Prosciutto Ravioli

December 18th, 2009

I love this time of year to cook with friends and family. Assembly line cooking can be a ton of fun especially for people who are intimidated being in a kitchen. This ravioli recipe is super easy because it calls for wonton wrappers- which can usually be found in the produce section of your local market. However, if you’re Italian and pride yourself on making your own pasta don’t use the wrappers. Your family and friends will be insulted and you’ll never live it down!

This is not a heavy pasta dish. The light dumpling packages are filled with creamy ricotta, salty prosciutto and drizzled with a buttery, oregano glaze. If you have never stuffed ravioli before make sure your filling is dry and centered and the edges are completely sealed before it goes for a swim in heavily salted water.  This dish will delight all your holiday guests.

Prosciutto Ravioli

1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, *squeezed dry*4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped
2 large egg yolks
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
48 wonton wrappers
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
Freshly grated pecorino

Whisk the ricotta, spinach, prosciutto, egg yolks, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl to blend.

Place 1 tablespoon of the ricotta filling in the center of a wonton wrapper. Brush the edge of the wrapper lightly with water. Fold the wrapper in half, enclosing the filling completely and forming a triangle. Pinch the edges to seal. Transfer the ravioli to baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining filling and wrappers. (Can be prepared up to 2 hours ahead; cover and refrigerate.)

Melt the butter in a heavy small skillet over medium heat. Add the oregano and stir 1 minute. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.

Working in batches, cook the ravioli in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes per batch. Transfer the ravioli to a large shallow bowl.

Pour the oregano butter over the ravioli and toss gently to coat. Sprinkle the pecorino over the ravioli and serve.

 Recipe via Giada