Weekend Cooking...Chocolate-Hazelnut Ravioli

Are you familiar with Nutella?

I must say, that in my opinion, it is one of the most tasty product out there. What is it? Well, according to their web site, it is a creamy spread made from a combination of toasted hazelnuts. skim milk and cocoa. In it's earliest form, it was created by Pietro Ferrero about 1940. At the time in Italy, there was a shortage of chocolate due to WWII rationing, so he made a spread with the very plentiful local nuts and a small amount of chocolate and so was born this wonderful substance.
I understand that it is much more popular in Europe than it is in the US and is often eaten there on bread or toast as a breakfast food. Personally, my favorite way of eating it, I must confess, is just with a spoon, out of the jar.

But if you are looking for something a little more elaborate, I will offer this recipe from Giada De Laurentiis. If you have ever watched her TV show on the Food Network, you know that she too is a big Nutella fan, perhaps even more than I am.

This recipe is very easy, very quick, and makes a rather elegant, delicious dessert. She recommends a serving of two ravioli each and you can see from the recipe that she tops her with a fried mint leaf dredged in sugar. I had no mint, so I served mine with some lovely fresh berries from my garden, all dusted with a little powered sugar.
Now, she says you can keep them warm in the oven, or even make them the day before and reheat them. I can't testify to that, since mine have never lasted more than a minute or two after they were cooked. :-)

Chocolate-Hazelnut Ravioli
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients
16 wonton wrappers
1 egg, beaten to blend
1/2 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread (recommended: Nutella)
Vegetable oil, for frying
16 fresh mint leaves
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
Granulated sugar, for dredging
Powdered sugar, for dusting

Directions
Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap. Place 1 wonton wrapper on the work surface. Brush the edges of the wrapper lightly with egg. Spoon 1 teaspoon of chocolate-hazelnut spread into the center of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper diagonally in half over the filling and press the edges of the wrapper to seal. Place the ravioli on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining wonton wrappers, egg, and chocolate-hazelnut spread.
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Add enough oil to a heavy large frying pan to reach a depth of 2 inches. Heat the oil over medium heat to 350 degrees F.
Working in batches, carefully add the ravioli to the hot oil and cook until they are golden brown, about 45 seconds per side. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the ravioli to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Then, transfer the cooked ravioli to another baking sheet and keep them warm in the oven while frying the remaining ravioli. (The fried ravioli can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool them completely, then cover and refrigerate. Before serving, place them on a baking sheet and rewarm in a preheated 375 degrees F oven just until they are heated through, about 7 minutes.)
Spray the top side of the mint leaves very lightly with nonstick spray. Working with 1 leaf at a time, dredge the coated side of the leaves in sugar to coat lightly.

Arrange 2 fried ravioli on each plate. Dust the ravioli with powdered sugar. Garnish with the sugared mint leaves and serve.

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This is my contribution this to this week's Weekend Cooking.
"Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend."
Be sure to check out the other entries this week. As always, hosted by Beth Fish Reads.

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