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

Recipe For Butternut Squash Ravioli

By: Helen Polaski

Butternut squash ravioli is an excellent pasta dish for diabetics or those who are interested in watching their waistlines. With only 82 calories per serving, and no fat, squash is low in calories yet high in fiber and filled with plenty of good-for-you nutrients.

Butternut squash ravioli can be reduced in calories even more if you use light cream, margarine instead of butter and low-fat cheese. The pasta dough, however, will pack on the calories, so take care how you make the dough or use wonton skins, which are about 15 to 20 calories per wrapper. The following recipe is enough for three servings. One serving of butternut squash ravioli with wonton skins is about 200 calories.

Butternut Squash Ravioli
Ingredients You Will Need:
4 tablespoons butter, melted
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 tablespoons shallots, minced
1 cup butternut squash puree
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons heavy cream
Fresh sage leaves, chopped
Fresh parsley leaves, chopped
24 wonton skins, or pasta from following recipe
2 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped
¼ cup butter, softened

Heat the butter in a skillet, and sauté the garlic and shallots until tender. Add the squash, and mix well. Salt and pepper as desired. Blend in the cheese and cream. When the mixture is thoroughly blended, add the chopped sage and parsley leaves. Place one scoop on one side of a wonton wrapper and fold over, sealing the edges. Cook the pasta in boiling water for about three minutes. Mix the fresh sage into the ¼ cup of softened butter, and spread this sage butter sauce over the raviolis. Serve with garlic toast.

Making Ravioli Pasta
When making ravioli pasta from scratch, you will need several different tools. If you don't have a ravioli pasta maker, opt for a small plastic drinking cup to cut out the pasta. A pasta maker or ravioli maker is ideal, of course, but using the open end of a cup works just as well. Have a bowl of water and a pastry brush on hand to help seal the edges.

Basis Pasta Dough Recipe
Ingredients You Will Need:
2 to 3 eggs
½ teaspoon salt
2 to 3 cups white flour
2 tablespoons water (optional)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (optional)

http://www.life123.com/food/italian-food/ravioli/butternut-squash-ravioli.shtml

This recipe will make about 24 raviolis. Mix the first four ingredients with a fork. Add the flour slowly, 1 cup at a time, or place a mound of flour on a clean countertop, make a well in it and then dump the ingredients into the well. To get the gluten working, knead the dough for about 7 minutes. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin to about ⅛-inch thickness. Cut the raviolis out with the open end of a small glass, place 1 teaspoon of filling on each dough circle and add another circle over the filling and seal. If necessary, add water to the edges to seal.