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Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Ravioli with Basil, Squash Blossoms, and Ricotta

As I said, I made the tri-colored crostinis as part of an Italian dinner, so now we've arrived at the main course - ravioli with basil, squash blossoms, and ricotta. Do any of you do this? My basil plants never seem to survive winter. Trader Joe's sells 1-gallon pots of Italian basil for $2.99. I just keep it on my kitchen counter and clip basil leaves when I need them. Afterward, I just plant the basil outside. My youngest uncle gave me one last batch of squash blossoms and these were decidedly not as fluffy as previous ones so I decided to chop them up. Obviously if you don't have any on hand, you can make simple ravioli with basil and ricotta instead. Ravioli with Basil, Squash Blossoms, and Ricotta For 1 dozen ravioli, you'll need: 1 package of round wonton wrappers 1 cup ricotta cheese 6 or so squash blossoms, chopped finely However many basil leaves you wish, sliced into strips a few dashes of salt For ease, I simply take a pair of kitchen shears and snip small slices of both squash blossoms and basil leaves. Mix into ricotta cheese, add a few dashes of salt. Then lay your wonton wrappers onto a cutting board. With a pastry brush or your finger, moisten the outer edges. Add a spoonful of the ricotta, squash blossom, and basil mixture in the center. Place the other wonton wrapper on top, pressing around the ricotta mound so the outer edges lay flat like so. Boil a pot of water and gently drop in ravioli. Scoop them out when they float to the top. Top with tomato sauce of your choice, and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. Here's a close-up of the squash blossom, basil, and ricotta mixture. Enjoy! We're leaving squash blossoms behind and heading into squash recipe season soon! My squash blossoms recipes: Bong Bi Nhoi Tom Chien (Vietnamese Shrimp-Stuffed Deep-fried Squash Blossoms) Crostinis with Arugula Pesto, Bruschetta al Pomodoro, and Squash Blossom Ricotta Deep-fried Squash Blossoms Deep-fried Squash Blossoms Stuffed with Basil and Cottage Cheese Ravioli with Basil, Squash Blossoms, and Ricotta Sauteed Squash Blossoms Squash Blossom Omelet Squash Blossom and Prosciutto Pizza Squash Blossom Quesadilla

8 comments:

  1. I like your ravioli idea - looks yummy and not hard - a good combination!

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  2. This dish looks pretty good! I do not think that I have ever had squash blossom before. It sounds interesting.

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  3. Nikki,
    Not hard is my motto for cooking anything! ;)

    Kevin,
    Alas, I don't know if you can find them at the markets anymore as squash blossom season is just about over. We're heading into squash season now.

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  4. Oooooo, squash blossom ravioli. The wonton wrapper idea is brilliant. I have thought it would be cool to make my own ravioli, but wasn't sure I wanted to spend all that time. But using the premade wrappers would really reduce the amount of work. Very tasty looking recipe!

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  5. I saw that exact basil plant at Trader's too....they are huge with big leaves...and mine is pretty much dying...hehe. Almost bought it.

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  6. Bri,
    I've thought of making my own ravioli as well, but that's just sooo much work! I'm lazy. :)

    RM,
    You should have! Mine got even bigger and I'm still eating leaves off it!

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  7. Hehe for some reason your ravioli reminds me of sand dollars.

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  8. Jeannie,
    The pictures without the sauce and the ones on the cutting board does look like sand dollars. :)

    ReplyDelete

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