Veal Ravioli

Photo: flickr user stu_spivack

Ingredients

cup olive oil

1 small carrot finely diced

1 celery stalk finely diced

1 small onion finely diced

2 garlic cloves minced

1 pound ground veal

1 bay leaf

teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 teaspoons fennel seeds

cup canned tomato sauce

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

40 round wonton wrappers thawed if frozen,

and covered loosely with a damp paper

towel to prevent drying

cup extra-virgin olive oil

pound plum tomatoes cored, halved

5 lrgs garlic cloves peeled

Salt to taste

Freshly-ground black pepper to taste

cup white wine

1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme

cup chicken or vegetable stock

(or canned broth)

cup chiffonade fresh basil leaves,

thyme leaves, or purple sage for garnish

Preparation

In a large saute pan set over moderately-high heat, heat olive oil. Add chopped carrot, celery, onion, and garlic and saute until vegetables are tender. Add ground veal and cook, stirring, until meat is cooked through.

In a clean spice/coffee grinder, pulverize bay leaf, red pepper flakes, and fennel seeds. Add spice mixture to saute pan. Add tomato sauce to saute pan. Cook, stirring, until almost all the liquid is evaporated, for about 2 minutes. Add chopped parsley and pine nuts. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Put 1 wonton wrapper on a lightly floured surface, mound 1 tablespoon of the filling in the center of the wrapper, and brush the edges with water. Put a second wrapper over the first, pressing down around the filling to force out the air, seal the edges well, and trim the excess dough around the filling with a 2 1/2-inch cutter or sharp knife. Make wonton ravioli with the remaining wrappers and filling in the same manner, transferring them as they are formed to a sheet pan lightly sprinkled with cornstarch

Bring a kettle of boiling salted water to a gentle boil and in it cook the ravioli in batches for 2 minutes, or until they rise to the surface and are tender. (Do not let the water boil vigorously once the ravioli have been added.) Transfer the ravioli as they are cooked with a slotted spoon to a dry kitchen towel or paper towels to drain and keep them warm.

Slow Roasted Tomato Sauce: Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Lightly brush a baking sheet with olive oil and arrange the tomato slices and garlic cloves in one layer. Sprinkle tomatoes and garlic with olive oil and season with thyme, salt and pepper. Drizzle with white wine. Roast the tomatoes and garlic for 1 1/2 hours.

Transfer tomatoes and garlic to a blender and puree until smooth. Add stock to achieve desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Add chiffonade of basil. Reserve sauce and keep warm.

This recipe yields 4 servings.

Wine Suggestion: Villa Antinori Chianti