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Three crispy fried venison ravioli dusted with grated cheese beside marinara sauce

Fried Venison Ravioli

  • Duration

    2 hours

  • Serves

    4 to 6
Chef’s notes

While making homemade ravioli, my shortcut is using Chinese wonton wrappers. Although the dough might not feel and taste like the real thing, when coated and fried, these crispy and meaty bites will satisfy anyone. Wonton wrappers are thin and allow the venison filling to take center stage.

Fried ravioli

Ingredients

Filling

  • 1 lb. ground venison
  • ¾ tsp. kosher salt
  • ½ tsp. dried basil
  • ¼ tsp. dried thyme
  • ¼ tsp. dried oregano
  • 1 ½ cups whole-milk ricotta cheese
  • 5 dashes Worcestershire sauce
  • Freshly cracked pepper
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Coating

  • 1 package round wonton wrappers
  • 1 ½ cups Italian style breadcrumbs, plus extra
  • 1 ½ cups panko breadcrumbs, plus extra
  • 4 eggs
  • ⅔ cup milk
  • Frying oil
  • Marinara sauce for dipping

Also works with

Any ground meat

Special equipment

Large cast iron pot

Preparation

  1. In a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat and brown ground venison with ¾ teaspoon of salt. Transfer meat to a food processor and allow to cool. Then add the remaining filling ingredients and pulse into a smooth paste. Transfer filling mixture into a gallon-sized zip-top bag.

  2. Keep a stack of wonton wrappers covered with a tea towel while you work. Snip off a bottom corner of the zip-top bag of meat filling and “pipe” about 1 tablespoon onto the middle of one wonton wrapper. Keep a small bowl of water nearby to moisten the edge of the wrapper. Lay a second wrapper on top and seal to make a ravioli, being careful not to introduce air bubbles. Use a fork to crimp the edge. Repeat until you run out of filling. Keep ravioli on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and cover with a towel to prevent drying; I ended up with 24 raviolis.

  3. In a wide, shallow bowl, combine Italian and panko breadcrumbs. In a second bowl, whisk eggs until they become foamy. Add the milk and whisk until combined.

  4. To double coat, dip one ravioli in the egg and then in the breadcrumbs. Shake off the excess and dip back in the egg and then the breadcrumbs again. Lay coated ravioli on parchment-lined cookie sheets and do not overlap. Freeze ravioli for at least 15 minutes before frying or freeze all the way through and fry later. You can transfer completely frozen ravioli into zip-top bags for storage.

  5. In a cast iron pan, heat about 1 inch of oil to 350°F. Deep fry ravioli in batches until golden and crispy on both sides, flipping halfway through. Drain and serve with marinara sauce for dipping.

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Fried Venison Ravioli

Recipe by:Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley
Three crispy fried venison ravioli dusted with grated cheese beside marinara sauce
  • Duration

    2 hours

  • Serves

    4 to 6
Chef’s notes

While making homemade ravioli, my shortcut is using Chinese wonton wrappers. Although the dough might not feel and taste like the real thing, when coated and fried, these crispy and meaty bites will satisfy anyone. Wonton wrappers are thin and allow the venison filling to take center stage.

Fried ravioli

Ingredients

Filling

  • 1 lb. ground venison
  • ¾ tsp. kosher salt
  • ½ tsp. dried basil
  • ¼ tsp. dried thyme
  • ¼ tsp. dried oregano
  • 1 ½ cups whole-milk ricotta cheese
  • 5 dashes Worcestershire sauce
  • Freshly cracked pepper
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Coating

  • 1 package round wonton wrappers
  • 1 ½ cups Italian style breadcrumbs, plus extra
  • 1 ½ cups panko breadcrumbs, plus extra
  • 4 eggs
  • ⅔ cup milk
  • Frying oil
  • Marinara sauce for dipping

Also works with

Any ground meat

Special equipment

Large cast iron pot

Preparation

  1. In a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat and brown ground venison with ¾ teaspoon of salt. Transfer meat to a food processor and allow to cool. Then add the remaining filling ingredients and pulse into a smooth paste. Transfer filling mixture into a gallon-sized zip-top bag.

  2. Keep a stack of wonton wrappers covered with a tea towel while you work. Snip off a bottom corner of the zip-top bag of meat filling and “pipe” about 1 tablespoon onto the middle of one wonton wrapper. Keep a small bowl of water nearby to moisten the edge of the wrapper. Lay a second wrapper on top and seal to make a ravioli, being careful not to introduce air bubbles. Use a fork to crimp the edge. Repeat until you run out of filling. Keep ravioli on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and cover with a towel to prevent drying; I ended up with 24 raviolis.

  3. In a wide, shallow bowl, combine Italian and panko breadcrumbs. In a second bowl, whisk eggs until they become foamy. Add the milk and whisk until combined.

  4. To double coat, dip one ravioli in the egg and then in the breadcrumbs. Shake off the excess and dip back in the egg and then the breadcrumbs again. Lay coated ravioli on parchment-lined cookie sheets and do not overlap. Freeze ravioli for at least 15 minutes before frying or freeze all the way through and fry later. You can transfer completely frozen ravioli into zip-top bags for storage.

  5. In a cast iron pan, heat about 1 inch of oil to 350°F. Deep fry ravioli in batches until golden and crispy on both sides, flipping halfway through. Drain and serve with marinara sauce for dipping.