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My problem with ravioli is the unbreakable connection with the canned Chef Boyardee ravioli that I grew up eating.
Ettore Boiardi (the namesake of Chef Boyardee) knew what he was doing. The recipes you see on the shelves are just missing some of the key herbal seasonings that don't translate well to the can. Same with Ragu.
I like Chef Boyardee, but only after getting dropped off at home by Uber at 2:30 AM. Combined with a nightcap beer and a light splash of Frank's hot sauce. Other times, I cook my own, although I do use the frozen boxed ravioli.
My only lasagna fan is at school on the west coast these days, the rest of us don't care for it. But when he's in town, I use ricotta mixed with egg, parmesan, mozzarella, parsley, and as much spinach as I can get away with while swearing it's parsley. That's layered with meat sauce.
And, as rare as lasagna is around here, ravioli is rarer. When I do make it, it's always refrigerated, not frozen pasta, with an alfredo sauce and fresh vegetables.
My Italian grandmother always used ricotta in her lasagna...never had lasagna with "white sauce".
I'm guessing she'd been in the US a few generations? Actual Italians and fresh off the boat Italians use white sauce. Or could she have been in a hurry? It is time consuming to make two sauces, ricotta would be a quick cheat on a weeknight.
My only lasagna fan is at school on the west coast these days, the rest of us don't care for it. But when he's in town, I use ricotta mixed with egg, parmesan, mozzarella, parsley, and as much spinach as I can get away with while swearing it's parsley. That's layered with meat sauce.
And, as rare as lasagna is around here, ravioli is rarer. When I do make it, it's always refrigerated, not frozen pasta, with an alfredo sauce and fresh vegetables.
Now that sounds like a deconstructed ravioli or canellini tyoe of recipe.
Now that sounds like a deconstructed ravioli or canellini tyoe of recipe.
It sounds exactly like every lasagna I've ever made. Except the spinach.
Unfamiliar with lasagna made with white sauce*.
Granted, we don't eat a lot of lasagna but, like Mattie, when I make it, that's how. Gonna steal the spinach idea though. Luckily everyone here likes spinach so no need to pretend it's parsley.
*Perhaps I've misunderstood - are you talking about a white sauce or bechamel as part of the cheese layer, or in lieu of red sauce?
Last edited by maciesmom; 07-25-2016 at 05:37 PM..
lol! oh.... wow.
I suppose it's good for a quick meal. lol
That was the whole idea.. that you could have what was then a fairly exotic cuisine, any time you wanted, cheaply, and it didn't even have to be refrigerated. It was a novel concept then and it still holds up, though more people are watching their sodium intake in this era of high blood pressure and heart disease.
I love lasagna and ravioli. Those who don't like "soggy" ravioli should try it toasted.
Super popular appetizer in STL.
All canned pasta, whether Che Boyardee or Franco-American, always tasted like acid reflux.
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I've never seen canned ravioli!
