Ricotta ravioli are always are very special treat at our house. Soft pillows of lemon scented ricotta and parmesan cheese encased in silky smooth pasta. Traditionally made from scratch with long sheets of homemade pasta they can be time consuming to make. These days with a very busy schedule I rarely dust off my rather neglected pasta machine. Instead I turn to a very easy but clever cheat. Wonton wrappers sourced from the chilled goods section of my very obliging Asian grocer. So very easy. All I have to do is make the filling and recruit my greedy troops to assist with the stuffing. How easy is that?
It is important to use wonton wrappers that contain egg. These most closely resemble egg pasta used to make ravioli. They are sold at my grocer in packages marked egg pastry. At $2.50 for a packet of 60 wrappers they are incredibly economical to use. The pastry is thin and delicate and produces very light and silky ravioli. Here is how it’s done.
Wonton Wrapper Ravioli Filled With Ricotta
I like to serve these with a bolognese sauce. Recipe here.
Makes 60 ravioli, sufficient for 6-8 generous serves
2 x 250g packets of egg pastry wonton wrappers (60 wrappers per packet)
750g fresh ricotta, drained
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving
1 large egg
a generous pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
freshly grated lemon zest of 1 lemon
sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
IN A LARGE bowl combine the ricotta, nutmeg, lemon zest, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and egg. Season to taste with salt and pepper, stir well, and set aside.
LINE two oven trays with baking paper. Set aside.
Working in batches until all wonton wrappers have been used:
PLACE five square wonton wrappers onto a clean, lightly floured chopping board.
TOP each wrapper with a heaped teaspoon of the ricotta mixture. Be careful not to overfill the ravioli as the mixture will expand as it cooks and cause the ravioli to burst.
USING a pastry brush moisten the edges of each wrapper with a little water. Top each with a fresh wrapper.
PRESS down firmly to seal the edges around the filling, working from the centre out to the edge to force out air and ensure the filling doesn’t leak as the ravioli cook.
CUT the ravioli into rounds using a 7.5 cm round cutter or glass tumbler.
DISCARD the trimmings and transfer the completed ravioli to the prepared baking tray in a single layer.
WHEN all the ravioli have been made, cover the trays with clingwrap. and refrigerate for a few hours before cooking.
COOK ravioli in three or four batches. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to the boil. Cook each batch, uncovered, at a gentle boil until the pasta rises to the top and is just tender to the bite. Approximately 3-4 minutes.
REMOVE cooked ravioli from the pot with a slotted spoon and serve with your favourite pasta sauce and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Note: Ravioli can be frozen by placing the baking tray directly in the freezer. Transfer the ravioli to a plastic bag when frozen. They can be stored frozen for up to three months. Frozen ravioli will take about 10 minutes to cook. Best not to defrost before use, just place directly into a pot of boiling water.
The Paddington Foodie 