I cook all the time and have a culinary degree, but admit I am overwhelmed by all the recipe sources out there these days. The list is endless: magazines, food blogs, cookbooks, Food Network, and websites like Epicurious and All Recipes.
And then we have crack cocaine PINTEREST. Did you know there is a whole industry producing amazing food accompanied by sexy food pictures aptly nicknamed “food porn”? These folks hang out on PINTEREST all the time. For the days when I am too cocky and confident, a short stint spent pinning their food ideas and pictures on my PINTEREST boards provides me with just the right jolt of inadequacy to take me down a notch.
And that is why, hands down, my favorite place to get recipes is from friends. Friends only share recipes that are true winners. Friends already made the dish and will warn me of the ins and outs. Friends have my best interest at heart. Friends know I know where to find them if the dish fails. (JK on that last one.)
So, this recipe is from my friend Ruth, who helped me overcome my reluctance to cook fresh ravioli at home. I’ve made fresh ravioli from scratch and I’ve picked it up in the refrigerated pasta section at the store, but I’ve never been in love with it. See, the problem is the fresh ravioli gets a bit slippery after cooking it in boiling water. No matter how much I drain it, it waters down my sauce. I steer away and like to use other non-sauce-watering-down pastas instead.
All that changed when I had the most delicious fresh ravioli at Ruth’s house. Her method is to toast the ravioli instead of boiling it. She dips the ravioli in egg and then a mixture of breadcrumbs and cheese and gently sautés it until golden brown. Walla! Absolutely divine, not slippery and definitely not watering down the sauce.
Ruth toasted fresh cheese and mushroom ravioli paired with a spicy marinara sauce. My grocery store had fresh butternut squash ravioli this week. I thought it would pair well with a nutty sage brown butter sauce. I can’t wait to try this again with different types of raviolis and sauces.
Ingredients
1 package refrigerated fresh ravioli (dried ravioli does not work well with this method)
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup bread crumbs
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil for sauté
1 stick butter
5-6 fresh sage leaves
Instructions
Toasted Ravioli
Prepare two dipping bowls, one for the beaten eggs, one for the bread crumbs and grated parmesan cheese combined. In small batches, dip a ravioli first in the egg, then in the bread crumb and cheese mixture. Warm 1-2 TBSP olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Gently sauté the ravioli until browned and then turn over to finish cooking, about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove from pan and drizzle with sage brown butter sauce. Enjoy!
Sage Brown Butter Sauce
In a heavy sauce pan over medium heat melt the butter. Keep a close eye on the butter and continue cooking until it smells nutty and turns golden brown. Remove from heat immediately, since the butter can quickly burn. Add the fresh sage leaves. The butter will bubble and cook the leaves. Once it stops bubbling, remove the sage leaves. Salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle over the freshly sautéed ravioli.
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Heh. Crack cocaine is right. While I do love me some Pinterest action, you’re right…personal recommendation is the way to go. Why do you think I hang out here? xo
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