Quick Chicken, Pesto and Ricotta Ravioli with Basil Butter

 

Sent from the gods of convenience, wonton wrappers are great and really affordable- about $3.50 for 100 of them!

I love to cook but I also love it when cooking isn't hard. I should be able to drink too much red wine when I am preparing a meal for friends. That is why I love this recipe. This is a great one to pull out if you are having people for a dinner party because it is really, really easy. Wonton wrappers are awesome for heaps of things- cheating at making Italian food is one of them. You can vary the fillings but this classic combo is my favourite.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 c smoked chicken
• 1/2 c basil pesto
• 1/4 c ricotta
• zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
• salt and pepper
• 50 wonton wrappers (the steaming kind)
• Parmesan to grate
• 6 Tblsp butter
• 1/2 c fresh basil leaves (about 15-20)

METHOD:

In a food processor, pulse the chicken until it is chunky mush, then add pesto, ricotta and lemon zest. Pulse together until you have a nice chunky mixture. Add lemon juice and season to taste.

On a floured surface, lay 25 wonton wrappers out and put about one heaped teaspoon of chicken mixture in the centre of each wrapper. Brush the edges of the wrappers with water using a pastry brush. Take one of your remaining 25 wrappers and place over the filling and stick together to make a parcel, ensure you remove any trapped air by working your way around the filling to seal the two wrappers together (taking out the air means they don't explode and split when you cook them). Repeat for all 25. Use a cookie cutter to cut out a perfect circle. Set aside on a floured surface and cover with a damp cloth so they don't dry out.

Fill a large saucepan with water (about 2-3 Litres), add salt and bring to the boil. Once the water is boiling, add the ravioli and give the water a stir (stir carefully, this will stop them sticking together or to the pot). Cook for 2-3 minutes. They will float to the top once they are cooked. Remove from the pan and drain using a slotted spoon or egg drainer.

To make the basil butter, melt the butter in a small saucepan over a medium heat until it goes golden, then add the fresh basil leaves and toss them in the butter. Remove from heat.

Divide the ravioli between bowls (5-7 pieces each) and spoon the basil butter over the top. Grate the parmesan over the top and season with fresh ground black pepper.

Bloody hell that's good!!
xxA

TIPS:

• These are great to freeze, I always have a stock for an easy tea when the farmer is away. All you do to freeze them is lay them (uncooked) on a baking tray and put the tray into the freezer. Once they are frozen take them off the tray and put them into snaplock bags. When cooking from frozen just add a couple of minutes to the cooking time.
• Spinach, pinenuts and ricotta is nice vegetarian version of these

If you fold the wraps this way you only use one wrapper per parcel. You put the filling in the centre and fold into a triangle. Then fold the corners together. These are then called Capalletti, which means 'little hats' in Italian.