Nutella Ravioli

As most of you know today is one of the biggest days of the year. A day where people get together to celebrate a national past time... eating Nutella. Happy Word Nutella Day. I bet you thought I was going to say something about a football game that is happening today.

I normally don't make desserts, but with Valentines Day coming up and Nutella Day I decided to rerun this recipe. One of the few desserts I have ever made up.

Nutella Ravioli

5 oz frozen raspberries
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp cornstarch
2 tbs Nutella
2 tbs plain low fat yogurt
3 egg roll wrappers, cut in 1/2 (you could use wontons, but they maybe smaller so you may want to leave whole)
1 egg
1 tsp water
Fresh raspberries for garnish
powdered sugar for garnish

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a small pan put the frozen raspberries, sugar and cornstarch. Over medium heat warm the berries and smash them with a spoon. this will create a juice. When the juice starts to boil it will thicken because of the cornstarch. Pour it through a sieve to strain the seeds out. Use this is used to dribble on the plate as a garnish. Set this aside to cool.

In a small bowl mix the Nutella and the yogurt. Make sure it is completely mixed as you want it to taste like Nutella not yogurt with Nutella in spots. Set this aside.

Take the egg and crack it in a small bowl. Add the water and mix together.

Take the 1/2 sheet of egg roll wrapper and on 1/2 of that put 1 to 1 1/2 tsp of the Nutella mixture. Then take the the egg wash and spread around the Nutella. Now fold the other half of the wrapper over the Nutella and seal. Start by pressing close to the Nutella and work outwards to get rid of air pockets. Then take a fork and press down on the edges creating a patterned edge that will seal the Nutella in. After you have made all six of these place on a cookie sheet and place in oven. Bake until wrapper starts to brown, about 8 minutes. Note the egg roll wrappers get crispy, next time I am going to try a different type of wrap to see if I can get one that is not so crisp.

Arrange on a plate and sprinkle with powdered sugar, raspberry sauce and raspberries.

Ravioli on a Bed of Spinach

I saw a recipe for Ravioli Florentine somewhere a while back and it has been rattling around in my brain every since. Now my head is pretty empty so when something is rattling around I have have to do something about it. I had my plan all formulated, when my wife decided to make cookies. This kept me out of the kitchen for the next hour. Now I had to come up with some short cuts to get dinner on the table on time, because the person who was hogging the kitchen was now hungry. I won't mention any names though, but my wife knows who she is. I know a lady that makes and sells pastas including raviolis, so usually keep some in the freezer. I used frozen for this, but feel free to use home made.

Ravioli on a Bed of Spinach (Ravioli Florentine)
Sauce
1 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 5 oz can evaporated milk
1/8 tsp grated nutmeg

Spinach
10 oz spinach, I used frozen and let it thaw in the pan
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes
2 oz mushrooms, sliced
2 tsp olive oil

Ravioli
1 package of frozen or your own home made ravioli

Put a pot of water on to boil, for the ravioli.

Combine all of the sauce ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth.

Put the oil in a pan and heat over medium heat. Add the tomato and mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms start getting color, then add the spinach. When the spinach is cooked, keep warm until ready to plate. If you like you can add some of the sauce to the spinach.

While the spinach is cooking add the ravioli and cook until it is done.

Plate the spinach, drizzle with some sauce. Add the ravioli and drizzle a little more sauce over the ravioli.



The reason I made this recipe.

Nutella Ravioli

Sorry about my absence from posting lately, life sometimes changes our plans for us. But I am back and I hope you like the results, I know my wife and I did.

I normally don't make desserts, but decided for Valentines I needed to create a somewhat healthy dessert that Annette and I would both eat. Raspberries and chocolate are a must. Then I notice the unopened jar of Nutella in the pantry and the wheels in my head started spinning. Here is the result:

Nutella Ravioli

5 oz frozen raspberries
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp cornstarch
2 tbs Nutella
2 tbs plain low fat yogurt
3 egg roll wrappers, cut in 1/2 (you could use wontons, but they maybe smaller so you may want to leave whole)
1 egg
1 tsp water
Fresh raspberries for garnish
powdered sugar for garnish

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a small pan put the frozen raspberries, sugar and cornstarch. Over medium heat warm the berries and smash them with a spoon. this will create a juice. When the juice starts to boil it will thicken because of the cornstarch. Pour it through a sieve to strain the seeds out. Use this is used to dribble on the plate as a garnish. Set this aside to cool.

In a small bowl mix the Nutella and the yogurt. Make sure it is completely mixed as you want it to taste like Nutella not yogurt with Nutella in spots. Set this aside.

Take the egg and crack it in a small bowl. Add the water and mix together.

Take the 1/2 sheet of egg roll wrapper and on 1/2 of that put 1 to 1 1/2 tsp of the Nutella mixture. Then take the the egg wash and spread around the Nutella. Now fold the other half of the wrapper over the Nutella and seal. Start by pressing close to the Nutella and work outwards to get rid of air pockets. Then take a fork and press down on the edges creating a patterned edge that will seal the Nutella in. After you have made all six of these place on a cookie sheet and place in oven. Bake until wrapper starts to brown, about 8 minutes. Note the egg roll wrappers get crispy, next time I am going to try a different type of wrap to see if I can get one that is not so crisp.

Arrange on a plate and sprinkle with powdered sugar, raspberry sauce and raspberries.

Lobster Ravioli with Champagne Sauce

For New Years Eve my wife wanted lobster tails and scallops. The local grocery had a good deal on small lobster tails, so I bought 3 of them. Turns out that my daughter wasn't going to be home. What do you do with an extra lobster tail. I turned it into a ravioli stuffing, worthy of the celebrating the New Year. The Sauce is loosely based on a recipe by Pam Anderson's, no not the one from Bay Watch, The Perfect Recipe for Losing Weight & Eating Great. This recipe will serve 4 people.

Lobster Ravioli with Champagne Sauce


For the Ravioli:
4 oz Lobster Tail, cooked & cut into small pieces
4 Shrimp, cooked & cut into small pieces
1/4 c Ricotta Cheese
1 chive, cut into small pieces
1/2 tsp dried herbs, I used basil and parsley
6 egg roll wrappers, cut in 1/2 this will make 12 ravioli
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp water

For the Sauce:
1/4 Cup chicken broth
1/4 Cup Champagne
1/2 Cup 2% Evaporated Milk
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 tbs butter
1 1/2 tbs all purpose flour
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
3/4 -1 tsp dried herbs, I used Parsley, Basil & Oregano
Water from the Ravioli

To Make the Ravioli:
Mix first 5 Ravioli ingredients together and let flavors meld for 15 minutes. Crack egg in small bowl, add water and whisk. Then take 1/2 of egg roll sheet (mine were 6 x 6 inches, so I had 3x3 inch raviolis) and spread outer edge of 1 side with egg wash. Put about 1 tsp - 1 1/2 tsp of mixture in center of ravioli and fold top 1/2 over that. Press edges tightly together until they are sealed. You should start pressing at the center and work your way out toward the edge forcing any air pockets out of the ravioli. The biggest mistake people make when doing this is putting to much mixture in the center, so they don't get a good seal and then the mixture will leak out or rip. Add ravioli to a large pot of boiling water that is well salted. When the ravioli float to the top they are done, about 5 minutes.

To Make the Sauce:
In a large bowl mix first 4 ingredients. Put in microwave on high for 3 to 4 minutes, until steamy but not full boil. Set aside and let this cool a little. In a high sided pot or pan add butter, when it melts add the flour and whisk until butter is absorbed. Add the liquids and constantly whisk until sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Add the Parmesan and herbs and some salt and pepper. Let simmer for 2 or 3 minutes. If this is to thick add some pasta water to thin, add just a little at a time until it is at desired thickness. You will probably want it a little thinner then in the pictures here, sometimes you get interrupted while cooking and the sauce thickens back up. :-) But it was still delicious.