Mushroom Mini Ravioli

TASTIER

VEGETARIAN

Makes 16 mini ravioli (can be doubled)

Have marinara sauce (here) at the ready for these small, crunchy ravioli. Or toss them into a composed salad for a better take on croutons. If you’ve got a medium shallot with two lobes, use only one of them.

8 ounces white button or cremini mushrooms

1 small shallot, peeled and cut into several pieces

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried sage

½ teaspoon table salt

2 tablespoons finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

8 fresh challah or egg bread slices (about 1½ ounces per slice)

About 2 cups canola oil

1. Put the mushrooms and shallot in a food processor, cover, and pulse until finely ground but not a paste. If necessary, open the machine once and scrape down the sides to grind the mushrooms more evenly.

2. Melt the butter in a medium skillet set over medium heat. Add the mushroom mixture and cook, stirring quite often, until the mushrooms release their moisture and it evaporates, about 5 minutes. Stir in the thyme, sage, salt, and cheese. Cool the filling for 20 minutes.

3. Cut the crusts off the bread slices; cut each slice into quarters. On a clean, dry work surface, use a rolling pin to roll each one to a flattened square, less than ¼ inch thick, but about the same size as the original quarter, just more compressed.

4. Put a small bowl of water near your work space. Place about 1½ teaspoons of the filling in the middle of one square of flattened bread. Dip a clean finger in the water and moisten the edges of the bread. Set another small square on top and press the edges together to seal in the filling. Set aside and make 15 more ravioli.

5. Pour enough oil into a 10-inch high-sided skillet or sauté pan to make a depth of about 1 inch. Clip a deep-frying thermometer to the inside of the pan, set it over medium heat, and bring the oil up to 350°F.

6. Fry the ravioli two or three at a time, turning once, until golden and crisp, about 1½ minutes per batch. Transfer to a wire rack and continue until all the ravioli have been fried.

Voilà! If you don’t have a rolling pin, an empty (clean!) wine bottle works just as well.