Crispy Cheese and Tarragon Ravioli with Lemon Sauce
I still have it with the tarragon, I have to admit. I bought myself a bunch on Saturday from the farmers market and I am loving the summery, anise-like flavor. And I have more filo pastry... hey- this is just the way it is when you are living alone! Not being one to like wasting good food, I decided to go to the other extreme and tom make something totally exquisite and cool. Leftovers? Same thing two days in a row? Nope- that's not for me! This is what I did with some of my extras... I think you may well like it!
I have to admit that the real star of this here story is a Spanish cheese I bought called Castello. It is a firm, creamy cheese, slightly tangy and the one I bought, had a coating of pineapple, papaya and almonds- mmm! I just happened to have this in the fridge- it would have gone on top of a cracker at some point otherwise... so it is good that I snacked on it whilst decided what I was going to make for dinner! I suddenly felt inspired and pulled out a sheet of filo pastry, which I cut into strips of around 2 1/2" x 5". I moistened the dough with a little water- I just dipped my fingers into a glass and rubbed it gently. Then I placed a thin slice of the cheese on one half, lay a tarragon leaf on top and folded the pastry over.
Ta-da! That was all there was to it!
Using only a drop of olive oil, I warmed the pan to a moderate heat and fried the ravioli gently, keeping my eye on them all the time. Too much heat too soon and these delicate little things will burn. What happens first is that the cheese begins to melt slightly and that the dough becomes transparent. Then, before you know it, it will be cooked and white as paper. And just a short while later it will become toasty and brown and in around 5 minutes time you will be finished and ready to serve.
I made a simple sauce, which was a reduction of white wine, Sambuca (for the aniseed flavor) and some lemon jam... this went wonderfully with the cheese and made for a delicious combination. You could serve these as starters with the sauce as a dip... but as for me- I just dished them up and enjoyed a whole plateful of them just so!
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