εὑρίσκειν

For my wife's Italian-American family, the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving are traditionally the time to make dozens and dozens of ravioli for the upcoming holiday meals. The spinach and sausage filling is usually made in advance, and on the day (or days) of construction, an assembly line of however many family members are available is created. Roll out the dough, place spoonfuls of filling on the sheet, fold it over, cut out the ravioli, seal the edges, poke them with a fork, put them on a tray, etc., etc. – it's a lot of work. I just watch.

On the plane back from Frisco, E and I were discussing the upcoming festivities and just what my level of involvement might be when I was struck with a Eureka moment. I reveled in my genius, and I've been excited about this idea for days.

Barbecue Ravioli!

Take some leftover BBQ pork shoulder and grind it up in the food processor along with some cabbage, some dry rub, and some cheese (romano or jack or possibly both). Use that as the filling for some good ol' ravioli. Boil 'em up and serve with a splash of BBQ sauce. Even better, fry those babies up, and you might have the next great fair food sensation.

Before beginning this post, I consulted The Great Google about BBQ Ravioli. Unfortunately, I cannot lay claim to the creation and in fact exclaimed to my wife on the plane, "I can't believe no one has thought of this before!" I am proud to say that according to the Interweb, the BBQ ravioli was invented right here in Memphis. I'm going to stop by Lucchesi's Ravioli & Pasta Company tonight and pick some up for dinner.