Charlie Gittos Toasted Ravioli Recipes

TOASTED RAVIOLI

Steps:

• Heat 4 inches of oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350 degrees F.
• Set up a breading station with the eggs, flour and breadcrumbs in separate shallow bowls. Season the breadcrumbs with salt and pepper. Working one at a time, dip the frozen ravioli into the egg mixture, then into the flour, back into the egg mixture and finally into the breadcrumbs. Set on a plate and repeat with the remaining ravioli.
• Working in batches, fry the ravioli until golden brown, flipping if necessary and making sure they are not overcrowded or overlapping, about 2 minutes. Drain on a paper towel.
• While still hot, coat with some Romano and fresh parsley. Serve with your favorite marinara sauce.

CHARLIE GITTOS TOASTED RAVIOLI

Steps:

• For the dough: In a large mixing bowl, add all of the ingredients, and mix until the ingredients come together to form a dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 to 15 minutes. Wrap in plastic wrap and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the meat filling: combine the beef, veal, onion, celery, carrots, salt, and pepper in a roasting pan and roast until cooked through, about 1 hour. Let cool.
• Add the spinach, then grind ingredients in a meat grinder with a fine grind. Add the eggs and cheese, and mix well, to create a paste-like texture.
• Roll out the dough on a floured surface using a rolling pin. Make a large, very thin layer of dough. Spread out a thin layer of filling on half of one side of the dough, using a spatula. Fold the dough end over the filling side of the dough. Mark the filled dough with a ravioli marker (ravioli rolling pin). Cut ravioli out using a ravioli cutter. Freeze until hard.
• To bread the ravioli: Make an egg wash by mixing together the eggs and the milk. Add the ravioli to the wash, then dip in the seasoned bread crumbs. Refreeze until ready to fry.
• Preheat a deep fryer to 350 degrees F.
• Fry the ravioli until golden brown. Serve hot on a plate sprinkled with freshly grated Parmesan on top and tomato sauce on the side.

ST. LOUIS STYLE TOASTED RAVIOLI

Steps:

• Prep:
• Heat vegetable oil in deep fryer or skillet to 350 degrees for deep frying. It is ready when a tiny splash of water makes the oil sizzle. (CAREFUL WITH THIS METHOD, IT SOMETIMES MAKES THE OIL POP. DON'T LEAN OVER THE FRYER, AND USE AN OVEN MIT(S) TO PROTECT YOUR HANDS AND ARMS!)
• Mix water with eggs and beat well, set aside. Pour Italian bread crumbs and garlic salt(optional) in a bowl, set aside. Pour flour in a separate bowl, set aside. I have found that lining the ingredients up in this order makes things more efficient and less messy; Flour, egg mix, and bread crumbs.
• Roll out a 13-15in section of aluminum foil. This is where the breaded ravioli can set until you are ready to fry them.
• Roll out a 13-15in section of paper towels, 3-4 layers thick. If you have one, place a cooling rack on top of the paper towels. This is where the fried ravioli will drain.
• Cook:.
• Dip ravioli in flour, then in the egg mixture, and then roll ravioli in the bread crumbs. Ravioli should be completely and thickly covered in bread crumbs. If you are having a hard time making the bread crumbs stay on thick, re-dip in egg mix and roll in bread crumbs again. Set breaded ravioli on the aluminum foil until you are ready to fry them.
• Depending on the size of your fryer, place 2-5 raviolis in the fryer at a time. USE A METAL SPOON TO TRANSPORT RAVIOLIS TO THE FRYER, AND USE AN OVEN MIT ON THE HAND YOU ARE HOLDING THE SPOON. NEVER USE YOUR BARE HANDS! Stir occasionally to make sure raviolis aren't sticking together. It should take about 1 minute to cook, or until the raviolis are crispy and golden brown. Remove from the fryer and spread out on the paper towels/draining rack.
• Serve HOT with you favorite marinara or spaghetti sauce!
• Note* - After they are fried, Raviolis can be frozen until you are ready to eat them. To heat frozen Raviolis, heat oven to 375 degrees and cook 10-15 minutes, or until sizzling hot. Monitor carefully, you don't want them to burn!