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
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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

Rabbit Stew

I am a reformed vegetarian, a former veggie, a girl who used to not really eat meat.  What ever you want to call it.  I used to avoid meat, but now I don't.  Don't get me wrong, I do not seek it out, but I do not pass up something on a menu just because it has meat in it any more.

A few years ago my husband got a job as a butcher.  He jokes that I almost had him converted to vegetarianism, but the job saved him!  We just weren't eating much meat at the time.  I did not have a draw to eat meat and he did not like to touch it (raw).  So once in a while I put chicken in the stir-fry.  Exciting, right?

With the new job came exciting new things to try.  Among the most adventurous: frog legs and alligator.  Most recently: rabbit.  We made pan fried rabbit and rabbit stew.  I actually took pictures of the stew, so here is the stew story.

It was good.
I guess you will want to know more than that though, huh?

My husband left the stew choice up to me since soup type food is not his thing.  I looked up recipes on line (foodnetwork.com mostly) in search of a thick, flavorful stew.  I found one with a roux base and wild mushrooms, mmmm.  It seemed to fit the bill.  I adapted the recipe a bit since I forgot to get port and I only had about half as much meat as was called for. I do not know how Emeril's version tasted, but I know mine was good!

It might sound funny, but I was most excited about the mushrooms.  I got oyster and shiitake mushrooms. The oyster mushrooms looked a little different than I remember.  They came from Kroger, who knows.  The shiitake was pretty.  It was so smooth, it cut like butter almost.

The rabbit looks like it has a lot of skin or fat on it, but when it is hot you would never know.

The meat is surprisingly red, especially considering how much it resembles chicken after it's cooked.

The spice of life!  The meat is seasoned and pan seared, but there is plenty more seasoning in the stew!

All the mushrooms, onions, rabbit and spice simmer away for a half an hour, and we can't forget the bay leaf. The bay leaf made the whole house smell amazing for almost an entire day!

I actually did follow the recipe for the cracked pepper biscuits.  In my opinion, they were a bit strong on the baking soda flavor, but otherwise good.  Use freshly ground black pepper though.  I promise it's better.

The taste of the biscuits is a good combination with the rich stew.  Throw a double cream stout in the mix and you have the makings for a pretty tasty dinner!

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Rabbit Stew

Adapted from Emeril 

4 pieces of rabbit (about 1 1/2 lb)

creole seasoning
2-3 Tbs flour
1 medium onion chopped
wild mushrooms
     ~2 hand fulls oyster
     ~1 4in shiitake
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 oz ham, finely chopped (use tasso if you can find it)
1/2 cup red wine
1 bay leaf
1 cup chicken stock

Heat a few tablespoons oil in in a heavy skillet.  Season rabbit with creole seasoning (I made Emeril's Essence which is what the original recipe called for.  It is just creole seasoning basically.)  Brown evenly on each side, about 3 minutes.  Transfer to a platter (or the cutting board next to the stove as the evidence in the very first picture shows) and set aside.

Add flour to the skillet stirring constantly.  Make a medium brown roux.

Add onions, mushrooms, salt, cayenne, and black pepper stirring constantly for about 3 minutes.  Add ham (or tasso) and continue stirring for 2 minutes.  Return the rabbit to the pan, add the wine and bay leaf.  Cook 2 minutes.  Add the chicken stock, bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium and cook* 30-35 minutes, or until rabbit is tender.  Turn rabbit every 10 minutes or so to prevent it from drying out.
  *the recipe says uncovered, but I put a lid on mine at this point.  I think my roux was thicker than it should have been, making the whole dish rather thick. Use your own judgment as to covering or not.

The Essence and Black Pepper biscuits can be found here, along with the original stew recipe.