Frog Leg and Shrimp Ravioli
I don't actually know where to put this one. It has elements of American South, French and Italian. It has fishy things in it so I decided to put it here.
I don't actually know where to put this one. It has elements of American South, French and Italian. It has fishy things in it so I decided to put it here.
- 2 eggs
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp salt
- water as needed
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- pasta dough
- 1 tsp garlic minced
- 4 pair frog legs split
- 1 large egg beaten with 1 tbsp water
- 2 tsp cajun spice
- 15 ea 32/45 shrimp cooked, tail off, chopped
- Carbohydrate 143.483701386692 g
- Cholesterol 291.87 mg
- Fat 8.73757785917697 g
- Fiber 5.17607046656189 g
- Protein 28.0720213880284 g
- Saturated Fat 2.43775207721648 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (257g)
- Sodium 100.721255834601 mg
- Sugar 138.30763092013 g
- Trans Fat 1.76488682319687 g
- Calories 780 calories
Step-by-step
- Start by making the dough for the Ravioli. In large bowl mix flour and salt and Cajun Seasoning. Make a well in the center and add slightly beaten eggs. Fold over flour into liquid until all the flour is incorporated. Add enough water to make the dough stick together but not sticky. Knead for five minutes. Cover tightly and store in refrigerator.
- In a large bowl mix flour, Cajun Seasoning, Salt, Pepper and Cayenne. Dredge frog legs in egg then in flour mixture once. Do not double batter. Heat oil in skillet to about 360 degrees. Fry frog legs till done, about 6 minutes total, turning as needed. Remove from heat and let cool for handling.
- Pull frog leg meat off and place in food processor along with chopped shrimp. Pulse till well chopped but not pureed. Transfer back to bowl and season with Salt and Pepper. Add a little more Cajun Seasoning to taste. Refrigerate.
- Roll out dough into 2 inch wide strips. Get them as thin as you can or run them through a pasta press. Lay 1 strip on counter with a little bench flour. Place 1 tbsp of shrimp and frog leg mixture on pasta. Seperate by 1/2 inch and add another till pasta strip is full with about 1/2 inch blank on each end. Wet all around the edges of the pasta with a brush and be sure to wet between the filling too. Place another strip on top of the first and press between the filling mounds with the side of your hand then press all around. Cut into individual raviolis and crimp edges with a fork. Try not to puncture the mound.
- Boil pasta for about 5 minutes. This is fresh pasta so it does not take as long to cook as dried.
- While the pasta is cooking place 1 tbsp butter in sauce pan and melt, add 1 tbsp flour and cook to peanut butter colored, stirring frequently. Add cream and stir till thickened over medium low heat. Do not let come to rolling boil. Add 1 tsp of chicken soup base and incorporate. Reduce to bare simmer.
- When pasta is done remove to wire rack and let drain. Place a few on a plate and cover with a few tablespoons of sauce. Sprinkle with Paprika and serve.
Processing delicate proteins for a handmade pasta filling requires strict temperature control to prevent the fats from rendering prematurely in the food processor. Cold ingredients from the refrigerator keep the mixture cohesive during pulsing, avoiding a pasty texture. Pulse the seafood and deboned frog meat just until finely chopped, leaving enough structural integrity so the filling does not turn into a heavy emulsion. Resting the kneaded pasta dough wrapped tightly in plastic for at least thirty minutes allows the gluten strands to relax, which makes rolling thin sheets significantly easier without tearing.
Frying the frog legs at precisely 360 degrees Fahrenheit ensures a crisp exterior without overcooking the lean meat before it gets stripped from the bone. Single-dredging the legs in a light egg wash and seasoned flour creates a thin coating that absorbs minimal frying oil, keeping the filling from becoming greasy once combined with the shrimp. Letting the cooked meat cool completely on a wire rack before pulsing stops residual heat from starting the proteins prematurely. Thoroughly chilling the final filling mixture solidifies the fats, making the small mounds much easier to handle when spooning them onto the pasta strips.
Sealing fresh ravioli demands careful moisture control along the edges to prevent the pasta seams from bursting open during boiling. Brushing a beaten egg wash around each filling mound creates a strong protein bond when the top pasta sheet is pressed down firmly. Pressing out trapped air pockets around the filling prevents internal steam from expanding and rupturing the dough during cooking. Crimping the edges securely with the tines of a fork locks the two sheets together mechanically, while keeping the dough thickness uniform ensures the folded seams cook through at the same rate as the center.
Boiling fresh pasta takes significantly less time than dried varieties, usually finishing in about five minutes once dropped into salted water. Swapping proteins alters this baseline significantly if moisture levels change; substituting larger shrimp or alternative white-meat fish requires adjusting the amount of added flour in the dough to compensate for extra water weight. Overworking the flour and liquid during the initial mixing stage develops tough gluten, resulting in a rubbery chew that overpowers the delicate texture of the filling. Monitor the simmering cream sauce closely to maintain a bare simmer, preventing the dairy from breaking or separating over direct heat.
