauternes broth and garnish with a few edamame pods.