Squirrel Ravioli

We don’t eat a whole lot of squirrel. Rather, we probably eat more squirrel than most people do, but they’re not big critters and you need a whole bunch to put together a big meal. Which is why when we do have it, it’s kind of a big deal. So this go-around, we decided to make some homemade ravioli and fill it with squirrel confit- not only is this a great way to stretch a scant resource, but the fanciness of the preparation matched our excitement level about being able to put some squirrel meat on the table again.

This recipe is a little fussy- it might take you two evenings to put together. One to make the confit, and the next to make and fill the pasta. We used our garlic confit squirrel for this recipe but any braised game will work. This is simply a mix and fill pasta recipe. You could realistically add anything you want, just keep in mind the moisture content. If the mix is too wet, it’ll make the pasta soggy and it will tear.

Squirrel Ravioli

Servings: varies

Cook time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

Pasta dough

~2 cups chopped squirrel confit

~2 tbsp roasted garlic (from squirrel confit)

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, minced

2 cups ricotta cheese (drained overnight)

½ tsp white pepper

1 tsp salt

Method:

Place ricotta in a fine strainer or cheesecloth overnight in the refrigerator and allow to drain.

Shred meat from bones and chop. Mix with roasted garlic, ricotta, thyme, white pepper and salt. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Roll pasta to desired thickness, keeping in mind that the pasta will be thicker once cooked, and also that the ravioli are easy to tear if the pasta is too thin. We roll the pasta out to the 3rd or 4th setting on our Kitchenaid pasta attachment.

Take a sheet of pasta and lay it out on your work surface. Place dollops of filling (around 1-2 tbsp) onto the dough every 3 inches or so. Wet the edges of the pasta with a pastry brush and layer with another sheet of pasta on top. Press down with your hands to seal the edges, then cut into square ravioli shapes with a knife or pasta wheel. 

To serve, boil in salted water until pasta is cooked through (the time will depend on the size of your ravioli) and serve with your favorite red sauce, or olive oil, parmesan and fresh herbs.

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