Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Mozzarella & Sun-Dried Tomato Ravioli

In my little herb pot, I started off with thyme, cilantro, basil and parsley. Cilantro and basil are probably my two favorite herbs. Sadly, my cilantro plant didn't make it. It's still there, but apparently it's "gone to seed." No more cilantro. My basil however has exploded. I had to look up basil recipes because I have so much, I don't know what to do with it.

Enter The Pioneer Woman. I like to drool over her cooking and her pictures of food. She had this recipe for basil ravioli.

Mozzarella and Sun-Dried Tomato Ravioli with Basil Cream Sauce

For Ravioli:
4 whole sun-dried tomatoes
4 basil leaves
1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 whole egg, beaten
1 package wonton wrappers (or egg roll wrappers cut in quarters)
1 whole egg white

For Sauce:
10 basil leaves
1/3 cup dry white wine
2 cloves garlic
1 cup heavy cream
2 Tb. unsalted butter

For Ravioli: Rehydrate the sun-dried tomatoes in boiling water for 30 minutes. Pat dry and grind with 4 basil leaves in a food processor. I used tomatoes packed in oil, so I didn't have to rehydrate them.

Mix the tomato-basil and cheeses in a bowl and taste, adding more cheese if desired. Add the egg and mix to coat.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay out 24 wonton wrappers (give or take, depending on how full you make them) and divide the filling between them. Place a spoonful in the center of the wrapper, leaving space around the edge. I used about a tablespoon of filling in each. Be careful not to make them too full or they won't seal well.

Brush the edges of the wrapper with egg white and place another (new) wrapper over top, sealing the edges together. Pick up the now assembled ravioli and press the edges together firmly and place on the wax paper.

Once they are all assembled, boil a pot of water, add salt, and boil the ravioli for 4 minutes. Keep cooked ravioli warmed on a plate in a 250 degree oven if working in batches.

For sauce: Puree the 10 basil leaves, wine and garlic in a food processor.

Transfer to a saucepan and add the cream. Whisking frequently, simmer over medium/medium-high heat for around 15 minutes or until reduced by half. Add the butter and whisk until melted.

Remove from heat and add salt and pepper to taste. Pour over ravioli and serve.

Note: Sauce will have a mild basil taste with 10 leaves; add more if you prefer a stronger basil flavor.



They may not look so pretty, but it tastes oh, so good!

I wasn't too sure how this recipe was going to turn out. I mean, wonton wrappers in place of pasta dough? Even though the wonton wrappers were a little more delicate than pasta dough, it was actually a nice alternative. It was light and a thin sort of dough. Since I didn't fill the ravioli's very full, there was a lot of extra dough. If it had been regular pasta, that would've been too much pasta with no filling. But with the wonton wrapper, it's not super dough-y.

The ravioli's don't really take 4 minutes. Since the dough is so thin, it took maybe 2 minutes total. I waited until they floated to the top and were translucent to tell when they were done. They're not the prettiest raviolis ever, but they are tasty! The sun-dried tomatoes are nice and sweet and with the mozzarella, it makes them cheesy and gooey. Mmm....

The basil cream sauce is delicious! I did add a few more basil leaves, but I'd probably even add more. It smelled so good and it's garlicky and creamy. The butter at the end adds a silkiness to the sauce that just flows over the pasta. A nice paring with the sun-dried tomatoes. Actually those two seem to go well together. Remember this recipe?

Anyway, the filling only made about 14 raviolis for me. Which was just enough sauce for me and Wes with some leftover. I'd definitely double the recipe next time and fill the raviolis a bit more. Definitely double the sauce if you double the pasta. This would also be yummy as baked ravioli and a pesto cream sauce.... mmmmm...... You can also just use one wonton wrapper and fold it over itself to make a triangle ravioli instead of adding another wrapper on top. This will save wonton wrappers for this dessert and make the raviolis a bit smaller and easier to manage.

Super easy to make and it was yummy! Next time I'll add some grilled chicken so Wes can have a little more subsistence. Happy cooking!

No comments:

Post a Comment