Suite Pea Bundles

Inspiration is often born from necessity.

Ricotta cheese is luscious, but it does not keep for long. After Friday's Spinach Noodles, I had an open container half full in my fridge. I hate waste but I usually have to throw some away :-(
I hate doing that, so I pushed myself to come up with a new recipe to utilize it.
It occurred to me to try something similar to the spinach puree with another vegetable. I always have petite peas in the freezer, and next to them I found some stashed pasta wrappers (freeze them to stay fresh if you don't plan to use them right away). In the pantry, I found one shallot that needed to be used.

And Suite Pea Bundles are born. I'm very happy with this filling; it gives the bundles a pretty green color.

I made more filling than was needed but I fully intend to use the rest. I'm thinking of a layered dish later this week, with fire-roasted tomatoes and spaghetti squash.

Suite Pea Bundles

10 ounces frozen peas
1 shallot, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
2/3 cup part-skim ricotta
1 package round pasta wrappers

Boil a small pot of water and add a pinch of salt. Add frozen peas and cook for 1 minute. Drain and run under cold water to stop cooking and cool them down. Drain thoroughly and pour into a food processor. Add the salt, parmesan and ricotta cheeses. Puree to a chunky consistency, scraping down the bowl midway through.

Open the package of wrappers, and place a damp towel on top. Place 4 wrappers in front of you and fill them with a teaspoon of filling. Pinch edges together tightly to seal, squeezing out excess air. Place on a baking sheet and repeat (4 wrappers at a time) until all wrappers are gone.

If using later, place the baking sheet in the freezer for 1 hour before transferring the bundles to a freezer bag.

To serve right away, bring a pot of water to a boil and salt. Add the bundles and cook for 3-5 minutes. The bundles are done when they float to the top.

Serving Suggestions:

~ a dust with parmesan cheese and a drizzle of olive oil
~ a garnish with a drained can of fire-roasted tomatoes
~ serve in a soup of chicken broth, cannellini beans and vegetables
~ prepare with a bamboo steamer and serve as an appetizer

~:~