Chef Boyardee Ain't Got Nothin' on Me

Fresh pasta is perhaps one of the finest things life has to offer. It is also a rather laborious process. If you have never made fresh pasta however, I urge you to, as it is so divine. I warn you - after having your own fresh pasta you will scoff - yes SCOFF! - at anything less. And you will never pay $3.50 for a half pound again (try PENNIES).

But not every night can be a fresh pasta night. Sometimes you want the taste of a fresh pasta with a filling you make with herbs from your garden. Maybe you get home late, maybe you have homework or a soccer game. Enter my secret weapon - wonton wraps.

Yes, wonton wraps. And they are most likely in YOUR grocery store, hiding out near the organic produce like ours. I do NOT have a fancy grocery store and even ours carries not one but two types of wrappers. Square or round, both/either will work. You'll need a sheet pan with sides, a bowl or cup of water, and your preferred sauce. Oh, and get your stockpot of salted water ready for cooking.

First, you need a filling. My most favorite is a chicken and herb filling, but it has a lot of steps and most nights I don't have the energy. So I usually pick some sort of cheese-based filling. Ricotta is what I usually use, flavored with either parmesan, mozzarella, or both. An 8 ounce container of ricotta works well with 1 egg as binder. Add herbs, salt and pepper, other cheeses, and voila. Oh, I should mention that ricotta is really wet, so you'll need to strain or squeeze the excess out of your ricotta. Just put it in a strainer suspended over a container and leave it overnight in the fridge. Or put it in some cheesecloth and squeeze out the water. Excess water will make your filling runny and won't make it easy to seal your ravioli.

Lay out your wonton wraps on your jelly roll pan. Put about a tablespoon - maybe more, maybe less, experiment with what you can put in your wrap - in the middle of the wrap, wet your index finger with the water, and lightly wet the outside edges of the wonton wrap. Then put another wrap on top before the water can dry. Seal around the filling from the inside out, getting all the air out of the ravioli. Air will make your raviolo float during cooking and make it want to burst, letting all your yummy filling out. You'll become a ravioli making machine churning these out in stages and cooking in the boiling water. They take only a minute or so to cook, floating to the top when they are done. If you are not eating right away, place on another jelly roll pan and coat lightly with olive oil to keep from sticking. Add sauce and more cheese and YUM!



Stuffed ravioli waiting to be boiled and consumed by my hungry husband

Simple Ravioli Filling

8 oz (or one small) container ricotta
1 egg
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil
salt and pepper

Drain or squeeze excess water out of ricotta. Combine with the egg, Parmesan, oregano, basil, and salt and pepper to taste.

I wanted to make a pesto for the ravioli but I ran out of time, plus the basil in my garden isn't quite mature enough yet. So I used my old standby, tomato. My secret weapon is LIQUOR! It brings out the sweetness of the tomato and leaves you with a little hint of something. The cream mellows it out and gives it a great richness.

Simple Tomato Sauce

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil
2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon brandy, whisky, or bourbon
1 tablespoon heavy cream

Add the olive oil to the pan and heat until hot. Add the onion and saute until soft. Add the garlic and saute 1 minute more. Add the oregano and basil and saute for half a minute more. Add the diced tomatoes. Saute on medium-high for about 5 minutes. Add the liquor. Continue to cook until mixture thickens and most of the liquid is gone. Just before serving add in the cream.