Draining Ravioli

[JonK]

One of our quick, last-minute-style meals is ravioli with a simple tomato or other easy sauce. We're fortunate enough to have a good grocery that stocks frozen ravioli with interesting fillings, and dinner can be on the table (with a side salad) in less than 20 minutes. (We also like making our own ravioli, but that's another story.)

The problem is draining the ravioli so they do not water down the sauce. I use a skimmer to lift a few packets out of the simmering water and drain over the pot. Then I transfer to a collander for further draining. I've even tried blotting lightly with a paper towel.

Nonetheless, when I plate the ravioli and top with the sauce, I often find that after a few miniutes I see the sauce becoming watery.

Where did my boy go wrong, officer? Or is this just the nature of the beast?

[notoriouslyKEN]

Maybe a salad spinner would help to drain the raviolis.

[panini]

JonK,
I am not a professional Italian chef but I usually cook mine aldente and retrieve mine from the water as you do. Then I let them rest to a point where they seem to stop releasing water and start to get absorbent. I then reheat them in the sauce so the sauce is absorbed.

[phatch]

Panini seems to be on the track I'd take. Cook the short of al dente, then finish in the sauce.

[bizkit]

Watery sauces? I really don't understand. It seemes to me that the sauce you adding the rav to isn't in a pot or sautee pan. Try putting some heat to the sauce (in a pan) as your add in the rav. Let it cook for a couple of seconds then try plating it up. Be careful if it's a cream sauce.

[Blueicus]

Yes, definitely allow it to cook in the sauce for half a minute or so before plating. However, adequate draining shouldn't cause water to leak out unless the ravioli didn't completely hold together.

[TomBrooklyn]

I think sometimes some of the ravioli spring a leak and some water gets in them.

[JonK]

Thank you all for the suggestions. I'll definitely try the "heating in sauce" approach (which falls into the "how simple--why didn't I think of it" category--duh!). We have been just plating the ravs and spooning the sauce over.

[shel]

Originally Posted by panini

JonK,
I am not a professional Italian chef but I usually cook mine aldente and retrieve mine from the water as you do. Then I let them rest to a point where they seem to stop releasing water and start to get absorbent. I then reheat them in the sauce so the sauce is absorbed.

It's perfect that this thread popped up. I'm about ready to go out and buy some "home made" ravioli from one of the local Italian delis.

What do you think of just cooking the ravs in sauce, and skipping the boil-in-water routine altogether?

Shel

[cwshields]

Originally Posted by shel

What do you think of just cooking the ravs in sauce, and skipping the boil-in-water routine altogether?

Shel

I would think the ravioli might be gummy and the sauce starchy and thick. I tried making lasange without cooking the noodles first once, the noodles had an un-pleasant starchy flavor and had a gummy consitancy. But I used dried pasta, maybe fresh pasta with work.

[fliggie]

Drain the raviolis and sit the waterless pan with the raviolis in it back down on the stove to the remainder of the water steam out of it. Add a little bit olive oil to coat them, and toss, before setting back down on an electric stove which might still be hot. Just takes a few minutes for the steamed water to come out.

I would toss them into the sauce after that. They should cook right in the gravy frozen, if you prefer.

[shel]

What I did was to cook 'em about 1/2 - 2/3 the way done, drain 'em carefully, put them back into the warm pot with a little olive oil, added the sauce, and let 'em finish cooking that way. Worked out very well, IMO. I suppose other techniques would work as well, but here's the thing. If you cook the ravioli completely and add it to sauce that is hot ore will be further heated, it's possible the ravs might over cook. Juyst my guess as I'm not a ravioli expert.

Shel