Learning By Mistake: Pecorino & Shitake Ravioli

Inspiration can strike at any moment. Mine was at approximately 8:48 this morning as I chatted with my friend and colleague, Chef Peggy Derry. I was explaining a recipe that I found on Food & Wine Magazine's website and I suddenly felt ambitious about making it. The recipe was for Pecorino ravioli made from wonton wrappers with walnuts and marjoram. I wanted to change it and make the ravioli with Pecorino and mushrooms. Peggy was interested in hearing about it and was a huge contributor to my test kitchen. She graciously shared a package of wonton wrappers and her diced, seasoned Shitake mushrooms for the creation.

At the end of the work day, I excitedly purchased the other ingredients I needed and hurried home. As you will see below, the preparation was pretty straight forward. I worked on the steps with ease, shaping each cheese-filled square, while humming to my Italian CD. It was all going so smoothly...but then quickly went south.

This was my first time cooking fresh ravioli. The recipe said to place them in the simmering pot for about 2 minutes and remove when tender. It didn't look as if the water was simmering at all. I ended up overcooking the delicate squares and they became little mushy blobs. We ate the delicious, soup-like noodles anyway and laughed. Luckily my husband has a sense of humor. "Dinner was perfect," He said, "You were just missing the presentation part of it."

I figured out that I should have placed a few ravioli squares at a time into the simmering water for a minute or so and then removed even if the water didn't seem to be bubbling. It was then that I realized that learning by mistake wasn't such a bad thing (even though it was totally frustrating).

Here's the recipe from F&W after I edited it:

INGREDIENTS

1. 3/4 cup diced, seasoned Shitake mushrooms (pre-cooked)
2. 1/2 pound Pecorino cheese, rind removed, cheese grated (1 1/2 cups)
3. 1/2 cup heavy cream
4. Salt and freshly ground pepper
5. 48 wonton wrappers
6. 6 tablespoons unsalted butter

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a gentle simmer. In a medium bowl, stir together the cheese and heavy cream and season lightly with salt and pepper. On a work surface, lay out 4 wonton wrappers and moisten the edges with water. Place 2 teaspoons of the cheese filling in the center of each wrapper. Top with 4 more wrappers, press to remove any air pockets and then press well around the edges to seal. Transfer to a lightly floured baking sheet and cover lightly with plastic wrap. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.
2. In a medium skillet, cook the butter over moderate heat until it just starts to brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
3. Add the ravioli to the simmering water a few at a time and cook until just tender, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat. With a slotted spoon, carefully transfer the ravioli to a large platter and blot dry with paper towels and repeat. Reheat the butter, letting it boil over moderately high heat until richly browned. Pour the browned butter over the ravioli.