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St. Louis Fried Ravioli with Marinara Sauce

Source of Recipe

From "In the Kitchen with David" by David Venable


Recipe Introduction

"If you want a great cheese steak, go to Philadelphia. If you want a great po'boy, go to New Orleans. And if you want great fried ravioli, go to St. Louis. What? It's true. Locals call these perfect bites toasted ravioli rather than fried, but you'd be hard pressed to find a restaurant in St. Louis that doesn't have these tasty little nuggets on the menu. Legend has it that they were created when a chef mistakenly dropped a batch of ravioli into a pot of oil rather than boiling water. No matter how these came to be, enjoy them right away with some zesty marinara sauce."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 3 large eggs
â—¦ 2 cups all-purpose flour
â—¦ 2 cups Italian-style bread crumbs
â—¦ 24 small fresh ravioli, such as Buitoni
â—¦ Canola oil for frying
â—¦ ½ teaspoon kosher salt
â—¦ ½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
â—¦ ¼ cup (1 ounce) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
â—¦ 2 cups Marinara Sauce (recipe follows)


Recipe

Put the eggs, flour, and bread crumbs in three separate shallow bowls. Beat the eggs. Working in batches, dip each ravioli in the egg to coat completely. Allow the excess egg to drip back into the bowl. Dredge the ravioli in the flour and then in the bread crumbs. Place the ravioli on a large plate and continue with the remaining ravioli.

Clip a deep-frying thermometer to the side of a heavy, deep pot. Add 3 inches canola oil to the pot and slowly heat the oil to 325° F. Using a slotted spoon, add four or five ravioli to the hot oil and fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes, turning them halfway through cooking. (Cook the ravioli in batches or the oil won't stay hot and they will be soggy rather than crisp.) Using tongs, remove the fried ravioli to a wire rack or paper towels. Cook the remaining ravioli.

Sprinkle the hot ravioli with the salt, pepper, and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Serve hot, accompanied by a bowl of warm marinara sauce for dipping.

Makes 24 ravioli



Marinara Sauce:

â—¦ 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
â—¦ 1 large onion, diced
â—¦ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
â—¦ 3 cloves garlic, minced
â—¦ 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
â—¦ 1 (28-ounce) can tomato purée
â—¦ ½ teaspoon sugar
â—¦ 1 teaspoon onion powder
â—¦ 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
â—¦ ½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and salt and sauté until soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and continue cooking for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes and tomato purée and stir to combine. Add the sugar, onion powder, Italian seasoning, and Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce has thickened, 30 to 40 minutes.