Sweet Corn Ravioli

by Celia Sin-Tien Cheng
July 13, 2006

A VOCE
41 Madison Ave
@ 26th St
New York, NY 10010
212-545-8555

Sweet corn ravioli! Sweet Lord! It’s like a gift from the gods. I know I just wrote about A Voce in May, but since the menu is always changing, there is much to talk about, and frequently. Yes, corn is in season, so go to A Voce to taste the sweet corn ravioli while it’s on the menu!

It is literally corn inside the ravioli. The texture of the crisp corn is rather refreshing and a little unexpected since we are generally accustomed to ravioli with smooth blends of cheeses or meat. Accompanying the ravioli are smoked tomatoes, summer truffle — I can still smell and taste it now — and farona di bosco mushrooms. The English name for the mushrooms is “hen of the woods.” I had not recognized the Italian or English name of this mushroom, but when I tasted it, I realized that it’s one of my favorite Japanese mushrooms, maitake. It makes perfect sense that the combination of corn, pasta, mushrooms, tomato and truffles is for me a quintessential summer dish since these are all of my favorite ingredients. To add a little spunk, there are also a couple of leaves of Chinese chives, which have a distinctive and slightly pungent burst of flavor. What can I say, this dish is just absolutely scrumptious!

An heirloom tomato risotto is also on the menu now. I love heirloom tomatoes and I love risotto. A pesto sauce counterbalances the tomatoes, with arugula and pecorino cheese blended in. While lovely, I found this dish to be slightly salty for my taste, but mind you, I need very little salt in my diet. The concept is great and offers something different than most run-of-the-mill risottos.

I am going in reverse order now, but the summer salad that we started out with was refreshing and delicious. Figs, arugula, duck bresaola and asiago cheese sounded a bit heavy to me, but when it arrived and with each bite, I couldn’t resist having more.

I have little more to say. In fact, I’d say, let me stop writing, and you stop reading. Go try the ravioli now! Or at least pick up the phone to make the reservation. You won’t regret it.

Also in Corn, Italian, Madison Square, Pasta, Ravioli