Toasted Ravioli

Description:

I included a recipe for homemade beef ravioli below, but feel free to use the pre-made frozen kind for this dish. This dish originates from St. Louis, Missouri, and is a unique departure from the usual boiled ravioli with tomato sauce.

Ingredients:

(Makes about 40-50 small ravioli)

• 2 cups peanut or vegetable oil (480 ml)

Pasta Dough

• 2 eggs

• 1 cup flour (120 g)

Filling

• 1/2 lb. ground beef (225 g)

• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs (30 g)

• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese (30 g)

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• 1 tsp parsley, fresh or dried (6 g)

• 1 egg

• Salt & pepper to taste

Coating

• 2 eggs, beaten

• 1 cup Italian -style breadcrumbs (120 g)

• 1 cup flour (120 g)

Dipping Sauce

• 1/4 medium onion, diced fine

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• 1 tbsp tomato paste (14 g)

• 1 tsp olive oil (5 ml)

• 1 cup crushed canned tomatoes (240 g)

• 1 tsp sugar (6 g)

• 1/2 tsp chili flakes (3 g)

• Salt & pepper

Preparation:

To make sauce, add the olive oil to a pot and heat over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and cook for 3-4 minutes. Then add the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Add the crushed tomatoes, sugar & chili flakes. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt & pepper, then set aside.

If you are using pre-made ravioli, skip to the next section. To make dough, mix ingredients together in a bowl until a dough forms. Add more flour if necessary and knead until dough is smooth. Rest 30 minutes. Combine all of the filling ingredients in a bowl and mix with your hands until throughly combined. Cut the dough into even quarters, then roll each out on a floured board in a circle or oval until it is thin enough to see your hand through the other side. On one half of the dough, place small spoonfuls of the meat mixture in a grid pattern, about 1 inch apart. Then, close the other half of the dough over top and press the dough in around the filling. Using a pasta cutter, cut the ravioli into even squares. Transfer ravioli to a floured baking sheet.

If you are using pre-made ravioli, skip ahead to this step. Add the oil to a pot and heat over medium-high heat. Set up a breading station with 3 separate plates, and add the flour, beaten egg and breadcrumbs in each plate, respectively. First, coat a batch of the ravioli in the flour, then coat in the egg mixture. Finally, coat evenly in the bread crumbs, then transfer to the hot oil. Fry for 4-5 minutes total, then transfer to a paper towel-lined baking tray. Serve with a dish of sauce on the side and optionally sprinkle the ravioli with parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Notes:

• This dish is often made with pre-made, frozen beef ravioli. If you don’t want to make the ravioli from scratch, go ahead and use the frozen kind.

• Feel free to boil the ravioli and serve with tomato sauce, without frying - they taste great!