Italian Night

You would think ravioli should be a fairly simple meal to make. It's just pasta with some stuff smooshed in it, and then some sauce drizzled over the top. Easy, right? Ummmm, not so much if you're the person actually making all those components. There's the pasta to be made and rolled out, the smooshed stuffed to be diced into tiny pieces and then sauteed, and the sauce to be painstakingly stirred. Vegetarian Times had a recipe in their September 2007 issue that made a few of those steps a little more bearable. Using won ton wrappers, which I found in the organic section with the tofu, shortened the actual pasta routine. The stuffing is a delicious mixture of wild mushrooms, onions, and garlic. The sauce is a unique green pee puree, a much healthier version of pesto, although not quite as luscious.

Mushroom Ravioli with Green Pea Puree
2 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 small onion, chopped (1/2cup)
1 clove garic, minced (1 tsp)
1/2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme (I used rosemary)
8 oz. wild mushroom mix or assorted mushrooms, chopped (3 cups)
2 Tbs. sherry
24 won ton wrappers

Green Pea Puree
2 cups frozen peas, thawed
3/4 cup low-sodium vegetable broth (forgot to buy, used water instead)
2 Tbs. grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish, if desired (Yeah! an exuces to use my microplane)

1. To make Mushroom: Ravioli: Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, and cook 5 to 7 minutes, or until translucent and starting to brown. Stir in garlic and thyme, and cook 1 minut more. Add mushrooms, and increase heat to high. Saute mushrooms 7 minutes, or until all liquid has evaporated. Add sherry to pan and cook 1 minute, or until sherry has evaporated. Transfer to bowl, and cool 20 minutes.

2. Place 1 won ton wrapper on work surface. Brush edges with water. Spoon 1 tsp. mushroom mixture in center of wrapper and fold into triangle (I made rectangles, which were much easier), pressing edges to seal. Repeat with remaining wrappers and mushroom mixture.

3. To make green pea puree, Blend peas, broth, and cheese in blender until smooth. Transfer to saucepan, and warm over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.

4. Bring large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add ravioli and cook 2 minutes, or until cooked through. Drain. Spoon Pea Puree onto plates, and top with ravioli. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if desired.