Goat Cheese “Ravioli” with Parsley Sauce

On to the Valentine’s Day entree…

I found this great recipe for “homemade” ravioli – Goat Cheese “Ravioli” with Parsley Sauce from the January/February 2008 issue of Everyday Food – right around the same time I finally managed to locate fresh wonton wrappers at my grocery store. (The Asian food section? No. The fresh pasta section? No. In the produce section by the herbs and pre-packaged carrots? YES!) The ravioli looked sufficiently fancy and fun for Valentine’s Day, so I decided to give the recipe a whirl.

Using wonton wrappers in place of homemade pasta (a grand kitchen failure for me circa 2003) made this another quick and easy recipe. First, I mixed up the ravioli filling. In a small bowl, I combined 3 ounces of fresh goat cheese, 1/4 cup of part-skim ricotta cheese, 1 pressed garlic clove, and a pinch of nutmeg. I mashed everything together with a fork, seasoned with salt and pepper, and then stirred the mixture until it was smooth.

Next, I assembled the ravioli. I put 6 wrappers on a cutting board and covered the others with a damp paper towel. I spooned 1 level tablespoon of filling onto the center of each of the 6 wrappers. I used my fingertip and a little water to wet the edges of the wrappers and then folded each one over (in half over the filling, basically) to form a triangle, pressing the edges to seal. I flattened the area around the filling to eliminate air pockets and placed the finished ravioli on a parchment-paper lined baking sheet. I repeated the process with 6 other wrappers for 12 total ravioli.

I put a large pot of salted water on to boil and used the “waiting” time to make the parsley sauce. I chopped 2 tablespoons of fresh parsley and then stirred that together in a small bowl with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of grated Parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon of water, and some salt and pepper.

Once the water had reached a boil, I reduced it to a bare simmer and dropped the ravioli in one at a time. I cooked them for about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent them from sticking. When they were done, I used a slotted spoon to transfer them to a paper-towel-lined baking sheet to drain briefly. I plated the ravioli, drizzled them with the parsley sauce, and served them with garlic-roasted tomatoes.

Yuuum-my. This was another terrific recipe – bold green, for sure! I loved the taste and texture of the ravioli, and the parsley sauce was a nice alternative to tomato sauce.

TIPS: If you can’t quite envision how to fill and fold the ravioli, check out the recipe link below. There’s a great photo that might help clarify the process.

You can make the ravioli a day ahead or even freeze it, if you’d like. If you make it a day ahead, take the parchment-lined baking sheet with the ravioli, cover it in plastic wrap, and store it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to cook. Otherwise, freeze the ravioli on the baking sheet for an hour and transfer the frozen ravioli to a resealable freezer bag. They’ll keep in the freezer for a month, and cooking time is the same as it would be for fresh or refrigerated ravioli.

Recipe link: Goat Cheese “Ravioli” with Parsley Sauce