There's a fungus among us.

I love mushrooms. There's no denying it. Shiitake, enoki, porcini, cremini, white button, oyster - you name it, I'll eat it! Imagine my excitement when I saw Val was hosting this week's BSI and picked mushrooms! Woooo!

I originally planned on making something this weekend until I remembered I had a mid-week dinner date with V! We haven't had a chance to catch up since our 5 hour chat in October! ;p Luckily she's a mushroom fan - I gave her two mushroomy dishes to vote on for my submission:

Mushroom Wonton Ravioli

and Mushroom & Artichoke Risotto

The winner? Mushroom Wonton Ravioli!

I had done some research (aka tons of Googling) and I knew that there were some pros and cons to using wonton wrappers for ravioli. A lot of people complained about the wateriness of the final product, but honestly, I think I liked that texture. In hindsight, I'd probably get a better scoop so I could properly strain the raviolis as they finished boiling.

Totally winged the filling based on a few things: 1) I knew I had to get a fairly strong flavor going 2) I needed a base that included ricotta and egg 3) breadcrumbs are not the enemy.

I hope you enjoy my BSI creation!! The mushroom showdown 'loser' recipe will be posted later...still have to figure out how much of what I used :\

Mushroom Wonton Ravioli
1 c cremini mushrooms, diced
1/2 c white button mushrooms, diced
1 shallot, minced
1 tbsp butter
1 clove butter, minced
1/4 tsp rosemary, minced
1 sprig thyme
2 tbsp sherry
1 1/2 tbsp part skim ricotta
3 tbsp parrano cheese, grated
1 egg, beaten and divided into two bowls
salt
pepper
1 tbsp panko
16 wonton wrappers

Heat butter in a pan and saute shallot until softened. Add mushrooms and cook for 3-5 minutes over medium heat. Add garlic, rosemary and thyme and cook for another two minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper. Add sherry and cook over medium high heat until most of the liquid has evaporated. Place mixture in a bowl and set aside to cool.

Bring 6 quarts of water and salt to a steady boil.

Add ricotta, parrano and half the beaten egg to the cooled mushroom mixture and mix well with a fork (ricotta will begin to take on a dark brown color). Slowly add panko to the mixture to absorb some of the excess moisture. You may not need the whole tablespoon.

Using a small ice cream scoop, or a heaping 1/2 tablespoon, place mushroom mixture in the middle of 8 wonton wrappers. Swipe the sides of the wrapper with the remaining beaten egg and top with a wonton wrapper. To secure edges, press a fork on the edges to crimp them shut.

Drop ravioli into boiling water for 3-4 minutes each or until they start to float to the surface. Do not overcrowd pot. Serve immediately drizzled with Sage Butter Sauce.

Sage Butter Sauce
2 tbsp butter
4 sage leaves
1 tbsp white wine
2 tbsp heavy cream

Melt butter over medium low heat in the same skillet used to cook the mushrooms. Add sage leaves and cook for 2 minutes before adding wine. Cook for 2 minutes and then whisk in cream.

Just a little note - this is what I intended to do with the sauce, until I opened the fridge post wine and realized I only had skim milk and expired buttermilk. FAIL! This is why my sauce looks like speckled nothing. SAD!

Sorry for the lack of pictures this evening. V got all photographer on me with her Rebel so I definitely don't mind waiting for the pics :) Hopefully you can imagine the raviolis in the meantime!