Bite size and loaded with a smoky cheese filling, fried ravioli with ricotta, mushrooms and Provola cheese make for a great snack for a party or an aperitivo with friends.
These can easily be customized according to what you have, but the combination of smoked Provola with earthy mushrooms is guaranteed to be a hit with everyone.
Find out how to make fried ravioli – all you need to add is a round of the Sweety mocktail to become the perfect host, or guest!
Crunchy, fried ravioli are a popular treat served as an antipasto or in an aperitivo setting across Italy. It is difficult to pinpoint the exact origins of ravioli – almost every region of Italy has their version of ravioli that is filled with a range of local produce, meats and cheese, covered in different sauces, fried or dunked in soups and broths. Perhaps this is what makes them so widely eaten both in Italy and abroad – ravioli is a pasta that can be adapted to anyone’s personal taste!
Ravioli, when fried or toasted crisp in the oven, transforms from being a fork and knife affair into an easy bite size snack that can be served in any social setting. Here we propose two ways to prepare fried ravioli – in a classic pan with oil, or crumbed and baked golden in the oven.
The filling is made of cooked mushrooms and a mix of fresh ricotta, smoked Provola cheese and Parmigiano, but you can substitute these for whatever combination you like – mozzarella with prosciutto, spinach with ricotta, bitter greens with anchovies and capers are also a few ideas to try out.
PAN FRIED RAVIOLI
1. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil on a pan and cook the mushrooms, until the juices have evaporated. Set aside to cool.
2. Combine the ricotta, marjoram, Parmigiano, Provola cheese and a pinch of fresh black pepper in a bowl. Add the mushrooms and mix.
3. On a well floured surface, divide the pasta into two sheets. Place the filling, in amounts about the size of a walnut, on one pasta sheet, leaving 3-4 cm of space in between each mound of filling.
4. Wet the borders of each ravioli slightly using your fingers then cover with the other sheet of pasta. Seal the gaps between each ravioli by pressing down with your fingers before cutting through.
5. If frying: Heat the frying oil in a deep pan and add the fresh ravioli, fry until golden on both sides. Work in batches and drain on paper towels.
OVEN TOASTED RAVIOLI
Follow the instructions for Pan Fried Ravioli for step 1 through to 4.
6. Heat oven to 200°C. Line a large baking pan with foil and place a wire rack over the foil. Beat egg in a small bowl. Mix bread crumbs and cheese.
7. Dip each ravioli in the egg then the breadcrumb mixture, pressing the crumbs lightly to adhere. Place on the rack and bake for 15-20 minutes until crisp and golden.
In St. Louis, Missouri, there is an Italian-American version of fried ravioli that is seen on the menus of many local restaurants. Toasted or fried ravioli in St. Louis are made with a meat filling and served with a side of marinara sauce for dipping. A kitchen accident that soon took on a life of its own? Or a variation of the sweet fried ravioli from Sicily?
A number of stories exist on how the St. Louis fried ravioli came about, one of them being on how a chef of a local restaurant accidentally dropped the ravioli in the fryer. Whichever way it may have occurred it was no doubt a delicious accident, and is now considered to be part of the local St. Louis cuisine.
