 | |
| Alternative names | T-ravs |
|---|---|
| Type | Fried dish,pasta |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Region or state | St. Louis,Missouri |
| Created by | disputed |
| Main ingredients | Flour, eggs, water, cheese, ground meat (sometimes), tomato sauce |
Toasted ravioli, colloquially known asT-ravs,[1][2] isbreadeddeep-friedravioli, usually served as anappetizer and also used to consumedipping sauce.[3] It was created and popularized inSt. Louis,Missouri.
Most accounts of toasted ravioli trace its origins to a predominantly Italian-American neighborhood of St. Louis,The Hill. Supposedly, in the early 1940s, a ravioli was accidentally dropped into the fryer by a chef. Shortly thereafter, the item began appearing on menus across The Hill. While many restaurants on The Hill claim its creation,[4] Charlie Gitto's "On The Hill" restaurant (then known as "Angelo's") is where it was made famous. That story claims that a chef at Angelo's, Mario Battocletti, accidentally dropped the pasta into oil after a misunderstanding. Chef and restaurateur Charlie Gitto, Jr. inherited the original recipe and still serves it at his restaurants to this day.
Another claim is from Mama Campisi's as well as Louis Oldani.[5] Oldani is said to have named the dish 'toasted' ravioli because he thought 'toasted' was more appealing than 'fried'.[6]
Lombardo's Restaurants, located around the St. Louis area, also claim to have been among the first to bring toasted ravioli to the States fromSicily; their current owner, Tony Lombardo, shows menus from the 1930s that include it.[7] Lombardo's toasted ravioli frequently tops lists as the "best t-ravs in St. Louis".[8]
Generally, some type of meat is wrapped in squareravioli,breaded anddeep fried until the pasta shell becomes slightly crispy, dry and browned. Toasted ravioli is generally served withmarinara sauce for dipping[9] andParmesan cheese may also be sprinkled on top.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)