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At the beginning of December, I gave you a
recipe for Creamy
Roasted Tomato Soup and suggested quite a
number of garnishes. One that I chose to use was toasted ravioli. It didn’t
occur to me at the time that not all of you know what toasted ravioli is. It,
along with St. Louis-style pizza, Gooey Butter Cake, and barbecued pork steaks,
is a part of St. Louis cuisine. It is attributed to a number of Italian
restaurants in the area known as “The Hill,” a delightful Italian neighborhood
in St. Louis that offers up some of the area’s best food. One of these
restaurants is Oldani’s. The story is that ravioli pasta was accidentally
dropped into the fryer by Chef Fritz, and thus toasted ravioli was born. Mickey
Garagiola, older brother of major-league baseball great, former St. Louis
Cardinal, and “Hill” resident, Joe Garagiola, was at the bar during the mishap
and was the first to taste the accidental treat. It is so commonplace in the
St. Louis Metro area that nearly all restaurants have it on their menu. Even
specialty restaurants such as those offering fish and seafood or a wide variety
of ethnic foods will offer toasted ravioli as an option; I even found it on the
menu in a Bosnian restaurant. In St. Louis, toasted ravioli is beloved. There’s
nothing to making it, essentially it’s just breaded and dropped into hot oil,
drained, dusted with Parmesan, and served with marinara. The recipe below is
the one that I use.
St. Louis Toasted Ravioli
2 T. whole milk
1 large egg
¾ c. Italian breadcrumbs
¼ t. Italian seasoning
½ t. salt
½ (25 oz.) pkg. frozen beef ravioli, thawed
3 c. vegetable oil for frying
1 T. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 (16 oz.) jar marinara sauce
Combine milk and egg in a small bowl. Place breadcrumbs, salt, and Italian seasoning in a shallow bowl. Dip ravioli first in milk mixture and then into the seasoned breadcrumb mixture.
In a large saucepan, heat marinara sauce over medium heat until bubbling. Reduce the heat to simmer.
In a large heavy pan, pour oil to a depth of 2-3 inches. Heat oil over medium heat until a small amount of breading sizzles and turns brown. Fry ravioli, a few at a time, 1 minute on each side or until golden. Don’t overdo it or they’ll burst open. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve immediately with hot marinara sauce.
Dare I wish you a Happy New Year? Who knows what 2021 will bring, but I wish each and every one of you the very best!
Pattie
