Making Rapid Ravioli
These delicate dumplings are filled with a slightly sweet mixture of crab meat, green onions and Japanese seaweed. They look difficult to make--especially if you’re pressed for time--but in fact the dish is easily assembled using fresh won ton wrappers from the grocery store instead of homemade pasta.
A light olive oil infused with lemongrass, ginger and chiles makes a clean and piquant sauce. For dessert, a store-bought tropical fruit sorbet would be in keeping with the bright flavors of this meal.
Menu
Crab-and-Wakame Seaweed Ravioli With Lemongrass Oil
Mango Sorbet
CRAB-AND-WAKAME SEAWEED RAVIOLI WITH LEMONGRASS OIL
LEMONGRASS OIL
1/2 cup light olive oil
4 stalks lemongrass, outer layers removed
1 (2-inch) piece ginger root, grated
1/2 cup lime juice
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
RAVIOLI
1/4 cup dried wakame seaweed
1 (6-ounce) can lump crab meat, drained
3 green onions, minced
1 teaspoon grated ginger root
1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
2 egg whites, beaten separately
1 (12-ounce) package fresh, thin won ton wrappers
Salt
1/4 cup basil leaves, chopped
LEMONGRASS OIL
Heat oil in saucepan. Add lemongrass and ginger and cook 1 minute. Reserve 1 tablespoon lime juice and add rest to oil. Add red pepper flakes and peppercorns and cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let stand until ready to use. Strain just before serving and add reserved 1 tablespoon lime juice.
RAVIOLI
Place dried wakame seaweed in 1 cup boiling water to rehydrate, about 5 minutes. Drain seaweed and roughly chop.
Combine crab, green onions, ginger, chopped seaweed, vinegar, soy sauce and 1 beaten egg white.
Place 4 won ton wrappers on work surface. Brush edges with some of remaining beaten egg white. Place 1 tablespoon filling in center of 2 won ton wrappers. Cover with remaining 2 wrappers and press edges together to seal, being careful to press out air bubbles. Repeat with remaining won ton wrappers and filling to make 16 ravioli. Keep finished ravioli covered with damp paper towel while assembling remainder.
Cook ravioli in boiling salted water in several batches until wrappers become slightly translucent and ravioli float to surface, about 1 minute. Remove carefully from water with slotted spoon and toss gently with warm Lemongrass Oil. Garnish with chopped basil.
16 ravioli. Each 8-ravioli serving:
678 calories; 592 mg sodium; 88 mg cholesterol; 56 grams fat; 23 grams carbohydrates; 24 grams protein; 0.68 gram fiber.
Countdown
30 minutes before: Rehydrate seaweed. Mince green onions and lemongrass.
25 minutes before: Juice limes. Grate ginger.
20 minutes before: Begin infusing oil. Mix ravioli filling.
15 minutes before: Put water on to boil. Assemble ravioli.
5 minutes before: Cook ravioli. Strain oil.
Ingredients Staples
Light olive oil
Black peppercorns
Crushed red pepper flakes
Soy sauce
Rice vinegar
Shopping List
1 bunch basil
1 (6-ounce) can lump crab meat
1 (3-inch) piece fresh ginger root
1 bunch lemongrass
2 limes
1 pint mango sorbet
1 bunch green onions
1 (2-ounce) package wakame seaweed
1 (12-ounce) package fresh, thin won ton wrappers
Chef’s Tip
Wakame is the slightly sweet, mild-flavored seaweed used in Japanese miso soup. Packages of dried wakame seaweed are available at Asian markets. The dried seaweed is dark and shriveled, but it turns bright green when rehydrated.
Shortcuts
* Fresh won ton wrappers, which can found in the produce or Asian food sections of most grocery stores, easily double as ravioli wrappers, saving you the time of making pasta from scratch. They can also be used to create other fresh filled-pasta dishes with a minimum of effort.