Serves 4
Mustard Seed & Black Pepper Alfredo
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
- 1 small shallot, very finely minced
- 1 small garlic clove, finely grated
- 1 teaspoon coarsely cracked black pepper, plus more for finishing
- 1½ cups whole milk
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¾–1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- ¼ cup reserved pasta water, as needed
- Salt, to taste
- Optional: ½ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
Steak Ravioli Filling
- 1 lb cooked steak, finely chopped
- ½ cup whole-milk ricotta
- ⅓ cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 1 small shallot, finely minced and sautéed
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- Salt, to taste
- Fresh ravioli pasta sheets
Make the filling
Finely chop your cooked steak. You want very small pieces rather than ground beef—the texture will be much nicer inside the ravioli.
Combine the steak with ricotta, Parmesan, sautéed shallot, Dijon and black pepper. Taste and season with salt if needed.
Spoon the filling onto your pasta sheets, form the ravioli and keep them covered while you prepare the sauce.
Make the whole-milk Alfredo
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat.
Add the mustard seeds and toast for about 30–60 seconds, just until fragrant and beginning to pop.
Add the shallot and cook for 2–3 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cracked black pepper and cook for about 30 seconds.
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Once melted, sprinkle in 1 tablespoon flour and whisk continuously for about 1 minute. You don’t want it to brown—you’re simply cooking away the raw flour taste.
Slowly pour in the whole milk while whisking constantly. Bring it to a gentle simmer and cook for about 3–5 minutes until it begins to thicken.
Turn the heat to low.
Whisk in the Dijon, then gradually add ¾ cup Parmesan, stirring until completely melted and silky. If you want it cheesier or thicker, add the remaining ¼ cup.
Cook the ravioli
Boil the ravioli in generously salted water until the pasta is tender and the filling is hot.
Before draining, reserve about ½ cup pasta water.
Transfer the ravioli directly into your sauce. Add a tablespoon or two of pasta water at a time until the sauce becomes glossy and just loose enough to coat the ravioli.
Finish
I’d plate the ravioli with a generous spoonful of sauce and finish with:
Freshly cracked black pepper + Parmigiano-Reggiano + a scattering of toasted mustard seeds.
You could also add a tiny amount of fresh thyme or lemon zest to cut through the richness.
One important tip: once you add the Parmesan, don’t let the sauce boil. Whole milk has much less fat than heavy cream, so keeping the heat low will help prevent the Parmesan sauce from separating or becoming grainy.
For the flavor you’re envisioning, I’d make the black pepper fairly prominent and the mustard seed more subtle. It should read almost like a cacio e pepe–Alfredo meets steak au poivre, with little warm pops of mustard seed rather than tasting overtly mustardy.
