Last week was full of wonder. We enjoyed beautiful, sunny days, walks in the gorgeous Tongass National Forest and the much anticipated Il Bocca Al Lupo Italian restaurant has officially opened. I’d say, all-in-all, it was a spectacular week.
I haven’t enjoyed the fare at Bocca just yet, but given the quality of food and service that chefs Beau Schooler and Travis Hotch are known for, I expect I’ll love every second of my dining experience. Until that time, I decided to try my hand at making my own Italian goodies.
My previous column was about breaking out of my comfort zone and making my own pizza crust. I’m still pretty proud of myself for that. I know for many, making one’s own bread, crust, or even pasta, barely raises an eyebrow. For me, however, it’s a big deal. This isn’t a skill that comes naturally to me, so I have to work at it.
As mentioned above, I was eager to make something unique and Italian. I make lots of spaghetti, lasagna and other pasta dishes, but nothing that requires a lot of work. I like easy-to-make food. I imagine most of us do. We work hard and play hard, and having something quick for dinner makes evenings a lot less stressful.
So, if one wanted to make something different but not spend hours in the kitchen, what sounds good and easy? And the winner is: ravioli!
Yes, ravioli. You can make the filling from whatever you like, whether veggie, meat or plain cheese. The sauce is also completely up to you. It can be a cheese sauce, tomato, butter, olive oil, whatever your taste buds are craving. The beauty is that you don’t have to make the pasta portion from scratch. You can use … wait for it … wonton wrappers. Genius!
Now, I’m sure many a chef is cringing, but it’s his/her full-time job to make pasta from scratch and I happily endorse and pay for those efforts. In my home, though, I have lots of other tasks that need completing, so spending more than 30 minutes on something rarely happens.
Wonton wrappers are a blank page of goodness. They’re also pre-cut and easy to use. It can’t get any better than that. For this recipe, I wanted something to impress The Captain because it had been a while since I had prepared a nice meal for him. I had been traveling a lot and I was fairly certain he could use a nice dinner at home. I do love my captain and I show that through my cooking. It’s amore.
Using ricotta cheese, some herbs and fresh parsley, I made a delicious cheese ravioli in a lemon butter sauce. Start to finish, the whole recipe took about 30 minutes. Paired with a simple salad and presto, we had dinner.
This week I present a recipe that is fun to make and can involve the kiddos, too: herb and cheese raviolis with lemon butter sauce. I love using little kitchen cheats to make something simple seem fancy. The wontons were a perfect solution.
I also want to say thank you for those who have let me know they’ve missed my column. I have been visiting my family and traveling for my business. I’ve missed writing and sharing the everyday life of living in Juneau and cooking Alaskan food. That’s amore to me.
Until next time…
Eat and enjoy,
Midgi
Herb and Cheese Ravioli
1 package prepared wonton wrappers
1 cup ricotta cheese
½ cup fontina cheese, shredded
½ cup parmesan cheese, shredded
¼ cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs
Teaspoon salt
Teaspoon pepper
Extra parmesan for topping
Place cheeses, herbs and spices in large bowl and mix well. Carefully fill one wonton with about a teaspoon of the mixture. Wet the edges of the wonton with water (I used my finger dipped in a glass of water) and seal the edges closed. Make sure they’re closed really well. I had a couple of raviolis that weren’t and they make quite a mess in your boiling water.
Bring a pot of water to a hard boil. Season with salt. Gently place the raviolis in the water and cook about 4-5 minutes until soft and more transparent. Don’t overcook, they will get mushy.
Lemon Butter Sauce
1 stick butter, melted
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon capers
Salt and pepper
Melt butter in a medium sauce pan. Add lemon zest and juice. Mix well. Add capers and taste to season with salt and pepper.
To serve: Place ravioli on plate, drizzle sauce on top. I also added some blanched asparagus for color, texture, and flavor. Top with fresh parsley and grated parmesan cheese.
