FAST AND CONVENIENT\Packaged fresh ravioli and tortellini lend themselves to brunch,\lunch and dinner.

Byline: John Curry/Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel

By Deborah S. Hartz Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel

Convenience products often mean sacrificing quality for time savings. But that's not the case with the refrigerated and frozen tortellini and ravioli available in supermarkets. These Italian pastas are a tasty development in the world of fast food.

You can buy them with a variety of fillings - beef and garlic, chicken and rosemary, mushroom, cheese and basil, and sausage - to name a few. They cost about $3.50 to $4 for a 9-ounce package (that's quite a bit more than you pay for dried pasta - you can get a pound for about 50 cents - but they are filled, fresh and quite a bit better). And they cook quickly - the refrigerated ones take just seven minutes.

You can keep them on hand to use in simple weekday meals or dress them up for entertaining. And we discovered they can be used in every course from soup to dessert, and in ethnic dishes from Italian (of course) to Asian - they are reminiscent of dumplings.

Here, we offer some quick serving ideas as well as recipes. Once you experiment with these pastas, you'll be able to come up with your own dishes and add them to your favorite recipes to use year-round.

Appetizers

Deep-fry ravioli or tortellini in oil heated to 350 degrees F until golden for a takeoff on that St. Louis favorite: toasted ravioli. You can fry them straight from the refrigerator or boil them first, pat them dry and then fry them. Serve with marinara sauce for dipping.

For an Asian touch, deep-fry ravioli or tortellini like won tons and serve with Chinese mustard, duck sauce or sweet-and-sour sauce.

Serve boiled tortellini or ravioli with a dipping sauce (let them cool a few minutes before serving). A mixture of soy sauce and green onions with a touch of sesame oil will make you think you are eating steamed dumplings. A touch of curry powder in mayonnaise will give a little different flavor - try this with mushroom-filled tortellini in particular. Salsa mixes well with light vegetarian or chicken-and-vegetable filled ones. Supply wood picks for eating and dipping.

Soups

Use them to make canned soups even more hearty. Bring your favorite brand of quality canned soup to a boil, add tortellini or ravioli of your choice and boil until the pasta is al dente. If the soup seems a little thick, add some canned broth. Serve as a hearty main course with crusty bread. We particularly like minestrone and Italian vegetable soups with added tortellini or ravioli. A sprinkling of Parmesan cheese is a good last-minute addition.

Or, make your own soup fast. Choose a selection of diced and shredded fresh vegetables (onions, green peppers, carrots, cabbage, celery, tomatoes). Saute these in a little olive oil until tender. Add canned broth (chicken, beef, vegetable) and gently boil about 15 minutes. Then add tortellini or ravioli of choice. Cook about seven minutes or until pasta is al dente. If soup seems too thick or too dry to cook pasta, add a little more canned broth.

Make your own "won ton soup" by cooking chopped green onions in a little olive oil with some minced ginger root and garlic. Add canned chicken broth, bring to a gentle boil and cook about 15 minutes, then add your choice of pasta - chicken and vegetable, or mushroom tortellini, or beef and garlic ravioli work well. Boil about 5 minutes. Then add some chopped fresh spinach and a dash of sesame oil; cook about three minutes or until pasta is tender.

To give this soup a Thai accent, add a little crushed fresh lemongrass while boiling the broth.

Salads

Purchase your favorite creamy or vinaigrette salad dressing. Toss it with a selection of chopped vegetables and cooked ravioli or tortellini. For example: dice red, green and yellow bell peppers, add some chopped cucumber and tomato. Toss in cooked and cooled chicken and vegetable cheese ravioli or cheese and basil tortellini; add a creamy dressing such as ranch, creamy Parmesan or peppercorn ranch. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Combine canned beans that you've rinsed and drained with cooked and cooled ravioli or tortellini of choice. Add a sprightly vinaigrette.

Another favorite salad is black beans mixed with diced red bell peppers, chopped cilantro, sliced green onions and a light vinaigrette. A sprinkling of salt and pepper will bring out the taste of the pasta.

Add cooked and cooled ravioli or tortellini to Caesar, chef or spinach salads. Here, the four cheese-, mushroom- and garden vegetable-filled pastas work best.

Use cheese and walnut ravioli with crumbled Gorgonzola and walnuts atop mixed baby greens. Add a few slices of fresh pear and dress with a balsamic vinaigrette. This is perfect for a party luncheon when served with fancy rolls or croissants.

Use ravioli or tortellini instead of penne or shells with your favorite pasta sauce.

Entrees

Use tortellini or ravioli instead of the meat and noodles in your lasagna recipe. No need to cook them before you bake the casserole.

For a simple casserole, place refrigerated ravioli or tortellini from a 9-ounce package in an 8-inch square baking pan. Top with spaghetti sauce from a 14-ounce (we liked a sauce chunky with mushrooms and vegetables) and toss to coat ravioli. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese from a 4-ounce package over the top. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven about 30 minutes or until ravioli are hot and cheese is melted. Makes about 4 servings.

Create a simple tomato sauce by sauteing garlic in a little olive oil. Add chopped fresh or canned tomatoes, a touch of tomato paste and fresh basil. Gently simmer about 10 minutes and serve with your choice of ravioli or tortellini for a filling meal.

Make a vegetable stir-fry. After stir-frying sliced cabbage, ginger root, bell peppers, fresh spinach and any other vegetables in a little olive oil in a skillet or a wok, add about 1/2 cup broth (chicken, vegetable or beef); stir in uncooked ravioli or tortellini. Cover skillet and let pasta steam. You may need to add a little more broth to help the pasta cook through. When pasta is al dente, you can thicken the sauce by dissolving a bit of cornstarch in cold water or room temperature broth. Stir into a paste and then stir into the wok or skillet; cook until clear and thickened. Add a dash or two of soy sauce and sesame oil for flavor.

Toss cooked cheese- or vegetable-stuffed pasta with a little olive oil, garlic and chopped fresh basil. Add a grind of black pepper and sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese. Serve as a side dish to grilled chicken, meat or seafood.

Desserts

Here'a a takeoff on the traditional Italian cheese and fruit course: Walnut and Gorgonzola Ravioli With Pear Sauce. It's unbelievably good and unusual.

Spoon Pear Sauce (recipe follows) over cooked ravioli and sprinkle with toasted walnuts. Spread nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toast in preheated 350-degree oven about 15 minutes or until nuts are golden and fragrant. Add a few raspberries and pear slices as garnish, if desired. Besides dessert, this makes an interesting brunch dish.

If you don't feel like making the Pear Sauce, use sweetened applesauce. The sweet taste of the sauces brings out the richness of the cheese and nuttiness of the walnuts.

PEAR SAUCE

6 slightly underripe Bosc pears, peeled and quartered

1 lemon, peeled of skin and pith, quartered and seeded

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon Frangelico liqueur 

Place 1/2 of pears and 1/2 of lemon quarters in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Process 30 seconds and place puree in a nonreactive saucepan. Repeat with remaining pears and lemon quarters.

Add sugar and liqueur; stir to combine. Heat to boiling over medium high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer 1 1/2 hours or until mixture is thick like applesauce. Makes about 3 cups.

NUTRITION INFORMATION PER 1 TABLESPOON SERVING: 29 calories; .09 gram protein; .09 gram fat; 7 grams carbohydrate; 0 cholesterol; .07 milligrams sodium.

Adapted from "The New Basics Cookbook" by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins, Workman.

SPINACH TORTELLINI SALAD WITH WALNUT OIL DRESSING

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

4 to 5 tablespoons walnut oil

8 to 10 ounces fresh OR frozen cheese- OR meat-filled spinach tortellini

Water

1 head (1 to 1 1/4 pounds) cauliflower, separated into about 1-inch florets

1/4 cup chopped parsley

2 cups red and/OR yellow cherry tomato halves

2 to 3 tablespoons chopped walnuts (optional)

In a small nonreactive bowl, whisk together vinegar with salt and pepper. Whisk in walnut oil. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Cook pasta, uncovered, in a large pan of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, about 7 minutes or until tender (OR cook according to package directions). Drain. Rinse gently with cold water and drain well. Transfer to a large nonreactive bowl.

Add vinegar mixture and toss to combine.

Place cauliflower in a large saucepan of boiling salted water over high heat about 5 minutes or until tender crisp. Drain. Rinse with cold water and drain well.

Add cauliflower, parsley and tomatoes to tortellini and toss gently. Taste and adjust seasonings. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Let salad stand a few minutes at room temperature. Place 1 portion on each serving plate and sprinkle with walnuts. Makes 2 to 3 entree servings or 5 to 6 first-course servings.

NUTRITION INFORMATION PER SERVING: 457 calories; 14 grams protein; 25 grams fat; 46 grams carbohydrate; 53 milligrams cholesterol; 252 milligrams sodium.

From Faye Levy, cookbook author and free-lance food writer.

TORTELLINI AND CHICKEN SALAD WITH ROASTED PEPPERS

1 to 1 1/4 pounds OR 2 packages (9 to 10 ounces) fresh OR frozen cheese-filled tortellini

Water

5 to 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 red bell peppers, roasted and peeled OR 4 roasted red bell pepper halves from a jar (see Note)

2 cups cooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into strips

1/3 cup coarse-chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes (optional)

6 plum tomatoes, diced

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Cook tortellini in a large, uncovered saucepan of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, about 7 minutes or until tender, or cook according to package directions. Drain and rinse gently with cold water; drain well. Transfer to a large bowl and toss with 5 tablespoons oil.

Cut peppers lengthwise into 1/4-inch-wide strips. Add to pasta with chicken, tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil, if needed for moistness. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Let salad stand a few minutes at room temperature before serving.

Makes 4 entree servings or 8 first-course servings.

NOTE: To prepare this salad quickly, use roasted bell peppers from a jar and purchase roasted chicken or turkey from a deli.

To roast bell peppers, cut peppers in half lengthwise, remove seeds and ribs and place, cut side down, on a baking sheet. Broil in preheated broiler about 4 inches from heat source 15 to 25 minutes or until skins are blistered and charred. Place in a plastic food bag and seal. Let stand 10 minutes. Peel peppers with a sharp knife. Be careful, peppers may have hot juice inside. Do not rinse peppers.

NUTRITION INFORMATION PER SERVING: 723 calories; 47 grams protein; 33 grams fat; 63 grams carbohydrate; 126 milligrams cholesterol; 482 milligrams sodium.

From Faye Levy, cookbook author and free-lance food writer.

CARROT AND SPLIT RAVIOLI PASTA SALAD WITH PAN-FRIED BRUSCHETTA 

1 package (12 ounces) frozen spinach-filled OR other ravioli

1 pound carrots, trimmed and diagonally sliced

Water

1/2 cup bottled regular OR fat-free Italian dressing

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/2 cup diagonally sliced green onions

6 to 8 large chard OR kale OR beet green leaves OR whole lettuce leaves

3 cups assorted torn salad greens

Pan-fried Bruschetta for serving

Drop ravioli and carrots into 3 quarts boiling water. Return to a simmer; cook 8 minutes or until ravioli are tender. Drain and rinse with cold water. Cut ravioli diagonally into halves to show filling.

Combine Italian dressing with mustard in a nonreactive container; toss gently with ravioli, carrots and green onions.

Line a shallow bowl with large chardleaves, fill with torn greens and top with pasta salad. Serve at once or chill before serving. Serve with Pan-fried Bruschetta. Makes 4 servings.

PAN-FRIED BRUSCHETTA: Cut 1 packaged 12-inch bread-style pizza base into narrow wedges. Heat an oiled skillet over medium-high heat and fry wedges, turning once to toast both sides. Add oil as needed. Serve with Carrot and Split Ravioli Pasta Salad.

NUTRITION INFORMATION PER SERVING: 347 calories; 15 grams protein; 9 grams fat; 53 grams carbohydrate; 40 milligrams cholesterol; 345 milligrams sodium.

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PHOTO

Photo (Color) Walnut and Gorgonzola Ravioli With Pear Sauce is an unusual use of ravioli. Serve it for a weekend brunch. John Curry/Fort Launderdale Sun-Sentinel