Mushroom and Feta Ravioli

I was looking at the things marked down in the pre-packed stuff in the produce department.  You know, the veggies that are already cut for stir-fry, mushrooms, stuffed mushrooms, wanton wraps...wait, those are in produce?  Ok.  I guess it's no more strange than the fact that the tofu "meat" is just to the right of the stuffed mushrooms.  I guess this is the West side grocery we are talking about here, people out there mostly eat potatoes and pre-packed meat, so I guess the rest of the food falls under the category of "that weird stuff those hippy-types eat."  Yes, I am stereo typing.  Though I did work on that side of town for over a year, and there is some truth to all this.

So I got a wild hair and got a package of wanton wraps.  I had planned on making Joy the Baker's Green Pea Pesto Ravioli.  Days later, when I finally had a good time to make these yummy looking envelopes I realized I did not have enough peas!

um, ok, plan B.

Mushrooms.  They were begging to be eaten.  Throw in a little feta, ricotta, parmesan, oregano, salt and pepper.  I guess that will have to suffice. oh, wait, I mean "that sounds really yummy, too!"

Wrap them up and an hour later they are ready to cook!  Yes, filling and wrapping these little gems takes some time.

On the up side, we got 3 meals (6 servings total) out of the deal.

The first dinner was a fun experiment.  I turned the oven on and placed these little guys on a greased cookie sheet, then brushed them with some oil and baked 'em up until they were crisp and golden.  Since feta and ricotta do not really melt, there was not much issue with the filling running.  Also, I sauteed the mushrooms before mixing with the cheese for the watery reason, and to bring out the nice nutty mushroom flavor.

In the picture above I attempted a creamy tomato sauce.  I put some tomato paste in a skillet with some cream and whisked it up.  When realized there were little red spots in it I realized it may not have been tomato paste but enchilada sauce instead.  I tasted it and my found I was right.  Guess that's what I get for not labeling things in the fridge!  I went with it, and some how it tasted ok together.  Maybe because the ravioli was baked rather than boiled.  Who knows.

The ravioli we did not eat that night was placed in the freezer, not touching, in a zipper bag.  It made it really easy to pop a dozen into a pot of boiling water.  Just wait a few minutes for them to float (occasionally giving the water a gentle stir so the ravioli don't stick) and then remove from the water.

I used a can of diced tomatoes and added sauteed onion and dried basil and salt to make a sauce.  The tomatoes were bigger chunks than I wanted, so I used a potato masher until they were more reasonable.  This also thickened the sauce a bit...though as you can tell, it was still pretty liquid-y.  Top with freshly grated parm and, well, yum.

Freshly grated Parmesan makes anything seem more fancy.  It just kicks things up a notch!  Plus, buying a block of cheese is much cheaper by the ounce than buying the shredded stuff.

There were a few extra shells once the filling was used up.  I added a sprinkle of cocoa powder and a sprinkle of cinnamon to a few tablespoons of cream cheese.  A splash of vanilla and cream.

Folded it up in the remaining shells and baked, and drizzled a quick powdered sugar glaze over the top just before eating.

They tasted good, but most of the filling oozed out of the shells leaving pillows of air.  The one in the middle of the picture was folded up more like a crab Rangoon with the opening on top keeping the filling inside.  Lessons.  In school or not, we learn some every day!

~JiMele
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mushroom and Feta Ravioli
(amounts are guest-imates, I just kinda mixed things in until I liked the consistency)
1 package wonton wraps
1 package mushrooms
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup ricotta
2"x2" cube feta, crumbled
dash of salt (just to taste, the feta adds salt, too)

Chop and saute the mushrooms until the juice has stopped running.  Toss in a bowl with cheese and garlic.  I added a tablespoon or so of fresh cilantro just because I had it in the fridge.  Place about a teaspoon in each wrapper and seal edges with a tiny bit of water.

The ravioli can now be fried, brushed with oil and baked in a 400F oven until golden, or boiled.  You pick!
Enjoy


Linking up with 33 Shades of Green Tasty Tuesday, check out her banana blueberry pancakes