Minimally Invasive

3 small eggplants
1/4 – 1/3 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt, to taste
1/3 cup shredded asiago cheese (or substitute a smaller amount of parmesan, if you’d like)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 package wonton wrappers
1/4 – 1/3 cup unsalted butter
2 tablespoons good-quality balsamic vinegar

Prepare grill or heat oven to 450 degrees.

Halve eggplants lengthwise and score the flesh, cutting to, but not through, the skin. Mix olive oil, garlic, and salt, and brush scored eggplant halves generously with the mixture.

Grill or bake cut side down until eggplant is soft and skin is wrinkly and charred. This will go much faster on the grill than in the oven (which took about 30 minutes in my kitchen), so keep an eye on them.

Remove cooked eggplant from grill/oven, flip to expose the scored side, and cool slightly. Scoop flesh into bowl and mix with asiago cheese and oregano. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Take out one wonton wrapper and drop 1/2 teaspoon of eggplant in the center, moisten edges with water, and press to seal, making sure all of the air is pressed out. Repeat until you have all the ravioli you want or run out of wrappers or eggplant. If you have any wrappers or filling left over, seal them tightly and refrigerate.

To cook, drop wontons into boiling water, one at a time. When they float to the top, they’re done.

For brown butter sauce, melt butter over medium heat in a skillet or small saucepan, preferably stainless steel so you can see the bottom. When foam begins to subside, swirl the pan until the milk solids in the bottom of the pan turn a golden brown and you notice a nutty, mouthwatering smell rising from the pan. At this point, turn off the fire and continue swirling the pan until solids deepen to a medium-to-dark brown, then add balsamic vinegar. This will splatter, so be careful. Give the pan a couple more swirls to combine, then pour over ravioli and serve immediately.

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