GOAT CHEESE RAVIOLI WITH BELL PEPPERS AND BROWN BUTTER

Part of the plan for 2014 is to have more meatless entrees.  The diners haven't been entirely onboard (witness the black and wild rice salad), so I'm easing them into it with dishes that include cheese.  This recipe, from Bon Apetit September 2007, has been hanging around in my recipe box since then. It seems fairly straightforward when you read the recipe, but there were significant challenges in the execution at the end.  In the end it looked okay and tasted great.

Goat Cheese Ravioli with Bell Peppers and Brown Butter

Bell Peppers:

2 small red bell peppers
2 small yellow bell peppers
1 small green pepper
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion (omitted here)
1/2 cup diced seeded tomatoes
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper

Ravioli:

Cornmeal for sprinkling
8 ounces soft fresh goat cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for sprinkling
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
2 Tablespoons chopped assorted fresh herbs (such as basil, chives, mint, and tarragon)
18 won ton wrappers

4 Tablespoons (2 oz) unsalted butter
Toasted pine nuts
Thinly sliced pitted nicoise olives

For bell peppers:

Char all peppers over gas flame or in broiler until blackened on all sides.

Place in paper bag; seal and let stand at room temperature 15 minutes.

 Peel and seed peppers; chop.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and tomatoes and cook until onion begins to brown, about 4 minutes.  Reduce heat to low; cook until vegetables are very soft and onion is brown, stirring often, about 15 minutes.  Add chopped peppers and vinegar.  Season with salt and pepper.

DO AHEAD:  Can be made 1 day ahead.  Cover; chill.

For ravioli:

Lightly sprinkle rimmed baking sheet with cornmeal.  Mix 8 ounces goat cheese, 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, mascarpone and herbs in medium bowl.  Arrange 6 wonton wrappers on work surface.  Place 1 Tablespoon cheese filling in center of each wrapper.

Using a wetted fingertip, dampen edges of wrappers with water.  Fold all 4 corners up to meet in center, forming a pyramid shape; seal all 4 edges tightly.  Pinch top to seal.

Place on prepared baking sheet.  Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.

Here's where things got dicey.  I think they were too soft, and that in future I would actually freeze them for about an hour before cooking.  I did chill them for an hour in the refrigerator, and the first batch did okay, but then they got all soggy and difficult to work with.  I think they'll hold their shape better frozen.

DO AHEAD:  Can be made 8 hours ahead.  Cover and chill (really, freeze them).

Cook butter in large skillet over medium heat until beginning to brown, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes.  (Note:  I got tremendous splatter doing this, which only got worse when I put the slightly wet ravioli in...which necessitated getting out the Swiffer wet after dinner).

Cook ravioli in pot of gently boiling salted water until tender, about 4 minutes (or even  less).  Transfer ravioli to skillet with browned butter.  Toss over medium heat.  (At this point mine looked more like wonton soup dumplings than the pointy things you see above.)

Meanwhile, rewarm bell pepper mixture; divide among 6 plates.  Using slotted spoon, top peppers on each plate with 3 ravioli.  Drizzle with any remaining brown butter.  Sprinkle with Parmesan, toasted pine nuts and olives.

Serves 6.