When it's okay to cheat

I've heard lots of people talk about the power of the humble wonton wrapper. So in an effort to 'fake it' and make a 'knock their socks off' meal with little effort, I invited Pete and Michelle over for dinner at 4.15pm on a Saturday night and crossed my fingers I could pull it off by the time they arrived at 7pm! (And that included a trip to the supermarket to buy supplies!)

I've seen a few recipes for ravioli here and there but wanted to keep mine very simple - a la Donna Hay's philosophy. Fast. Fresh. Simple. She speaks my language that woman.

I'm loving her new show on Lifestyle Channel - it's so much more accessible and realistic than all those other cooking shows out there.

And voila! I did alright! It almost looks like her version! My little pockets of fabulousness did stick together a bit in the boiling water which made serving difficult, but I am prepared to try again in an effort to perfect my technique.

It was so easy and oh so yummy - Michelle and Pete were both very impressed and it took no time at all to put together when they got here.

Making the ravioli was a little time consuming but on a sunny Saturday afternoon with some Buble in the background, I was in a happy place!

My friend Cat's Mum would have a heart attack if she heard I was substituting home made pasta for store bought wonton wrappers, but I'm on the bandwagon and not ready to get off!

I added pinenuts to Donna's recipe, and also some lemon rind and lemon juice to the ricotta mix. It just lightened it a bit. Would also be great with sage rather than oregano.

For lunch the next day, I tossed the leftover ravioli parcels in a light dressing of grated zucchini, lemon rind, spring onion and pinenuts that I stirfried quickly in the pan with some lemon juice. A much lighter alternative to the decadent brown butter sauce! (It was a bit like the deeelish pasta dish that Brooke did for our Ladies Lunch)

I can't wait to try some more combinations - perhaps with some meat next time!

Cheat's Pumpkin and Ricotta Ravioli Ingredients 550g pumpkin, peeled and chopped 1 tablespoon olive oil 250g ricotta ½ cup (40g) finely grated parmesan 1 tablespoon oregano leaves, roughly chopped 1 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped sea salt and cracked black pepper 20 wonton wrappers finely grated parmesan, extra, to serve brown butter sauce 50g butter 4 sprigs oregano Method

1. Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F).


2. Place pumpkin on a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper.


3. Sprinkle with oil and bake for 20–25 minutes or until golden.


4. Combine the ricotta, parmesan, oregano, parsley, salt and pepper. (NB. I added juice of half a lemon and some lemon rind as well)


5. Place 2 teaspoons of the ricotta mixture and 2 pieces of pumpkin on half the wontons. (NB. I'd only use one teaspoon in future - my first few oozed when I sealed them and were a bit messy in the saucepan)


6. Brush the wonton edges with water and top with remaining wontons. Press the edges to seal.


7. To make the brown butter sauce, cook the butter and oregano in a saucepan over low heat until butter is lightly browned and oregano is crisp. (NB. I added pinenuts for a bit of crunch. Walnuts would also be delish, as would some blue cheese added right at the end!)


8. Cook the ravioli in a large saucepan of boiling salted water for 3–4 minutes or until al dente. (NB. The ravioli floats to the top of the water when it's ready - easy trick!)


9. Drain and serve with remaining pumpkin, brown butter sauce and extra parmesan.

Serves two - I doubled it and it worked just as well