Holiday dining at home: Chicago chef Joe Flamm’s Christmas ravioli recipe

We asked Chicago chefs to share their favorite holiday recipes, dishes that reflect their cultural traditions, and to tell us why the recipes mean so much to them. Here is one recipe to make at home during the holiday season or any time of year.

Chef Joe Flamm

Rose Mary (932 W. Fulton) and BLVD Steakhouse (817 W. Lake St.)

Dish: Holiday Ravioli

“In our family, we make all of these from scratch but [we] have the army of my grandmas, nine children, 24 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren, so we have the hands and tradition to crank out the 500 ravioli needed for the holidays. But, if you are short-staffed like most places, this is the easy route.” — Chef Joe Flamm

Holiday Ravioli

Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times

Ingredients:

• 3 (28 oz) cans of tomato puree
• 2 oz minced garlic
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp ground fennel seed
• 4 oz diced onion
• 4 oz olive oil
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 lb meat ravioli
• 1 lb cheese ravioli
• salt to taste

Directions:

1. Heat a large dutch oven over medium heat, add olive oil and sweat onions and garlic until soft and tender, about 5-8 minutes.

2. Add in pepper and fennel seed, toast until fragrant.

3. Add in cans of tomatoes.

4. Stir constantly until it simmers and lower heat to keep at a simmer for 45 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes.

5. Bring a very large pot of water to a boil, add enough salt to taste a good saline quality, Once boiling drop in both types of ravioli and cook until 90% finished, then add to sauce.

6. Cook in sauce until tender and plump, plate and add lots of Parmesan cheese that you made one of your younger cousins grate for you, preferably your little brother if available.

Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times