Pasta Analogue - Keto Tortellini/Ravioli

[mific]

I found a couple of mentions of this on the internet and tried it, but I have to say, with limited success.

The basic principle is simple: instead of flour-based pasta for the wrapper, you use a thin slice of cheese to make the dumpling wrapper.

The recipes I located used thin rounds of provolone, which I can't get here. I tried with mozarella slices and processed cheese slices and both worked to some degree, the mozarella being better.

First you need to make the filling. Mine was the Bolognese-style meat sauce I used in the keto lasagne I posted here recently. Have this ready, warm but not too hot. To complete the dish properly you also need a finishing sauce, like a tomato-based Italian sauce made from simmering onions, garlic, tomato paste or purée, Italian herbs, S&P, until it's thick. But any Italian sauce would do, like creamy mushrooms, etc. This sauce needs to be kept on low heat to be hot for serving, as the rest of the dish won't be piping hot when you plate it. Another option is to fill the tortellini with a sautéed vegetable mix like leeks, onions and garlic, and use a Bolognese-style meat sauce to finish the dish.

You put the cheese slices on baking paper on a tray and bake in the oven briefly, only about 2 minutes, and this timing is the tricky part. Need to experiment with your oven as you need the cheese soft and sticky but still intact and not melting and losing shape. Very soon, after you take it out of the oven, it cools and firms up, so only put a small number in at a time - I'd say not more than 4 slices. 

As soon as you take the warmed cheese out of the oven, put a tsp of filling in each and fold over to seal them, crimping the sticky cheese edges with a fork or your fingers. If the cheese is too cool it won't stick to itself so you're on the clock here!

The resulting dumplings won't stand up to cooking of course, as the cheese wrapper would melt, so you plate them right away (they're rich, so a serving would only be 4-6). Then cover them with the simmering sauce, which warms them a bit, and eat immediately.

As mentioned, I had some technical difficulties with this recipe. It was hard to get the timing just right and it was fiddly trying to get the wrappers to stick and seal. You can put them back in the oven briefly to help with this, though.

On the plus side, they were delicious, as the cheese wrapper is tastier than a bland pasta one. But overall, I think they're probably a little too fiddly for me to bother with often, although making them probably gets easier with practice. 

 

Comments

[jesse_the_k]

This is an intriguing idea!

Although more expensive, this could be a great way to use the high-protein, zero-carb egg white wrappers.

[mific]

It could be, yes - I can't get those where I am, though. But would they stick to themselves when re-heated? I contemplated cutting up my low-carb wraps for these but again the sticking/sealing. Maybe with an egg-wash, I guess, then baking them like real pastry, but that means making loads of them or wasting most of the egg wash. But I guess you could fridge or freeze the extras.

ETA: actually, making mini-cannelloni out of them might work better - fill them and roll them then put them in a baking dish and cover with the sauce and grated cheese and bake. Or mini enchiladas if using a spicier filling and sauce.