This is one of the best Spaghetti dish’s I’ve ever had. The secret is in the simmer. You’ve got to let this baby reduce and get the most flavors you’ve ever loved from your favorite Italian seasonings, sink in and settle like little bombs for your taste buds to explode when they hit your tongue!
The meatballs are entirely another matter however and they are just as explosive. But, it’s something I haven’t decided to share with the rest of the world yet, and quite honestly I’ve misplaced my recipe’s “Exact” ingredients, so I’m sorry to say you’ll have to work with another recipe if you’re wanting Meatballs. In the meantime you can brown some Italian sausage and hamburger mix if you’d like to keep it simple and Americanized. I promise you it will be, almost as good! 😉
1/2 small onion, chopped (optional)
1 1/2-2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 (3 ounce) cans tomato paste
2 (7 1/2 ounce) cans tomato sauce
1 cup beef stock or bouillon (for a long period of simmering for flavors to meld. If you don’t want to simmer it as long, add less)
1 1/2 teaspoons basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1 heaping tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8-1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoon fresh coarse ground black pepper
1/4 cup red wine (a good Cabernet!)
1/2 lb Angel Hair Pasta
1/2 to taste parmesan cheese
Directions:
1 Add onions and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until onions are softened.
2 Add garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce and beef stock (bouillon).
3 Add basil, parsley, brown sugar, salt, crushed red pepper, and black pepper.
4 Stir well and barely bring to a boil.
5 Stir in red wine.
6 Simmer on low, stirring frequently for at least an hour. A longer simmer makes for a better sauce, just be careful not to let it burn!
7 Cook the Angel Hair pasta Al dente. (This means under cook them and strain)
8 Add the pasta to the sauce and let it soak up the remaining liquid as it reduces, stirring frequently.
When the runniness is gone from the liquid, serve.
Alrighty then; so here we have it, the infamous Calzones! Now, for me these are to pizza what Beer is to football; I just GOTTA have one! So if you’re anything like me, meaning you LOVE’s the football, how can you go wrong with packing an oven full of calzones on game day? Hell, they even look like little footballs, don’t even try to deny it! But I know the day of the game everyone is ordering their favorite pizza, but a lot of the regular fast action deliveries don’t have calzones on the menu. So… whatcha-gunna do now?? Well read on and I’ll tell you how to solve this little problem, because with this recipe and my step by step how to video it’s literally as easy as hut-hut-HIKE!
Combine the following and let it stand 10 min. to activate.
You’ll know it’s activated if it doubles in size.
1 tsp. dry yeast
1 tsp. granulated sugar
1/4 cup hot water 110 degrees f
Separate bowl Combine in the following order
1 cup hot water 110 degree (hot water out of your tap is fine)
3 cups BREAD flour (this is key, use bread flower)
1 tsp granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp Italian Seasoning (Thyme, Rosemary, Marjoram etc.)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
To make the Calzone dough, add the activated yeast and mix all ingredients together in a mixer or knead it by hand. It’s designed to be a little sticky, so adding a few tbls. of flour here and there to get it to a desired pizza dough consistency is normal if you need to. Roll the dough into a ball and thinly coat 2 tbls of olive oil on the outside to prevent dryness and cracking. Now just let it rise for the next hour or so, or even refrigerate if you’re wanting it for later. Just be sure the dough gets to room temperature and practically doubles in size before you roll it out for Calzones. Roll it out thin; maybe an 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch, TOPS! Next, throw down your favorite sauce (spaghetti sauce will even work), meats, veggies, whatever. Most use Mozzarella cheese but if you can 50/50 with Provolone, that’s the way to go, trust me; even Ricotta cheese is fantastic, especially if you use prosciutto. At this point all you have to do is close the Calzone by folding the dough in half and pinch the sides all the way around the pocket(pie crust style), then cut a few slits in the top so the air can escape while it bakes. Preheat oven to 500 degrees and baste the calzone/Calzone’s with egg wash while the temperature rises. Egg wash is just a whipped egg and 1 Tbls of milk. At this point if you’d like, you can call it good or you can throw down some sesame seeds over the top before the final bake. A wooden slate or stone is best for baking but a pan works just fine. About 8 to 10 minutes is all it’s going to take for you to enjoy the final product. I like to keep my eye on it and bake it ‘till it’s a nice golden shiny brown! Either way, you’ll thank me!
That’s right I said it, “The Best”, Hands down, Fried Ravioli Recipes…I made it up, it was my first time, and they were fantastic; so put that in your book! By the way, yes I did say with Queso and it doesn’t even matter how these things are usually or traditionally made, if it’s good and everybody loves them, what the hell is the problem? I put Queso inside with the meat and mushrooms and it makes this recipe pop like a firecracker. Of course the fact that these were made from scratch from my pasta recipes, bread crumb wash or my marinara might have a little bit to do with it(I know I’m modest); but I’m telling ya the Queso really makes this work!
Fried Ravioli Recipes Made Easy
Look, I’ve got a step by step tutorial of everything I do to make these succulent Fried Ravioli Recipes. Even the pasta recipe is completely broke down in another video I have on here if you are really needing to get back to basics so you can roll out a Ravioli dough. I touch base about making the Ravioli dough here just a little bit but if you’re needing details and you want a recipe, watch half of this five minute video http://poormansgourmetkitchen.com/making-fresh-pasta-from scratch.html and it’ll get you up to speed. Everything else to make Fried Raviolis is in the video below. Other than the obvious ingredients you need to make a ravioli dough(eggs, flour and salt), all you need to make this work is a meat filler, some vegetables, bread crumbs and some cheese; in this particular case I use Queso! I found an off brand of that Velveta cheese that makes a Chili Con Queso version of their cheese and it is awesome win you mix it with beef. Though I suppose any cheese will do if you are looking for substitutions. In fact, the most important thing I can offer in this recipe truly is the break down of the actual ravioli itself and how to make it so it’s the right texture and consistency of any great Fried Ravioli recipe you’ve ever had. Isn’t that what we’re all really after? So really, you’re welcome to put anything in these pockets you feel you’d like to have in them because the bottom line is really how the Ravioli itself truly turns out once you’ve fried it right? Right! So follow these easy steps and you will have a fantastic turn out with everything you want this recipe to be.
Fried Ravioli Recipes
Ravioli Dough
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup bread flour
1 egg
1/2 cup water (tbls’s more if needed)
1 pinch of salt
Filling
2 Tbs Olive Oil
1 cup of hamburger
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 scallion stock
1/2 cup finely chopped mushrooms
1/2 Tbs Italian Seasoning (Thyme, Rosemary, Marjoram, Sage, Basil, Savory)
1/2 cup of Queso cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste
Frying
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
Canola oil(1/2 inch in the bottom of a skillet)
The video is self explanatory but I’d like to mention a few tips here that will help these Fried Ravioli Recipes really turn out great. First off, always taste what you’re putting together. This means, after you’ve prepared and cooked the filling, taste it and make sure it’s everything you want it to be. If it’s not, adjust it to your particular tastes, simple right! Second, make sure you’re throwing down some flour on your counter top before you start rolling out your dough and pressing these things together. It’s quite difficult to keep from tearing the pockets apart if you have to literally peal them off of a sticky counter top, and after applying the necessary pressure to keep these things together and keep the filler inside it’s really easy to do if you haven’t laid down enough flour to keep the dough from sticking; kapeesh?! Third, try to find a light fluffy bread crumb if you aren’t making them your self. For these I like to buy the Japanese style breading used for fried shrimp. The fourth and final step is simple, fry with a high heat; 350 plus. The reason you want it hot is so the outside crisps, and the inside stays moist. Just don’t turn it up too high in a skillet before you are ready cause you don’t want a flaming skillet. Marinara, ranch, or more Queso cheese goes great as a final topping or dipping sauce. That being said, enjoy you’re Fried Ravioli Recipes with Queso.
