Another way would be as an appetizer done in this manner:

Cook Ravioli 3/4 way done, remove and drain well

Meanwhile make an egg wash of two eggs and 1/4 cup of milk. Pour a couple cups of italian season breadcrumbs onto a plate. Dredge Ravioli through egg wash then through breadcrumbs. Drop individually into a pan of hot oil and fry until breading is crisp. After removing sprinkle ravioli with hard grated cheeses

Serve on a large plate with the following sauces for dipping:

Lemon Garlic Butter

1 cup butter , melted
3 tblsp minced parsley
3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon minced garlic

Mix all together in small saucepan and cook , stirring constantly until well heated

A marinara sauce of your choice

Hollandaise Sauce

1 cup butter melted

I like them just with heated butter, olive oil and fresh garlic poured over them. Then add on copious amounts of fresh grated Parmesan cheese !!! [:p]

I think those broccoli rabe raviolis sound like they would be excellent in a nice soup. Maybe with some beans?

A sauce with sausage would be excellent, too. I like Rick F.’s idea of a lamb sausage. However, if you do meat with the ravioli, a hearty red wine would be great. If you do the lamb sausage, a shiraz/syrah would be a natural.

Maybe a sauce with some wonderful squash that is in season now. I think that would complement nicely, too.

Damn, I love pasta. I could NEVER do that Atkins diet. Let us know what you end up doing, OK Midnight?

Follow with Rick’s suggestion of gelato…that would be nice.

I like serving chicken (or veal) cutlets with my raviolis.

I think the broccoli-rabe ravioli would be a great side dish with either marinated and grilled pork chops or a juicy grilled flank steak. Maybe sautee a little fresh spinach to go along with it.

I think with ravioli, unless you are serving courses, it has to stand alone. It can’t really be a side dish. Rick’s sauce with the ground sausage sounds perfect to make a heartier meal. Maybe a nice caesar salad to start and you can pick up some Italian cookies at the deli to go with that lemon gelato.

If you do go with courses, make the sauce without the sausage, maybe add a little butter. Osso Bucco as "secondi" keeps popping into my head, but I’m not sure why.

PS. I believe that salad is called caprese

quote:

Originally posted by Midnight_Chef

I’m part Italian and cook mostly Italian, but I can’t fugure out how to design a dinner around ravioli. I’m not the biggest red sauce fan (unless mom makes it), so I usually make dishes containing oil , garlic, parmesan, pine nuts and some sort of pepper.
An Italian deli just opened up nearby and has brocolli rabe ravioli.
What would go with this?
Sausage? Saultimbocca? Pork chops?

Maybe stick with what you know? Thin-sliced garlic, really good EVOO, a very light sausage, maybe lamb sausage with gentle herbs? I like Romano better than Parmesan, but that’s my bias. Toasted pignoles and "Italian-style" red pepper flakes, not too hot. Kosher salt.

Mozarella/tomato/basil salad (can’t remember the name) with some capers, preferably the ones stored in salt, and well but not overbearingly rinsed?

Lemon gelato.

Lots of a very soft red or rose wine.(I don’t know wines, I know Bourbons!)

Does that sound feasible? I’ve never thought of building a menu until now. It’s fun–if I did it right.