Fried Sweet Potato Ravioli

I’ve always been a fan of Martha Stewart and all things Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia-related. I sometimes say that Martha taught me how to cook. I was reading Living magazine, watching the Martha Stewart show (an early version), and reading her books when I first started getting addicted to cooking and learning new things about food. And, I get that she’s not everyone’s cup of tea. The endless jokes about her perfectionism never fail to amuse, but that’s actually what I’ve always loved about her. She’s explained before that first and foremost, she’s a teacher. She wants to present precise information and best practices for everything she demonstrates, and I appreciate that. So, I like Martha, classic Martha. In recent years, Living magazine has become simplified in comparison to early issues. Recipes have become mostly of the “quick” and “easy” variety, and the information has been pared down. I miss the in-depth nature of the old issues, and when I look back at pages I’ve clipped and filed over the years, the old ones still grab my attention. In 1999, I was delighted to bring home a copy of Martha Stewart's Hors d'Oeuvres Handbook which at the time was a recreation of the book Martha Stewart’s Hors D’Oeuvres from 15 years earlier. The 1999 version is a beauty with a section of color photos for all the recipes before the recipes themselves. Some items are easier to make than others, but everything is beautifully presented and made special. Now, a brand new book has been created. It’s Martha Stewart's Appetizers, and I received a review copy. Did you notice the change in title? It became simpler. The whole book is simpler with fewer sections and a more straightforward layout. There aren’t nearly as many fussy, little, perfectly cut-out shapes as seen in the previous book. But, it’s still from the Martha team. Everything looks delicious and pretty, and every single appetizer in the book had me imagining when and how I might serve it. 

This book has everything from Pigs in Blankets to Blini with Creme Fraiche and Caviar. There’s even a whole section for cocktails. I fell for the Pureed Soups because of the photo. Little cups of different types of soup are lined up in a rainbow of colors with beet soup next to butternut squash soup right by spinach-pea soup and so on. And, there are suggested garnishes like herbed croutons and roasted pepitas to serve with the soups. The mini quiches are adorable as are the Croque-Monsieur Bites. And, the Tostones with Crab Salad are at the top of my to-try list. There’s even an old-school Hot Artichoke Dip and a Hot-Crab and Pimento-Cheese Spread. Because I had a few local sweet potatoes sitting on my kitchen counter, I decided to dive in to Fried Sweet Potato Ravioli first. Baked sweet potatoes were cooled, and then the flesh was spooned into a food processor and pureed with heavy cream, grated parmesan, and salt and pepper. Wonton wrappers were each filled with two teaspoons of the sweet potato puree, and the edges were brushed with egg wash. The wrappers were folded over into triangles, and the edges were sealed. Working in batches, the filled wontons were fried a few at a time for about two minutes per side. The fried ravioli were served with sour cream topped with chopped chives. 

Yes, this new book is simpler, and I chose a pretty simple recipe to make from it, but I loved them both. The streamlined approach hasn’t lost me, but I enjoyed the more complex style too. These crispy ravioli dipped in the cold sour cream were delightful. I have some leftovers in the freezer that can be warmed and re-crisped in the oven some other day. Now, I need to plan a party or two and make several more things from the new book.  

Fried Sweet-Potato Ravioli 
Recipe reprinted from Martha Stewart's Appetizers. Copyright ©2015 by Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. Photos by David Malosh. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.
 
makes 38 

Using wonton wrappers instead of pasta dough eases the preparation of this savory starter, and results in a crisp, light crust. The ravioli are also a great make-ahead option; reheat in the oven when ready to serve, as a toasty prelude to a cold- weather meal. 

3 sweet potatoes, scrubbed 
1/4 cup heavy cream 
1/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese 
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper 
38 square wonton wrappers 
1 large egg whisked with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash 
Safflower oil, for frying 
Sour cream and snipped fresh chives, for serving 

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Prick sweet potatoes all over with a fork. Roast on a rimmed baking sheet until tender, about 1 hour. When cool enough to handle, scoop out flesh and transfer to a food processor. Pulse with heavy cream and cheese until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. 
 2. Working with one wonton wrapper at a time, place 2 teaspoons sweet potato filling in center of square. Lightly brush edges of wrapper with egg wash. Lightly press edges to seal. Using a small knife, make small decorative cuts along edges, if desired. Transfer ravioli to a parchment- lined baking sheet and cover with a kitchen towel. 
3. Heat 2 inches oil in a heavy- bottomed pot over medium- high until 350°F on a deep- fry thermometer. Line a wire rack with paper towels. Working in batches, cook ravioli until golden on the bottom, 1 to 2 minutes; flip and cook until other side is golden, 1 to 2 minutes more. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to lined rack to drain. Return oil to 350°F between batches. Serve immediately with sour cream topped with chives. 

MAKE AHEAD Arrange cooked and cooled ravioli in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Freeze until firm. Transfer to a resealable plastic bag and freeze up to 3 months. Reheat on a parchment- lined baking sheet (do not thaw) in a 375°F oven, about 10 minutes. 

NOTE To keep them warm while you finish frying batches, place ravioli on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a 225°F oven.

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Lemon and Goat's Cheese Ravioli

I remember the day Wednesday June 2, 2010 like it was yesterday. Ok, that might be stretching the truth, but I do remember the day the video of Yotam Ottolenghi making this ravioli was posted on the The Guardian site. I just looked it up, and that day was June 2, 2010. I remember watching that video and thinking that I couldn't wait to make this. It was a few months later when I acquired a copy of the book Plenty, where the recipe also appears, and then I couldn't wait to make everything else in the book too. In the video, Ottolenghi calls the ravioli "little sunshines on the plate." And, they are. The lemony pasta with zest mixed into the dough, the fresh and tangy goat cheese filling, and the pop of pink and mildly spicy flavor from the peppercorns make the ravioli bright and springy. As I always say, making fresh pasta is one of my favorite kitchen tasks, and this time was no different.

Since making pasta is one of my favorite things, of course, I have my preferred way of doing it. I never used a food processor, and I never make a well out of a pile of flour on a work surface. I put the flour in a bowl, make a hole in the center, add the eggs, and mix with a fork. That way, I don't have egg running all over my counter, but I can feel the dough and decide if it needs more flour or not. For this pasta, the dry ingredients included flour, a little turmeric for added yellow in the dough, and lemon zest. Three whole eggs were added with three tablespoons of olive oil. The dough came together nicely, and it was divided into four pieces, each piece was flattened into a disk, wrapped in plastic wrap, and chilled for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, the filling was made by mixing together soft goat cheese, some sea salt, crushed red chile flakes, and black pepper. After the pasta dough had rested, one piece at a time was passed through a pasta machine several times while setting the rollers closer together after each pass. To streamline the process of filling and cutting the ravioli, I left half of each long piece of pasta dough intact. That half was brushed with egg wash and topped with dollops of goat cheese filling. The other half of each sheet was cut into circles about three inches wide. The circles were set over each dollop of filling, and then the cutter was used to separate each piece. Once cut, the edges of each were pinched to seal. You can cook the ravioli right away or cover and refrigerate them overnight. After boiling for a brief couple of minutes and draining, the ravioli were topped with crushed pink peppercorns, chopped parsley rather than tarragon in my case, more lemon zest and lemon juice, and some olive oil.

Each part of this dish is simple but just right. Pasta is plain by nature, but here it gets a boost from lemon zest. The filling was just a few ingredients added to goat cheese, and the toppings couldn't have been easier to add to each plate. But, all those simple parts resulted in something as fabulous as I knew it would be when I first saw the video.

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Beet Ravioli with Ricotta and Goat Cheese

I've made fresh pasta a few times in the past, but I had never made a version with a vegetable incorporated into the dough. The fresh beet pasta dough and ravioli appeared in Living magazine in May of last year, and yesterday, I decided I was up for the challenge. I can't imagine making carrot, red pepper, spinach, and beet pasta all at once as Martha did, but making just one is doable.

First, a note about the ricotta: The last time I needed a good, fresh ricotta, I was a little lazy and didn't plan ahead. This time, I thought to stop by Mandola's Italian Market which is only a few blocks from home. They no longer make fresh ricotta daily, but they will make it for you with 24 hours notice. I picked it up on Sunday morning, and it had just been made and was still warm. The chef screwed up and packed two pounds instead of one, so I was given an extra pound of fresh ricotta because it was my lucky day. Our Sunday breakfast included a treat of some still warm, very fresh ricotta on multi-grain bread, and after making the ravioli, there’s still some left for another use.

For the pasta dough, I roasted some beets, peeled them, and pureed them with eggs and flour to form the dough. When it came together in the food processor, I turned the pretty, purple play-doh out onto a board and kneaded it with more flour. I wrapped it and let it rest for awhile. Then, I clamped down my pasta machine, and divided the dough. As I started the best part of pasta making which is cranking the dough through the machine, I realized there was a problem. I immediately had a sticky, purple mess all over the rollers and every surface of the machine. The machine was unclamped, wiped down, put back in the box, and I rolled by hand. I ended up dusting with a lot of flour to roll the dough with a pin, and it took a little extra time, but it worked.

The filling included the very fresh ricotta, goat cheese, chives, and parsley. I opted to omit the mint. The pasta sheets were topped with dollops of filling, folded to enclose, and cut to shape. The ravioli were quickly boiled, drizzled with browned butter, and topped with some chopped chives, basil, and parsley. I have to admit, I was so taken with the color, I wasn't thinking too much about how it would taste. The look of the stuffed ravioli made me forgive the dough for being sticky and obstinate, and somehow, my brain was stuck in visual mode. I was so happy with how it looked, I had placed the ravioli on a plate before even having a taste.

When I realized my slip, feeling kind of stupid, I had a bite and discovered, oh yeah, this tastes great too. I kind of knew it would be good, but that first bite took me by surprise because it was even better than I imagined. The chives and parsley in the cheese mixture did their appropriate herbal thing, and of course the cheeses were excellent. And, browned butter never hurts. With the cheese filling, butter, and herbs, the beet flavor of the pasta was barely noticeable. But, when tasting a bit of pasta with no cheese, a subtle beet earthiness was there. It was definitely worth the trouble because the ravioli were even more delicious than they were pretty.

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Winter's End Pumpkin Ravioli with Gorgonzola, Sage, and Hazelnuts

On the last day of winter, it seemed like a good time to finish off the pumpkin ravioli that I had made weeks ago and left in the freezer. Back when winter started, I roasted a big, blue pumpkin that had the brightest orange flesh, puréed it, and put it to a couple of different uses. One of those uses was pumpkin-cinnamon rolls which are a big favorite of Kurt’s and mine. Obviously, the pumpkin was also used for ravioli, and some of it remains in a tub in the freezer. The filling for the pumpkin ravioli included puréed pumpkin, a scant amount of toasted bread crumbs, an egg, shredded parmigiana reggiano, and a few scrapes of nutmeg on the microplane. I made a standard pasta dough with flour and eggs, and mixed it in a food processor rather than by hand. (My pasta-making education came from Marcella Hazan via her excellent book Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, but I took the liberty of using the food processor to speed things up a bit.) I rolled out the pasta into sheets with a hand-cranked Imperia machine, and plopped the filling by the teaspoonful along the length of the sheets. Then, folded the sheets in half lengthwise over the filling and cut the ravioli with a fluted pastry wheel. The fresh pasta was boiled briefly and topped with browned butter, fried sage leaves, and a few curls of shaved parmigiana reggiano and was delectable. Kurt and I agreed that is our preferred way to prepare pumpkin ravioli, but it is very rich. It makes a great first course or primo. The remaining ravioli went into the freezer, and we enjoyed the browned butter and sage topping again a few weeks later. Last night, to use the rest of the ravioli before Spring arrived and made pumpkin seem out of place for dinner, I tried serving them with a gorgonzola sauce. I made a béchamel with finely chopped sage and melted gorgonzola and parmigiana reggiano into it. The ravioli were topped with the sauce and sprinkled with chopped hazelnuts and a little more parmigiana. This version of the ravioli was also delicious, and freezing the ravioli works fine, but nothing can beat the taste and texture of fresh pasta on the day it's made.

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