Got to visit Boston for the first time this past week. I was there for a conference and didn’t get to see a lot of the city, but I did walk a fair bit around the Back Bay area where the conference was. It was beautiful and I can’t wait to go back. I also got to have my first modernist, molecular gastronoy-esque meal at L’Espalier. The dinner was incredible–you can check out my pics here. And it was definitely an experience.
However, after a whole week of eating out, I was really ready to come home and cook something. I also wanted something really simple. It’s just me this weekend–Josh is in Vegas for his own conference (I know, right?)–so I figured I’d make myself something low-key.
Normally, making ravioli is a little bit of a production, but for general ease, I like to use wonton wrappers. They don’t produce exactly the same texture, but they’re good and fun nonetheless–plus, one less series of steps to take. Here, I just wanted to showcase the basil fresh out of my garden with a little bit of creamy cheese and some olive oil. I also wanted to use up the rest of the frozen peas sitting in my freezer, so I made another batch of delicious green pea-mint sauce. That plus some diced, crispy ham made for a light, lovely repast.
Ingredients
- 6 wonton raviolis
- 6 teaspoons mascarpone cheese
- 6 small basil leaves
- salt & pepper
- grated parmesan cheese for sprinkling
- 2 tbsp olive oil in a small bowl
- 2 tbsp water in small bowl
- 2 oz ham, chopped
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- 1 tbsp butter
Instructions
- Prepare a pot of gently simmering water.
- Lay out a wonton wrapper. Brush it with some of the olive oil. Place about a teaspoon of mascarpone cheese in the center and top it with a small basil leaf. Sprinkle on a little bit of salt and pepper and grated parmesan.
- Dip your brush into the water and brush around the edges of the wrapper. Then fold the bottom corner up to the opposite corner, creating a triangle, carefully smoothing the edges of the wrapper together into a tight seal.
- Repeat for each additional wonton wrapper.
- Gently lower the ravioli into the pot of simmering (not boiling!) water and cook for about 2-3 minutes. Remove and let dry on a paper towel.
- Heat up the canola oil and butter in a medium-sized frying pan. Add in the diced ham and fry until crispy, then add in the ravioli and (gently again) fry until crisp and browned on each side.
- Serve the ham and wonton ravioli with a healthy drizzle of green pea-mint sauce, or even just a bit of olive oil or browned butter.