The Toasted Raviolis as Served at Bruno's Little Italy in Little Rock, Arkansas, as seen on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Season 29.
Recipe courtesy of Bruno's Little Italy

Toasted Ravioli

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  • Level: Advanced
  • Total: 7 hr (includes freezing time)
  • Active: 1 hr 5 min
  • Yield: 8 to 10 servings (50 to 60 ravioli)

Ingredients

Filling:

Pasta Dough:

Breading:

Directions

Special equipment:
a pasta machine; a pasta cutter; a deep-frying thermometer
  1. For the filling: Combine the ricotta, butter, parsley flakes, Romano, salt, pepper and egg in a large bowl and mix well. Set aside.
  2. For the pasta dough: Fit a stand mixer with the dough hook, then generously oil the hook to prevent dough from sticking. Whisk the egg, milk, salt and 1 tablespoon water together in a mixing bowl. Pour egg and milk mixture into the stand mixer bowl and add half the flour. Beat the dough over medium-low speed until the flour begins to incorporate into the mixture. Gradually add the rest of the flour until the dough comes together and forms a ball. Once the dough is mixed, turn out onto a floured surface.
  3. Divide the dough into 2 portions. Using a pasta machine or pasta attachment for your stand mixer, sheet the dough: Begin with the machine on the thickest setting and run one of the dough pieces through. Gradually reduce the setting number until the dough has been sheeted through the lowest number.
  4. Scoop roughly 1/2-tablespoon dollops of filling on the pasta layer, leaving 1 inch of space from the edge of the pasta and in between each. Lightly sprinkle water over the pasta. This will help the top layer adhere.
  5. Using the same process as before, run the second portion of dough through the pasta machine, gradually thinning it to match the same thinness as the bottom layer. Carefully lay the top layer over the pasta and filling. Gently press the dough around the scoops of filling to seal the ravioli.
  6. Using a pasta cutter, cut the ravioli into 2-inch squares. Place cut ravioli on a parchment-lined sheet pan and cover. Freeze until completely solid, at least 3 hours. (Make sure your raviolis are fully frozen before breading, as the dough has a tendency to thaw quickly. If the raviolis are soft during breading, they can become misshapen.)
  7. For the breading: Whisk the eggs and milk together in a medium bowl. Add the cracker meal to a second medium bowl. Working in batches, dip ravioli into the egg and milk mixture, then toss into the cracker meal, coating well. Put breaded ravioli back on the lined sheet pan, cover and freeze for another 3 hours.
  8. Fill a large, heavy-bottomed pan halfway with canola oil and heat oil to 350 degrees F. Cook the ravioli in batches, being sure not to overcrowd the pan, and flipping during cooking, until golden brown all over, about 5 minutes.