Vegan Artichoke Wonton Ravioli with Saffron Cream Sauce


I do not own a pasta maker--but I do have wontons! I'm sure this dish would have been even better had I made my pasta from scratch. It's on my bucket list, to make my own pasta.

We live in an area of the country that has a noted Italian heritage and thus, some amazing Italian restaurant cuisine. My grandfather came over from Croatia, but shared with me that we had a strong mix of Italian in our bloodline--this boosts my confidence a bit more when I embark on complex, multi-step pasta creations like this one. I was a bit discouraged on my first few attempts this past year--creating creamy pasta sauces early on as a vegan. I feared this new sauce might fail and leave me to (godforbid) pour a bottled red marinara over my "ravioli" at the last minute if the need arose--lucky for me, it didn't. This recipe was inspired by my new cookbook: The Concious Cook by Tal Ronnen. I sauted some fresh spinach and sliced some more of my garden tomatoes and served this mixed with the ravioli. By the way, I love saffron--and it's very good for you!

Artichoke Wonton Ravioli with Saffron Cream Sauce
For the Wonton Ravioli
1 package wontons
1 package extra firm tofu drained
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon oregano
2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
1/2 cup vegan Parmesan
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup white cooking wine
1 can drained artichokes, chopped
1 diced shallot
3 cloves garlic minced

Preheat oven to 375. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Place the drained tofu in a food processor, then add the garlic onion powder, oregano, nutritional yeast and vegan Parmesan. Pulse to combine and then let the processor run for about 20 seconds--not letting it get too smooth. Heat a saute pan with the oil and add garlic and shallots, cooking for about 2 minutes. Add the chopped artichokes and white cooking wine, letting it reduce completely. Add this mixture to the tofu ricotta mixture in the processor, pulsing just to combine. *Reserve 1/4 cup of the tofu ricotta for use in making the saffron cream sauce. Lay wontons on baking sheet. Place a teaspoon of mixture in the center and wet the edges of the wontons with water. Place another wonton on top and press edges to seal. Bake the wontons for about 15 minutes--just until the edges begin to brown.

Saffron Cream Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 shallot minced
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 cup white cooking wine
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 cup veggie stock
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads (you can put these into 2 tablespoons of warm water)
1/4 cup of reserved tofu ricotta
1/2 package of Mori Nu Silken Tofu
Heat olive oil in a saute pan and add garlic and shallots and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the cooking wine and allow to reduce by half. Sprinkle the nutritional yeast over the mixture, mix well. Add the veggie stock and saffron threads. Mix well. Add reserved tofu ricotta mixture. Mix well. Remove from heat. Allow to cool a bit. Place the silken tofu in a blender. Add the cooked ingredients and puree until smooth. Pour back into saute pan, and heat for about five minutes--to warm sauce. Serve over ravioli and enjoy!

Comments