Cheesy Baked Tortellini

Olive oil
2 cups marinara sauce
1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1 pound purchased cheese tortellini
2 ounces thinly sliced smoked mozzarella (I used regular, couldn't find smoked)
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil an 8 X 8 X 2-inch baking dish or 4 individual gratin dishes.

Whisk the marinara sauce, mascarpone cheese, parley, and thyme in a large bowl to blend. Cook the tortellini in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 2 minutes. Drain. Add the tortellini to the sauce and toss to coat.

Transfer the tortellini mixture to the prepared baking dish or dishes. Top with the smoked mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese. Cover the dish or dishes with foil and bake for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and bake uncovered until the sauce bubbles and the cheeses on the top melt, about 10 minutes longer.


Everyday Pasta, Giada DeLaurentiis, 2007

Fried Ravioli

This recipe is good practice for making latkas if you want a good appetizer and feel the need to fry. We used spinach tortellini in a bag instead of ravioli, but next time...
We're not big into frying, we tried this to use up buttermilk. I probably wouldn't make this a lot, but it would be good for a party.

Olive oil, for frying
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups Italian-style bread crumbs
1 box store-bought bite-size cheese ravioli (about 24 ravioli)
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1-2 cups marinara sauce, heated, for dipping

Heat 2 inches of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 325 degrees.

While the oil is heating, put the buttermilk and the bread crumbs in separate shallow bowls. Working in batches, dip the ravioli in the buttermilk to coat completely, allowing the excess buttermilk to drip back into the bowl. Dredge the ravioli in the bread crumbs. Place the ravioli on a baking sheet, while you coat the remaining ravioli.

When the oil is hot, fry the ravioli in batches, turning occasionally, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fried ravioli to paper towels to drain.

Sprinkle the fried ravioli with Parmesan cheese and serve with a bowl of warmed marinara sauce for dipping.


Everyday Pasta, Giada DeLaurentiis, 2007