Fried Ravioli Caprese Stacks

16.07.2013 Jackie Dodd-Mallory (Senior Editor) 29 Comments

Back in January I very vaguely mentioned that I was involved in a Super Secret project that involved being sequestered without phone or internet for almost a week. My intention was not to be ambiguous, but to adhere to the Non Disclosure agreement I signed with Lifetime TV. Yesterday I was finally able to start talking about what I was working on, and if you follow me in Instagram, you already know.

I was on a brand new TV show with the Lifetime Network called Supermarket Superstars. The premise of the show is to take people with great ideas for food related products and turn those ideas into product lines on grocery store shelves. The producers of Shark Tank and Project Runway joined forces for the show.

The producers were amazing, really wanting everyone to root for us all. It was obvious in everything we did, they wanted us to talk about ourselves, our brands, our websites (my book!), and even cast the show with people you want to see succed. It’s not a show that’s full of cliche characters you want to see fail. They cast the show full of really wonderful people, really great ideas and fascinating stories.

(Photo on the right by Erika Kerekes of In Erika’s Kitchen)

Stacy Keibler, Debbi Fields (THE Miss Fields Cookies), Chef Michael Chiarello, and branding expert Chris Cornyn guided us through this process with so much encouragement and faith in what we could be. "We want you all to win!" I just kept hearing, the entire staff cheering us on, giving us amazing feedback, and they couldn’t stop talking about the opportunities this type of exposure could bring us. It was a great show to be a part of.

I spent the time developing a line of beer infused food products, you’ll have to watch the show to see what happens. It airs on July 22 on Lifetime TV at 10pm. My episode airs on August 22nd at 10:30pm, and even features my husband my little Tater! They spent an entire day just following us around, filming me with my family and friends, cooking, photographing, editing, and even (of course) drinking beer at a local brewery.

Once the show airs, I’ll give you an update and some behind the scenes info that I’m not able to share right now. Until then I have a fun little appetizer that I hope you love.

Fried Ravioli Caprese Stacks

Ingredients

• Oil for frying
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup milk
• 2 cups Italian breadcrumbs
• 9 weight ounces prepared fresh (not dried) Cheese Ravioli
• 5 ounces cherry tomatoes, sliced
• 6 ounces Ciliegine sized Mozzarella Balls
• 5 leaves basil, ribboned
• 3 tbs balsamic glaze

Instructions

1. Place about 5 inches of oil in a pot over medium high heat. Attach a deep fry thermometer and adjust heat to maintain between 325F and 350F.
2. In a small bowl beat together the eggs and milk.
3. In a separate bowl add the Italian bread crumbs.
4. Working in batches dip the raviolis in the milk mixture and then dredge in the bread crumbs.
5. Fry until golden brown on both sides, about 1-2 minutes per side. Use a metal slotted spoon to remove from oil, allow to drain on a stack of paper towels.
6. Place half of the raviolis on a serving platter. Top with a slice of mozzarella, and then a slice of tomato, some basil and a drizzle of balsamic glaze. Top with remaining raviolis, secure stack with a toothpick.

Notes

It’s best to use small raviolis for this, look for ones (or make some) that are about 1 1/2 inch square.