A ravioli by any other name
REALCUISINE | Julianne Glatz
I love ravioli. I’ve always loved them. As a child, they were my inevitably requested birthday dinner. The recipe with a chicken spinach filling came from Italian friends of my grandparents they met when the men worked together in a WWII Joliet defense plant.
Nowadays, I don’t have one favorite dish, but ravioli are still at the top of my list, and every so often I make them. Not too often, though, because making ravioli is time-consuming: preparing the pasta dough, rolling and filling takes the better part of a day.
While I still make ravioli occasionally with homemade pasta dough, I’ve discovered something that lets me make them more often, something that usually takes little more than an hour: wonton wrappers. Refrigerated wonton wrappers are available in most groceries’ produce section. They’re fresh pasta dough made, like ravioli dough, with eggs. It’s not surprising. Tradition has it that pasta was first brought to Italy by Marco Polo, although that’s highly suspect. Regardless, pasta is believed to have originated in China. Even wontons’ traditional triangular shape has an Italian equivalent: they ‘re called cappelletti, or little hats, because they resemble popes’ hats.
Ravioli made with wonton wrappers are more delicate and cook more quickly than Italian ravioli. I use them for regular ravioli, but also that wonderful Italian-St. Louis specialty, toasted ravioli. Toasted ravioli are coated with flour, egg and breadcrumbs, then fried. But using wonton wrappers eliminates the heavier breading, creating a lighter but just as delicious result. The Cantonese name for fried wontons literally translates as “swallowing clouds;” that holds true no matter what the filling.
To make square or round wonton ravioli: Dust a sheet pan lightly with flour. Place each ravioli/wonton as you finish it on the pan.
Brush one of the wonton squares VERY lightly with beaten egg. If it’s too wet, they won’t seal. Place a tablespoon of filling in the center of the wonton and lay another wonton on top of it. Gently press the top wonton over the filling to flatten it slightly. Seal the ravioli, pressing OUT- WARD with your fingers from the filling to eliminate any air bubbles. With a round cookie cutter that will just fit inside the wonton, cut out the ravioli and finish sealing. Alternatively, cut triangular edges away on all sides, making a “diamond” within the square. Repeat with the remaining wonton skins and filling. When you are finished (or the pan is filled) dust the tops lightly with flour. Cover with a lint-free towel or parchment paper if using immediately. If making ahead for any length of time, cover tightly with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate – or they can be frozen, as can any extras.
To make traditionally shaped wontons (a.k.a. Italian capeletti) Prepare a sheet pan as above.
Place a square wonton wrapper so the points are at the top, bottom and sides (a diamond shape). Put a scant tablespoon of filling slightly above the midline. Brush the edges with egg as above; then bring up the bottom point up to the top, and sealing as above. You should now have a sealed triangle. Now bring the side points up and press the tips together. Use a little more egg if necessary to make the points stick.
Cooking wonton ravioli
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a small handful of salt. When the water is boiling, add the ravioli. Stir gently so that none of the ravioli stick to the bottom. The ravioli will float to the top in a few minutes. After all the ravioli have risen to the top, let them boil for about a minute longer, then drain and toss with desired sauce. Total cooking time should be no more than 5 minutes.
Contact Julianne Glatz at realcuisine.jg@gmail.com.
