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Fried Grouse Ravioli

My shortcut for homemade ravioli is using Chinese wonton wrappers. No, the dough won’t feel and taste like the real pasta, but when coated and fried, these crispy and meaty bites will satisfy anyone.

Ingredients

Filling

Coating

Instructions

Step #1 Quarter grouse, and place breasts and legs in a slow cooker. Submerge with chicken stock and cook on low overnight (or on high for faster cooking) until tender. Shred meat and remove all bones.

Step #2 Preheat oven to 400° Fahrenheit. Peel butternut squash and remove seeds. Cut squash into 1½-inch cubes and spread out onto a cookie sheet lined with foil. Coat with oil and lightly season with salt. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until very tender and slightly caramelized. Allow to cool.

Step #3 To make the ravioli filling, place the following in a food processor: 1 cup (more or less) of shredded grouse meat, 1 cup roasted butternut squash, ½ cup ricotta cheese, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon oregano, ¼ cup grated Parmesan and ½ teaspoon fine sea salt. Pulse until smooth – it should resemble a thick paste like pâté. Taste for seasoning. Scoop filling into a gallon-size zip-top bag.

Step #4 Keep stack of wonton wrappers covered with a tea towel while you work. Snip off one bottom corner of the zip-top bag of meat filling and “pipe” about 1 tablespoon onto the middle of one wonton wrapper. Keep a small bowl of water nearby to moisten the edge of the wrapper. Take a second wrapper and seal to make a ravioli, being careful not to introduce air bubbles. Use a fork to crimp the edge. Repeat until you run out of filling. Keep ravioli on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and cover with a towel to prevent drying. Assembly is faster with a second set of hands.

Step #5 In a wide, shallow bowl, combine Italian breadcrumbs and Panko. In a second bowl, whisk eggs until foamy and no longer “goopy;” then add milk. To double coat, dip one ravioli in egg, then in the breadcrumbs – shaking off excess, back in the egg, and in the breadcrumbs again. Lay coated ravioli on parchment-lined cookie sheet(s), and do not overlap. Freeze ravioli for at least 15 minutes before frying or, freeze all the way through and fry later. You can transfer completely frozen ravioli into zip-top bags for storage.

Step #6 In a heavy frying pan, heat about 1 inch of oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Deep fry ravioli in batches until golden and crispy on both sides, flipping halfway through. Drain and serve with warm marinara sauce for dipping.

Recipe Card

Fried Grouse Ravioli

Written by Jenny and Rick Wheatley Visit : Visit authors website

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Prep Time: 30 min - Cook Time: 1 Hour

Ingredients

Frying oil

Marinara sauce, warmed

Filling

1 sharp-tailed grouse or prairie chicken

1 quart of chicken stock

1 small butternut squash

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup(s) whole milk ricotta cheese

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/4 cup(s) grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp fine sea salt, plus extra

Coating

1 package round wonton/dumpling wrappers

1 1/2 cup(s) Progresso Italian Style Breadcrumbs, plus extra

1 1/2 cup(s) Panko breadcrumbs, plus extra

4 eggs

2/3 cup(s) Milk

Instructions

Step #1 - Quarter grouse, and place breasts and legs in a slow cooker. Submerge with chicken stock and cook on low overnight (or on high for faster cooking) until tender. Shred meat and remove all bones.

Step #2 - Preheat oven to 400° Fahrenheit. Peel butternut squash and remove seeds. Cut squash into 1½-inch cubes and spread out onto a cookie sheet lined with foil. Coat with oil and lightly season with salt. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until very tender and slightly caramelized. Allow to cool.

Step #3 - To make the ravioli filling, place the following in a food processor: 1 cup (more or less) of shredded grouse meat, 1 cup roasted butternut squash, ½ cup ricotta cheese, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon oregano, ¼ cup grated Parmesan and ½ teaspoon fine sea salt. Pulse until smooth – it should resemble a thick paste like pâté. Taste for seasoning. Scoop filling into a gallon-size zip-top bag.

Step #4 - Keep stack of wonton wrappers covered with a tea towel while you work. Snip off one bottom corner of the zip-top bag of meat filling and “pipe” about 1 tablespoon onto the middle of one wonton wrapper. Keep a small bowl of water nearby to moisten the edge of the wrapper. Take a second wrapper and seal to make a ravioli, being careful not to introduce air bubbles. Use a fork to crimp the edge. Repeat until you run out of filling. Keep ravioli on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and cover with a towel to prevent drying. Assembly is faster with a second set of hands.

Step #5 - In a wide, shallow bowl, combine Italian breadcrumbs and Panko. In a second bowl, whisk eggs until foamy and no longer “goopy;” then add milk. To double coat, dip one ravioli in egg, then in the breadcrumbs – shaking off excess, back in the egg, and in the breadcrumbs again. Lay coated ravioli on parchment-lined cookie sheet(s), and do not overlap. Freeze ravioli for at least 15 minutes before frying or, freeze all the way through and fry later. You can transfer completely frozen ravioli into zip-top bags for storage.

Step #6 - In a heavy frying pan, heat about 1 inch of oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Deep fry ravioli in batches until golden and crispy on both sides, flipping halfway through. Drain and serve with warm marinara sauce for dipping.

About the Author

Jenny and Rick Wheatley

Jenny and Rick Wheatley both grew up in Southern California and connected over a shared love of the outdoors. They started their wild game cooking blog Food for Hunters in 2011, where they share recipes, photos and thoughts on wild food. Today, Jenny and Rick continue to hunt, fish, forage and cook in the Cornhusker State of Nebraska. Their recipes have appeared in numerous publications, including Petersens Hunting, Game and Fish, Nebraskaland and North American Whitetail magazines.

The Nebraska Center for the Book awarded their book Hunting for Food: Guide to Harvesting, Field Dressing and Cooking Wild Game the Wildlife Honor Award in 2016.

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