NBC 25 STUDIOS -- Personal Chef Brad Valley showed us today some delicious recipes. Eggplant and Ricotta Ravioli is the featured dish. He also makes some Creamy Polenta as well!
Eggplant and Ricotta Ravioli
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 white onion, minced
3 teaspoon garlic ( add more if you love garlic)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, or more as
needed
1 medium eggplant
2 cups ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (omit if too spicy)
salt and pepper to taste (start with about 1/8 teaspoon
each)
1 (16 ounce) package wonton wrappers
1 egg, beaten
1 cup chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon water
DIRECTIONS:
Slice eggplant into ¼ inch slices and brush with olive oil. Salt and pepper and place in oven under broiler until
brown turn and repeat. (Keep an eye on your eggplant it will brown fast when it’s almost done) remove from
oven and set aside to cool. In a sauté pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil sauté onion until translucent. fine chop
basil. In a bowl add onion, garlic, ricotta cheese, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper, basil and balsamic vinegar.
Dice cooked eggplant in to about ¼ inch cubes and add to bowl with other ingredients and mix will. Beat egg in a
small bowl with 1 tablespoon of water.
Place about ¼ teaspoon of mix in wonton wrapper, using your finger lightly brush half the wonton wrapper with
egg wash. Fold wrapper over making sure all the air is out and seal well. Place ravioli on a cookie sheet lined with
parchment or wax paper. Repeat until desired about of ravioli are made. 6 to 10 ravioli per person. Ravioli may be frozen and used at a later date.
Boil a pot of water and ravioli to water and cook until ravioli float. (cook in batches. You don’t want to add to
many at one time or ravioli with stick to together)
Using your own sauce or a jarred sauce top ravioli and serve.
Creamy Polenta
Ingredients:
½ cup yellow corn meal
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons butter
¼ cup parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste, start with about ¼
teaspoon
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 Tablespoon Old bay seasoning
Directions:
Using a heavy gage 2 quart sauce pan placed over medium heat. Add cream, butter, salt, pepper, garlic
and Italian seasoning. Bring mix to a simmer. When cream mix reaches a simmer whisk in corn meal
add parmesan cheese. Mix well making sure there are no lumps. Remove from heat and cover for 5 minutes.
Serve immediately.
Use this as a side or add shrimp and sea scallops for an appetizer.
Ingredients for appetizer:
Salt and pepper to tast
3 sea scallops
¼ cup dry white wine
Shrimp (depending on size 1 to 2 per serving)
1 Teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
Heat olive oil in a sauté pan. Salt and pepper scallops, Add sea scallops and sear on one side. About 2 minutes
depending on heat. Turn scallops over and add raw shrimp. Flip shrimp and continue cooking until shrimp is fully
cooked. (About 1 min on each side) remove scallops and shrimp. Deglaze pan with white wine. And butter, Old
Bay and reduce on medium heat by half. Add cream polenta to a plate or martini glass. Top with half a scallop
and shrimp. Drizzle pan sauce on top and serve. (Only use about 1 teaspoon of pan sauce per serving of appetizer)
