Sweet Potato Ravioli

Vegetarian Comfort Food
Jennifer Warren
All the good stuff your mum used to make, without the meat. This book demonstrates that vegetarian cooking can be simple and tasty, without the need for exotic ingredients and techniques. Genius. $22.95.

I came up with this idea to help use up the piles of wrappers I always have left over when I make Egg Rolls (see book for recipe). This recipe makes enough filling to feed 8-10 hungry people, but it's worth it to make more ravioli, as they freeze beautifully in resealable bags. Ravioli tastes good with a very simple tomato sauce, but is especially nice with the rosé sauce made for Tomato-Cream Penne with Vodka (p. 95) or Creamy Sage-Whisky Sauce (p. 81).

Makes 100-125 ravioli, serving 10 people.

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped 2
1 Tbsp. butter 15 mL
1 clove garlic, sliced 1
1 cup ricotta, regular or reduced fat 250 mL
1/2 tsp. salt 2.5 mL
1 Tbsp. fresh chopped basil 15 mL
1/2 tsp. dried oregano 2.5 mL
1/4 tsp. pepper 1.2 mL
1 large package egg roll wrappers 1 (at least 50)

Put the sweet potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and boil gently until soft, about 15 minutes. Drain, and empty into a large bowl. Mash until quite smooth with a potato masher (a few lumps are all right). Set aside to cool.

Melt the butter in a small skillet or saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and sauté for 2-3 minutes, then drain the butter through a sieve to strain out the garlic. Let the butter cool slightly, then add to the sweet potatoes.

Add the ricotta, salt, basil, oregano and pepper to the sweet potatoes and mix well. Taste, and add more salt if you like.

On your work surface, have a small bowl of water ready, and put 3-4 wrappers in a stack in front of you. Cut them into equal, square quarters by slicing the wrappers in half lengthwise, then in half crosswise. Stack the quarters to one side, then lay pairs of them out in a row -- do three or four pairs at a time.

Put about 1 tsp. (5 mL) filling into the centre of one square, then dip your finger in water and run it all around the edges of the square. Run your finger the same way around the other square of the pair, then stick the two squares together, using your fingers to pinch and seal the edges. Use a knife to trim off any messy edges -- just be sure not to trim off too much.

Repeat this process until you have as many ravioli as you like. Don't leave it out on the counter for more than 20 minutes, as the wrappers will start to dry out. The filling keeps for about 5 days in the refrigerator. Once the ravioli is make, it keeps very well in the freezer for up to 2 months. Ravioli can be cooked directly from frozen; it might take just a couple of minutes of extra boiling.

To cook, put the ravioli gently into salted boiling water and boil for 3-6 minutes -- the cooking time will depend partly on the type of egg roll wrapper you're using. Remove one ravioli, cut into it, and taste to see if the wrapper is cooked. When cooked, drain and serve with your favourite pasta sauce. Each person should get 10-12 ravioli.

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