Sitting at my desk, sipping my morning coffee, I can’t help but smile at the weekend that just unfolded. A weekend filled with culinary adventures. One in particular remains memorable.
I prepared djondjon shrimp ravioli from scratch.
I had never made pasta before. In fact, for the past five or six years, I’ve wished I could make my own pasta. But, I never took the plunge. Instead, I spent countless hours debating whether or not I should invest in a pasta machine. Only to give up each time, coming up with every excuse in the book:
too expensive, too heavy, will I actually ever use it….so the list went on and on.
But then, last week, everything changed. I posted djondjon on my Instagram, and a follower suggested I prepare djondjon shrimp ravioli with peas. I thought she meant that I should serve store-bought ravioli with a djondjon infused sauce. But I was wrong. She actually urged me to try to make djondon flavored pasta. And she insisted I do so.
Yep, she suggested I prepare pasta from scratch, and infuse the dough with djondjon. And I listened.
Not without, of course, once more pulling an excuse out of my book of favorites: I don’t have a pasta machine. To which she simply replied:
you only need a rolling pin.
As if I had been waiting for someone to push me into that direction all those years, I actually followed her lead. Thus began my weekend shrimp ravioli making with a rolling pin adventure.
Those shrimp ravioli were quite the arm workout.
A worthy workout. That hour I spent rolling my dough paid off. Now don’t worry, I am not about to claim to be a pasta making expert. After only one attempt, I wouldn’t dare say so. As exquisite as that dish turned out, I won’t try to give you tips on successfully making pasta, either. I will however advise that you prepare yourself for a workout. If you chose to follow my lead and use a rolling pin that is. I will also tell you that I adapted this online ravioli recipe from Julia’s Album, swapping a djondjon broth for the regular water the recipe calls for.
And most importantly, I will brag about my finger-licking good stuffing and sauce. So here it goes.
I stuffed my ravioli with garlic butter shrimp tossed with a few teaspoons of cheese dip. I then cooked my pasta in my favorite homemade djondjon seafood broth. While the shrimp ravioli cooked, I prepared another djondjon and wine infused creamy mushroom sauce. I tossed my cooked ravioli in that sauce and served it sprinkled with fresh parsley.
Everyone at the table sang those djondjon shrimp ravioli’s praises.
My only regret is not having served my ravioli with bread to soak in the last bits of the sauce.
I honestly cannot remember the last time I felt so happy about a dish. And I am thankful for that follower for holding me accountable for preparing it. Had she not insisted, I would have kept pushing my pasta making dreams aside.
Djondjon Shrimp Ravioli
Ingredients
Pasta djondjon broth (if making ravioli from scratch)
- 1-2 tbsp djondjon
- ¾ cup water
Seafood Djondjon Broth (pasta cooking water)
- 6 garlic cloves cut in half
- ½ onion
- ½ bell pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- Shrimp head carcarsses
- 1 tbsp coarse salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- Fish bones
- ½ cup djondjon
- 8 cups of water
Creamy djondjon mushroom sauce
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 heads of garlic chopped
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- Fresh mushrooms pick your favorite
- Splash of sparkling white wine
- Pasta cooking liquid cooking broth from above
- Splash of cream
Djondjon shrimp ravioli
- 1 lb shrimp peeled and deveined
- Seafood seasoning
- 1 lime zest
- 2-3 garlic heads chopped
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 lime juice
- Splash of cream or ricotta or a cheese dip - optional
- Prepared ravioli dough rolled paper thin
- Prepared seafood djondjon broth
- Prepared creamy djondjon sauce
- Chopped parsley
Instructions
Pasta djondjon broth (if making ravioli from scratch)
- In a pot, combine djondjon and water
- Simmer for 25 minutes
- Strain to remove the djondjon particles from the water
- Use that broth to prepare the ravioli
Seafood Djondjon Broth (pasta cooking water)
- Place all the ingredients in a pot
- Add the water
- Cover and simmer on low for 45 mns
- Strain the liquid, and save it to cook the pasta
Creamy djondjon mushroom sauce
- In a pan, melt the butter with the garlic
- As the garlic starts to turn golden, add the mushroom and toss to coat evenly
- Season generously with salt and pepper
- Add a splash or two (or three, why not!) of wine, let simmer. Be careful not to let the wine evaporate
- Add a few spoonful of the seafood djondjon broth
- Simmer for about 3 minutes
- Finish with a splash of cream
Djondjon shrimp ravioli
- Season the shrimp with your seafood seasoning and lime zest
- In a pan, melt the butter with the garlic
- Once the garlic turns slightly golden, add the shrimp
- Cook on both sides until pink
- Finish with the lime juice
- Using a knife and fork, cut the shrimp into shreds
- Add a spoonful of cream or ricotta for some creaminess (optional)
- Let cool
- Stuff each ravioli with the prepared shrimp
- In a pot, bring the prepared seafood djondjon broth to a boil
- Add the ravioli and cook for five (5) minutes
- Drain and toss in the creamy djondjon sauce
- Sprinkle generously with chopped parsley
- Serve hot
