This was our second side dish for New Year’s Eve dinner, along side the lobster ravioli. Boiling ravioli made from wonton skins can make a mess if any of the ravioli didn’t seal well, so I usually steam them. The lobster ravioli called for baking them, which we tried. It worked well enough.

Quick Pumpkin Ravioli

• 1 cup butternut pumpkin, cooked then mashed OR 15 oz can pumpkin puree
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 lb pkg round wonton wrappers
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 clove garlic, unpeeled
• 1/4 tsp fresh sage, chopped
• 1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Place cooked pumpkin into a mixing bowl. Add salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Stir in mascarpone cheese, egg yolk and 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, mixing until the filling is smoothly combined.

Place a wonton wrapper onto a working surface. Wet the tip of a finger in water then run it all along the outer edge of the wonton pastry to moisten. Place about 1 tsp of filling in the center of the wonton. Fold the wonton in half to make a half-moon shape then press the edges to seal. Repeat with the remaining wonton wrappers.

Place a deep frying pan over medium-low heat. Stir in butter and unpeeled clove of garlic.

Meanwhile, bring a saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Drop the filled ravioli into the boiling water a few at a time then cook until they float to the top, about 2 minutes. Drain the ravioli then transfer them to the frying pan.

[We sprayed the ravioli lightly with oil and baked them at 400 F for 10 minutes.]

Turn the heat up to medium-high then cook just until the ravioli are infused with garlic flavor, about 2 or 3 more minutes. Sprinkle with chopped sage, more black pepper and extra Parmesan cheese to taste.

I like doing surf-n-turf on Christmas Eve. Lobster seemed like the thing to do … but since we were making Beef Wellington (heavy portion), lobster tail seemed like it would be too much. Eric suggested lobster ravioli — this provides both seafood and a side dish, so it filled the bill!

Baked Lobster Ravioli in Lemon Butter Limoncello Cream Sauce

RAVIOLI:

• 1 pkg won ton wrappers
• 1 lb lobster tail meat 2 cups cooked/diced or 4 small tails
• 1 large shallot, finely diced
• 1 tsp lemon juice or limoncello
• 1/4 cup ricotta
• 2 Tbsp Asiago cheese
• 1 Tbsp mascarpone cheese
• 2 tsp chopped parsley
• 1/2 cup melted butter

LEMON BUTTER LIMONCELLO CREAM SAUCE:

• 4 Tbsp limoncello (can substitute lemon juice)
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 stick of salted butter (1/2 cup) cut into 1/2″ cubes
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• garnish: finely chopped parsley

FILLING:

Boil the lobster: If the lobster tails are frozen, thaw them overnight in the refrigerator. To cook small 8 oz tails, bring 6 cups salted water to boiling in a 3-quart saucepan. Add the lobster tails. Simmer, uncovered, for 8 to 10 minutes or until shells turn bright red, the meat is not translucent, and the tails will curve. For larger or smaller tails, adjust the cooking time as needed. Drain in a colander, cool, remove the meat from the shells (discard), and dice into 1/2″ pieces.

Instead of dicing the lobster, I used a food processor to shred it. This only took a few pulses — be careful, it’s easy to make paste.

In a medium saute pan, heat olive oil and saute the diced shallot for two minutes. Add the lobster and parsley, and stir until mixed for 2 more minutes, let cool down.

Add the lobster meat mixture into a bowl, add lemon juice (or limoncello), ricotta, Asiago cheese, and mascarpone. Mix until combined.

RAVIOLI:

Take 1 wonton wrapper, place on a board and fill with 1 tsp of the lobster filling. Don’t overfill your ravioli or they won’t seal, this will be plenty once you press the air out and cut or fold.

Place another wonton wrapper on top, press down to push the air out, and cut with a ravioli (heart-shaped) cutter of your choice. Wonton ravioli can be cut into shapes: round, square, or heart using an inexpensive ravioli cutters, and the cutter will seal the edges.

If you don’t have a cutter, simply place the tsp of filling onto one wonton sheet, and fold into a triangle corner to corner, and press the air out, and press edges closed with your fingers. That’s it! Easy..

Place all filled ravioli onto a parchment lined tray, and brush with melted butter.

Bake Ravioli 400 F for 10 minutes. The edges of the ravioli will brown slightly and get a crispy edge. The baking adds amazing flavor!

SAUCE:

In a small pan, simmer the limoncello, lemon juice, and whisk in the cubed butter until well combined, then pour in heavy cream, whisk to mix and turn off heat.

Drizzle sauce over baked lobster ravioli, and garnish with finely chopped parsley and Parmesan cheese.