Hello again Paeds & Feeds foodies!

 

After my eventful experimentation with “faux-miso glazed eggplant” last week, I was craving that soft salty goodness again this week and so dreamed up another original recipe.

I have made “ravioli” before, but I must admit, my lazy cheat in lieu of making my own pasta (which I have done before but find that I now hardly ever have time), I use frozen wonton wrappers.  These are not exactly the same as homemade pasta, but still delicious, not far off and SOOOOO-HO-HO -HOOOOO much easier.

I guess I could have called this recipe “Eggplant and goat’s cheese dumplings” but I didn’t think it sounded as nice!  Tasted bloody good though.

In the interests of full disclosure however, I must tell you my kids mostly eat what I cook but this time – my 3 year old refused to even TRY it, and the 6 year old tried it, but didn’t like it. They had some leftover creamy pasta instead that I had in the freezer and I literally ate their share of these ravioli as well.  Fell on my sword I did, the selfless, self-sacrificing mother I am. 😉

PERSONALLY, I thought this dish was delicious.  It can of course be changed and you can use whatever fillings you like!  Do let me know if you try this though as I would love to hear what you think.  You may think it is a bit weird – some Asian flavourings and other very not-Asian flavourings… but trust me, it works.

 

Eggplant, goat’s cheese and streaky bacon ravioli

INGREDIENTS

• 1 packet of frozen wonton wrappers (makes about 20 ravioli) OR you can make your own pasta if you like!
• 1 large eggplant diced
• 300g streaky bacon – chopped
• A bunch of fresh basil – leaves pulled off and torn
• Oil for stir frying
• Splash of soy sauce
• 2 tbs Shao Tsing cooking wine
• A shake of sesame oil (maybe 1 tsp)
• 80g packet of pine nuts
• 2 packets (I think these were about 40g each) goat’s cheese – crumbled
• ¼-1/3 cup of shaved parmesan
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Chopped fresh parsley (about a handful)
• 2 tab of butter or 1/3 cup of olive oil for sauce
• Fresh parsley leaves

 

METHOD

So like a lot of pasta dishes, the trick with this dish is timing.

You want your ravioli fresh out of the pot when you toss it in your olive oil (or else it will get gluggy and stick together).

Don’t worry if you don’t time it exactly right the first time – you’ll get there with practise.  If your ravioli is finished too early, don’t just leave it in the pot (as the wonton wrappers can get too soft and tear), take them out, and drizzle them with a bit of olive oil to prevent them from sticking to each other whilst you get the sauce ready.

 

1. Prep the filling
   1. Heat a wok/saucepan on the stove with some oil
   2. Fry your bacon until cooked and slightly browned, then remove and set aside
   3. Fry your diced eggplant and a handful of chopped parsley (reserve a handful of leaves for the sauce)
   4. Season with soy, pepper, add your cooking wine and sesame oil. Continue to fry until softened then add the bacon
   5. Set mixture aside in a bowl to cool
   6. Crumble in goat’s cheese and add parmesan
   7. Add fresh torn basil leaves
   8. Season with freshly ground black pepper. You can also add a pinch of salt, but taste your mixture first – the bacon, parmesan and goat’s cheese are all a bit salty so you will likely not need much if any at all.
2. Assemble the ravioli
   1. Take a single wonton wrapper and lie it flat with a teaspoon of filling in the centre
   2. Wet around the edges of the wrapper with water (I just use my finger to do this out of a little dipping bowl, but if you were super civilised you might like to use a pastry brush)
   3. Place another wrapper on top, and press down at the edges, pressing out any air in the parcel as you go.
   4. Place the completed ravioli/dumpling on a plate or drying rack whilst you make the others, do not stack them or they will stick together!
3. Drop your ravioli into salted, boiling water and cook till soft and heated through (2-3 min). When done, fish them out straight onto your serving plate – again, NOT stacked or they will stick, or if you prefer them heaped up, get your sauce on straight away and toss
4. Making your sauce
   1. I like to do this sauce with just olive oil as it is better for your heart, but really, it is because my daughter is allergic to dairy. Given the choice and for a yummier taste – I’d use butter.
   2. Heat your olive oil/butter (or mixture of the two) on the stove until hot, throw in your pine nuts and toss around until brown (this will NOT take long – maybe a minute or so).
   3. At about the 40 second mark, toss in your parsley leaves – they will crackle and pop, turn off your heat and spoon straight over your ravioli
5. Shave some fresh parmesan over your ravioli and crack over some fresh black pepper. Garnish with a few whole basil leaves
6. Serve immediately (with a lovely glass of wine!).

 

Argh.  So delicious.

I served this with sides of crispy oven baked kale (literally just kale, sprayed with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper and baked for about 10 min in a moderate oven), and a cherry tomato and rocket salad (see gallery above).

Because I used a leftover packet of wonton dumplings + a whole new one, I had about 6 ravioli left over at the end that I stuck in the fridge (thinking I’d take to to work for lunch).  They only survived a few hours because I decided I had to eat them for supper around 9pm.

Let me know if you try this and post me a pic if you can!

 

Until next time, keep cooking!!

 

xxDr Megs