I was elbow deep in Quicken yesterday, paying bills, balancing my finances and listening to Five Ingredient Fix on Food Network TV in the background. Good thing I started to pay attention at some point. Claire was making a pea and ricotta ravioli. She has limited herself to five ingredients, hence the name of the show, but I do not. So... I made it even better.
Pea Ricotta Ravioli
4 tbsps lemon-infused olive oil, preferably homemade (don't freak out)
1/4 lb of proscuitto, sliced thin
8 ounces part skim ricotta
1 1/2 cup fresh peas, blanched (1/2 cup aside for garnish)
1/3 cup Fontina cheese, shredded
1 large clove garlic, sliced and sauteed
2 tsps Parmesan, grated
8-10 leaves of fresh Tarragon, chopped
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
40 Won Ton wrappers
On my quest to make this dish, I ran into a fast issue. Three stores and no lemon olive oil. That was going to be a problem. I didn't want to use fresh lemon juice because that wasn't going to be right. So I decided I would make my own. (Yes! I was going to tackle making an infused olive oil. And it couldn't be easier.)
Lemon-Infused Olive Oil
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 strips of lemon zest
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| Olive oil and lemon. That's it. |
I took a sharp peeler and lightly peeled off the outermost layer of lemon.
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| A knife can't do it as well. |
The peeler will make sure you don't get the pith, which is bitter.
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| The oils are in the yellow part. |
Add the olive oil to a pan and turn on very low. Add the zest and when the oil warms, do not boil, you let sit there on low for 10 minutes. If you want a stronger flavor, you can add more zest.
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| Intensely aromatic. |
Take off heat and let cool. Place in jar or bottle.
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| Told you it was easy. |
Next item to prep is the proscuitto. The deli should slice it and lay it on sheets like this for you.
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| Nearly paper thin. |
Into a saute pan on medium and flip until lightly browned on both sides. Remove from heat and set aside to crisp up.
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| Smokes a little when you cook it. |
I'm sure you can use frozen peas to make this, but I wanted to go all out fresh. You can buy shelled fresh peas in some grocery stores. Last time I got them at Trader Joe's, this time I had to go to Giant.
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| $3.50 a package, but worth it. Who wants to have to shell them all themselves. |
They cook in a flash. Drop them into boiling water for four minutes. They'll float when they are done.
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| Cooked, but not mushy. |
To maintain the bright green color, drop them into an ice bath to shock them. (The alternative is to tell the peas about the current gas prices.)
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| Ooh, chilly. |
And it really does work. The bright color stays put. Like white on rice. (Or in this case, like green on peas. Hmm, not quite as poetic.)
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| My cup runneth over. |
Into a food processor they go. I have a small processor, so this was going to get filled up the whole way.
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| A good start. |
Claire's recipe was a nice base, but I knew I wanted more depth of flavor. In a pan put one garlic clove sliced with a couple teaspoons of the lemon-infused olive oil. On medium it goes, until the garlic has lightly toasted.
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| Just enough to mellow the flavor of the garlic. |
Ricotta has lots of moisture. It's good to reduce that in order to make the filling thicker.
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| Only a small container was necessary. |
They said to drain it in a fine mesh strainer. Uh, I did not have a fine mesh strainer. I had only a strainer. A friend had given me some reusable mesh produce bags for Christmas though, and I got an idea.
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| Good to have reusable things handy. |
I put my regular small colander over a bowl and put the (washed, of course) mesh bag on top.
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| Just like cheesecloth. They were right about that saying. Necessity is the mother of invention! |
I wrapped up the top of it and let it sit for 15 - 20 minutes to drain.
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| Patience. Gravity does the rest. |
After that time had passed, I gave the bundle a final squeeze, and there were a couple tablespoons of liquid in the bottom of the bowl.
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| Just enough to make the cheese a little more solid. |
I unwrapped the cloth and it worked perfectly! How's that for quick thinking.
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| Patterned and all. |
I must say, I've never used fresh tarragon in my life. I am sure I've had it, but not in my own cooking. It has slight anise notes to it. But faint, not overpowering.
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| Long leaves. |
Take about 10 and give them a quick chop. The processor will do the rest later.
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| Yet another layer of flavor that someone might not expect. |
The ricotta, garlic, tarragon salt and pepper all get added into the processor. And blend.
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| Pretty darn smooth. |
Scoop all of it into a glass bowl, so just a couple other things can be hand mixed in.
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| Almost looks like guacamole. |
This I didn't want to get chopped up into tiny pieces. A bit of Fontina cheese.
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| Pretty easy to find these days. |
Fontina is a soft, creamy cheese sort of like provolone.
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| Large shred on the grater box. |
That and a little Parmesan are last to be added and the filling is done. Mix it all and put into the fridge to cool.
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| Chill out! |
Today was not a day I wanted to make pasta dough. I wanted to focus on the filling. So I took the advice of the TV show host and used Won Ton wrappers.
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| Easy and effective. |
This package came with 60. The square ones.
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| Floured and stacked. |
Get ready, all your hard work is coming together for the moment of assembly. Grab your filling from the fridge. Take a wrapper and add a hefty dollop. You should find a perfectly-sized spoon like I have. Then you can be easily consistent.
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| Love this color. |
Lightly wet the edges.
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| Not too wet. |
Fold corner to corner. Work your way around the filling, making sure the air is out, and then seal up the edges tight by pressing your thumb and index finger together.
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| A simple triangle shape. |
Repeat about 40 times and you'll have used up all the filling.
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| Over three dozen green pillows. |
Into a pan of boiling water, drop in about three to five. Depending on your appetite. They cook super fast. Two to three minutes. They are done after they float.
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| The dough is so thin it cooks up super fast. |
Since I didn't use egg, there are no raw ingredients inside to cook. You just want to heat up the inside and not overcook the noodles so they burst open and you lose that delicious filling. (Which would be a total tragedy.)
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| That beautiful green color never gets old. |
Fish out gently with a spider, as they are delicate, and place on a plate. A few ravioli, then some of the extra peas you had cooked and set aside earlier, crumbled, crispy proscuitto and drizzle with the lemon-infused olive oil. Serve quickly. One word to describe - outrageous! The crazy combo of fresh peas, salty proscuitto, cheeses and lemon collide together with each and every perfect summery bite.
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| Such a light, fresh flavor. Not heavy at all. |
Yeah, so 40 is a lot of ravioli for one person. And they were super fresh right at that very moment. So I called up a friend to see if she was around. She had just finished some yard work, hadn't really planned what she'd be having for dinner and quickly said, "I'll shower. Come on over!" I packed up some ravioli, proscuitto, extra peas, lemon olive oil and was there in seven minutes. (Yes, I am faster than any pizza place.) In her kitchen, I recreated the dish for her and her husband. To great reviews.
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| It will surprise people how good it is! Just try it. |
I think it's a sweet thing for someone to bring you dinner. (Someone who doesn't drive a car with a red and blue light up sign on it and hands you a cardboard box saying, "That will be $19.50," and expect a tip as well.) A friend who will come to your house with everything they need and cook fresh for you right on the spot. Such a wonderful way to serve a pal who keeps a busy schedule, often doing kind things for others. Besides, what fun is it to keep a meal this good, and gorgeous, all to yourself.
Next time you make something wonderful, and plentiful, you might want to pick up the phone and call a friend who really could use a home cooked meal and a little visit. Share the bounty. Trust me, if they hadn't had time to plan their own dinner, it will totally make their day. And yours too! (And then you can call yourself a personal chef! Well, unofficially you can.)
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