Shrimp Ravioli with Rosa Vodka Sauce

There is almost nothing I love more than seafood, specifically shrimp. Adam and I finally had time to grocery shop and luckily for us, gulf shrimp was on sale. I bought a pound and thought about what to do with it, going back and forth between ideas - Italian eventually trumped Asian. I didn't want just normal pasta though, we practically live off of it when we have no other groceries. Then it hit me: ravioli. The last batch I made was just ok. I was not crazy about the spinach filling so I figured this time I would make a shrimp filling. It turned out great, so great that I only have 6 leftover...

Shrimp Ravioli with Vodka Sauce

• 1 lb raw shrimp (peeled, deveined, and tails removed)
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (15 ounce) container light ricotta cheese
• 2 egg yolks
• 3 tablespoons fresh grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon garlic and onion spice blend (I prefer The Gourmet Collection)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• Fresh chopped parsley
• 44 wonton wrappers
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2/3 cup vodka
• 3/4 cup fat free half and half
• 1 (28 ounce) can pureed tomatoes (no salt added)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

Cook shrimp in 3 tablespoons butter with 2 cloves garlic until pink. Drain and place shrimp in food processor to roughly chop (do NOT puree). Once chopped, pour in medium bowl. Add ricotta cheese, egg yolks, Parmesan cheese, garlic and onion spice blend, salt, pepper, and fresh parsley. Mix and set aside.

Place 1 tablespoon of filling in the center of a wonton wrapper. Lightly brush water along the edges of wonton wrapper and place a second wonton wrapper on top, enclosing the filling completely. Using a fork, crimp the edges of the ravioli and set on a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining wonton wrappers (you will end up with 22 ravioli total). Ravioli can be refrigerated for up to 2 hours.

As ravioli sets, melt 5 tablespoons unsalted butter in a saucepan. Add red pepper flakes and 2 cloves garlic - cook for one minute. Add vodka and simmer for 4 minutes or until alcohol has mostly cooked out. Add pureed tomatoes, half and half, chopped parsley (I used about 1/4 cup), and garlic salt. Simmer for 10 minutes and add salt to taste.

While sauce is cooking, work in batches and cook ravioli in a large pot of salted and oiled boiling water for 4 minutes per batch (the oil will keep the ravioli from sticking to each other). Transfer ravioli to a large shallow bowl or plate and top with vodka sauce and grated Parmesan cheese.