Blue Berrilly Legal Ravioli

 Blueberry Ricotta Fried Ravioli

 It's the eye roll. That gives it away every time. There's that distinct act of taking one's eyes and rolling them toward the back of one's head. It's sometimes accompanied by a slight moan or an "Oh Wow!".

Forget the awards.

Forget the accolades.

 This is the highest compliment that can be paid to a Creator of Dishes.

Why? Because it is an automatic response to external stimuli...a reflex.

You can try to fake it, but why would you?

That leads me to this dish...

It was one of those experiments.

I'm sure it's been done before...

I may have even run across something similar in browsing through endless pages of Pinterest.

I looked at so many, I can't say one way or the other but....

 

It turns out that the finished dish is so good, it probably should be illegal.

The light, crispy "shell" of the ravioli dusted with a hint of powdered sugar, the tender tangy fresh blueberry filling melding with a creamy and barely sweet ricotta.

The eye rolls were evidence.

 Follow it with a response of the autonomic nervous system. The breath becomes shallow. The pupils  dilate. The heartbeat quickens. The face becomes flushed.

The victim becomes momentarily unresponsive while seemingly enjoying each and every bite.

Then there are the compliments received. They could be considered hear-say but they occurred where there had been none before. This may also be used as evidence.

The second helpings were a promising clue.

 And then, the ravioli went missing.

There wasn't even a tell-tale trail of powdered sugar.

These were becoming quite the commodity in the streets.

They may have some culinary value.

Perhaps I should make another batch of "the goods" just to be sure.

(That is while they are still sinfully legal.)

 

 

 

 

 Blueberry Ricotta Ravioli

makes 25 ravioli

The Blueberry Filling

8 oz Fresh Blueberries

1-2 Tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice

1-2 Tbsp Sugar

1 Tbsp Cornstarch

1/4 Cup Water

Heat a saucepan on medium with the blueberries, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and water. Simmer until the sugar dissolves and the berries just start to burst. (approximately 8-10 minutes.) Taste and adjust sugar or lemon juice. The goal is for a tangy and not overly sweet berry sauce. When the sauce is ready and the taste makes you smile, add a ladle-full of the blueberry sauce to your cornstarch. Then, add the cornstarch back to the saucepan. Let come to a simmer once more and turn off the heat. Let thicken.

 

The Ravioli

1 cup Ricotta

A drizzle of honey

1 Cup Fresh Blueberry Sauce (above)

1 pkg Won ton Wrappers (50 pk)

Vegetable Oil, Vegetable Shortening or Peanut Oil (your choice of frying oil) for frying up the ravioli

Powdered Sugar for dusting

 

 

The Ricotta

The above "ricotta" is a link to Smitten Kitchen's homemade ricotta. It's excellent for tarts, with fruit, on baguettes and in this case, blueberry ravioli. It's the recipe I use when I don't need a significant amount (such as my lasagna; but I have thought about it. I'm sure that wouldn't take much longer.)

I used 1 cup half and half instead of whole cream but other than that her recipe remains unchanged.

If you use homemade ricotta, your ravioli will thank you for it.

If you are pressed for time or would just rather use store bought, it will still be good.

Either way, drain your ricotta by placing some cheesecloth in a strainer or colander over a bowl and let excess liquid drain.

Drizzle the slightest amount of honey (maybe 1/2 tsp, if that) over it and mix.

 

Line up your won tons.

Place 1 tsp of the ricotta mixture in the middle of each one.
Place 1 tsp of the blueberry sauce on top of that.

Dip a pastry brush in water and lightly brush from edge to edge around the entire border the won ton.

Place an unused won ton on top and seal the edges, pressing them together firmly, careful not to squeeze the filling.

Place about 1  -  1  1/2 inches of oil in a heavy cast iron skillet, heavy pot or deep fryer and heat over medium to about 350 degrees. It's ready when a drop of water makes the oil start to gurgle and sizzle.

Carefully place won tons in heated oil, turning once or twice until they are crispy and brown. Work in batches. (I used a smaller 8" cast iron skillet to conserve on oil and fried mine 3 at a time.)
It only takes a minute. They fry very quickly so no answering the phone or taking breaks for this.
Remove won tons from the oil and place on paper towels to absorb any excess grease.
Dust each one front and back with powdered sugar.

Serve while warm with some ice cream. Eat them alone. Have them for breakfast with some coffee.

Take them with you fishing or on a picnic or to the beach.

If you should so happen to have any left, they store well in the refrigerator in a brown paper lunch bag.

They'll keep for about 2 days, losing some of the crispiness each day.

Somehow, I don't think storing them will be a problem though..

So until next time, my friends...stay blueberrilly  legal and keep exercising that autonomic nervous system.

 

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