Isn't that cute little whale-shaped ravioli adorable? I didn't plan it that way, and I tend to think that its the only one that turned out like that... but who cares! I might just go out and get all kinds of silly-shaped cookie cutters and get on with having all sorts of wild raviolis... bunny faces, shamrocks, tea cups, Abe Lincoln! Boowhahahahaaaa!
Ahem.
I'd asked my husband what he'd want to eat when he returned from his business trip a few weeks ago, and he requested these fried raviolis. I'd made them for our last two New Year's Day parties (and this last time, I forgot to photograph them until after everyone left!) The nice thing about these tasty little fellows is that they can be almost entirely prepared ahead of time. (Which makes them AWESOME for parties!) I was happy about his choice, too, because I knew that I could make them the night before - which would free up my time for fawning all over him! (Read: lay around and eat all the fancy Swiss chocolates he brought home!!!!!) (That, and a giant load of laundry!) Heh.
Strange shapes aside, one of my favorite things about frying ravioli is how they puff up. Something about their pillowy, crunchy-but-gooey goodness is so very dreamy. I am just as happy to pop them in my mouth as I am to sauce them - they're such a nice little snack on their own!
Don't get me wrong, the sauce is terrific, too! I almost always cheat and either use diced or crushed tomatoes in lieu of the whole ones. Unless it makes sense to, of course, I don't see the point in getting whole tomatoes just to take them out and cut them up. (Well, that and whenever I try to do so, I make an amazingly huge mess!) Even better still, I've been using fire-roasted tomatoes in place of normal. Feel free to mess around with YOUR tomatoes, too! :)
Maybe fried pasta doesn't float your boat? Head on over to Ruth's Presto Pasta Night Roundup and you'll be sure to find something delicious. (In fact, I'm positive you will!!) I am so excited for her - next week she'll be celebrating 52 straight weeks of pasta! (I can't think of a better way to spend a year!) Go Ruth!
Fried Ravioli with Hot Sausage Ragu
c/o Emeril Lagasse, 2001, via Food Network
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_18204,00.html
Ravioli:
1/2 cup fresh ricotta
1/4 cup grated mozzarella
1/4 cup grated provolone
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 fresh pasta sheet, about 11 by 14-inches, cut into 2-inch squares (to make 32 squares)
1 large egg
2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1 1/2 teaspoons Essence, recipe follows
2 cups vegetable oil, for frying
Hot Sausage Ragu, recipe follows
In a bowl, combine the cheeses, egg yolk, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper and mix well.
Place 16 of the pasta squares on a lightly floured surface. Place about 1 tablespoon of the cheese mixture into the center of each square. Lightly wet the edges with water with a fingertip, and top with a plain pasta square. Press to seal the edges.
Heat the oil in a pot over medium-high heat.
Beat the egg with the water. In a separate bowl, combine the bread crumbs with the Essence. Dip the ravioli in the egg wash and then into the bread crumbs, one at a time. Add in batches to the hot oil and fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining ingredients and serve hot with the Hot Sausage Ragu.
Hot Sausage Ragu:
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 pound hot Italian sausage (or 1/4 pound hot sausage and 1/4 pound sweet sausage
1/2 cup chopped yellow onions
3/4 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 (15-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, chopped, juices reserved
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 cup dry red wine
1/4 cup heavy cream
Pinch sugar
In a medium pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add sausage and cook, stirring, until brown and the fat is rendered, about 4 minutes. Add the onions, garlic, crushed red pepper salt, basil, oregano and black pepper, and bay leaf, and cook, stirring, until soft, 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and their juices, tomato sauce, tomato paste, wine, cream, and sugar, and stir well. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thick and the flavors are blended, about 30 minutes, adding water as necessary to keep from getting too thick.
Remove from the heat, and cover until needed.
Yield: about 2 1/2 cups
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Welcomed Home with Some Fried Ravioli
Friday, October 26, 2007
Goat Cheese Ravioli with Bell Peppers and Brown Butter
Obviously my brains have shut off... or else I would have posted this sooner... because we had it weeks ago! Maybe I saved it because all we were eating was pasta... wanted to spread it out... Except that that phase hasn't really stopped... we're still pasta-crazy! There are worse things to be.
Right. So. I won't lie, I made the ravioli some Sunday afternoon while the Mister watched football. Weeks ago. I might have had football on the radio, but its more likely I had my ipod going. I'm not sure what got into me, but I was in a mood, so I made my own dough and then rolled it out and then filled it. Oh wait, I know what it was... I got this multi-pack of cookie/biscuit cutters... (notice the cute little scalloped edge?)... Why make my own pasta when the recipe so happily calls for wonton wrappers? I don't like wonton-wrapper ravioli. I don't know if I'm just doing something wrong, but they come out all weird and squiggly... not my favorite. That, and I find the production of pasta to be soothing... all the repetitive actions... I can get lost in the process. And in the end, I had a big bag of ravioli for my freezer! Woo!
The ingredient list to flavor quotient was high. This dish was a breeze to prepare and tasted like it took me all day. I blistered the peppers on the stove and messed with them the evening before... popped them in the fridge until I needed them. Because of all that miscellaneous prep, this dinner was the ultimate fast food. Sauteed some veggies, browned some butter, boiled some water... bam bam bam, done and delicious. Yah, sure, I totally would eat my flip-flop if I tossed it in some brown butter... but still. You'll note that I left out the olives and chives... neither float my boat, and the meal didn't suffer for it.
I'm barely on time to submit this to the lovely Ruth at Once Upon a Feast for her Presto Pasta Night roundup this week... I can't wait to see what she has in store for us (now that I'm re-smitten with everything pasta!)
Goat Cheese Ravioli with Bell Peppers and Brown Butter
Bon Appetit, September 2007
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/239796
Bell peppers:
2 small red bell peppers
2 small yellow bell peppers
1 small green bell pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup diced seeded tomatoes
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
Ravioli:
Cornmeal for sprinkling
8 ounces soft fresh goat cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for sprinkling
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
2 tablespoons chopped assorted fresh herbs (such as basil, chives, mint, and tarragon)
18 wonton wrappers
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
Toasted pine nuts
Thinly sliced pitted Niçoise olives*
Chopped fresh chives
For bell peppers:
Char all peppers over gas flame or in broiler until blackened on all sides. Place in paper bag; seal and let stand at room temperature 15 minutes. Peel and seed peppers; chop.
Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and tomatoes and cook until onion begins to brown, about 4 minutes. Reduce heat to low; cook until vegetables are very soft and onion is brown, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Add chopped peppers and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.
For ravioli:
Lightly sprinkle rimmed baking sheet with cornmeal. Mix 8 ounces goat cheese, 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, and next 2 ingredients in medium bowl. Arrange 6 wonton wrappers on work surface. Place 1 tablespoon cheese filling in center of each wrapper. Using fingertip, dampen edges of wrappers with water. Fold all 4 corners up to meet in center, forming pyramid shape; seal all 4 edges tightly. Pinch top to seal. Place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling. DO AHEAD: Can be made 8 hours ahead. Cover and chill.
Cook butter in large skillet over medium heat until beginning to brown, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes.
Cook ravioli in pot of gently boiling salted water until tender, about 4 minutes. Transfer ravioli to skillet with browned butter. Toss over medium heat.
Meanwhile, re-warm bell pepper mixture; divide among 6 plates. Using slotted spoon, top peppers on each plate with 3 ravioli. Drizzle with any remaining browned butter. Sprinkle with Parmesan, toasted pine nuts, olives, and chives.
*Brine-cured black olives; available at some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores and Italian markets.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Pasta with Ham, Pine Nuts and Rosemary Sauce
I'm not sure what happened. The clock ticked Autumn, and all we've had to eat since is pasta. Pasta pasta pasta. Sure, it would be one thing if it were actually cold outside... but since we're setting temperature records... I have no good excuse. What's nice about it is that I get to participate in Ruth's weekly Presto Pasta Night more often! Woowoo!
In this instance, I'm going to blame the Washington Post Food Section. I've started grabbing it on my way out of work (it would end up in the trash anyway), and I look through it on the ride home (but only when Dave drives!). I clipped out this recipe as soon as I got home. The photo won me over. That, and its non-tomato-based sauce. I've been smitten with those lately.
What double-won me over was the aroma. Between the orange zest, chopped rosemary and garlic, and sautéed pine nuts, my nose was in heaven. I really enjoyed the mix of scents, and for me, it really added to the dish. I know, I know, I should feel that way all the time... because smell has such a strong influence over our enjoyment of a meal... but this one really stood out.
This took little time to prepare (I used packaged, fresh pasta sheets). I zested, chopped, and cooked away.. and ta-daa, dinner. We ended up splitting the 4-serving pot of pasta... it was that tasty. While I loved the super-wide ribbons of pasta, they weren't Dave's favorite. I'm not sure this dish would have worked as well with a different cut, though. I'll have to explore more pappardelle recipes to see if I can win him over.
Any suggestions??
c/o The Washington Post Food Section
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/recipes/2007/09/26/pasta-ham-pine-nut-and-rosemary-sauce/
8 to 10 ounces pappardelle pasta, preferably fresh
1 small orange
1 sprig rosemary
1 ½ medium cloves garlic
8 ounces smoked ham
¼ cup olive oil
½ cup pine nuts
Freshly ground black pepper
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat; cook the pappardelle according to package directions. If using fresh pasta, cook 3 to 4 minutes or until the pasta’s color has lightened and the noodles are slightly larger; be careful not to overcook.
Meanwhile, grate the orange zest from the orange (about 1 ½ teaspoons) and set aside; reserve the orange for another use. Finely chop the rosemary leaves (about 1 tablespoon total), mince the garlic (about 2 teaspoons total) and set aside; trim the ham of excess fat and cut the meat into ¼- to ½-inch dice. Set aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the pine nuts and cook for about 4 minutes, stirring often, until they are fragrant and have picked up some golden color. Add the garlic, ham, orange zest and rosemary; cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is fragrant and the ham has darkened in color. Season with pepper to taste; remove the sauce from the heat or reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting if the pasta has not finished cooking.
When the pasta is done, drain and transfer to a large bowl; pour the sauce over and toss, then add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and gently toss until well combined. Divide among individual plates and serve immediately, spooning equal amounts of the ham and pine nuts for each serving.
Nutrition per serving: 545 cals, 31 g fat, 4 g sat fat, 33 mg cholesterol, 822 mg sodium, 22 g protein, 45 g carbs, 2 g fiber
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
What's up, Tuber?
Does this count as making it my own?
PS: A shoutout goes to Ruth at Once Upon a Feast - I couldn't make my very own gnocchi, successfully, without sharing! Go go Presto Pasta Night!!
Gnocchi
From: http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/04/saved-by-a-grater#more-220
2 pounds Russet potatoes
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Prick the potatoes all over with a fork, and bake them on a baking sheet for 45 minutes to one hour, or until they are fork-tender. For best results, turn the potatoes over halfway through the baking time. Let the potatoes cool slightly.
Peel the potatoes, and then pass them through a potato ricer, food mill or grate them over the large holes of a box grater into a large bowl. Add the lightly beaten egg and the salt to the potatoes and mix well with a wooden spoon.
Add the flour to the potatoes a little at a time, using only as much as you need so that the dough will not stick to your hands. When the flour has been incorporated, bring the dough together with your fingertips.
Dump the dough and any remaining floury bits onto a slightly floured surface. Knead the dough as you would bread dough. Press down and away with the heel of your hand, fold the dough over, make a quarter turn, and repeat the process. Knead for about three or four minutes. Form the dough into a ball and then divide it into 6 smaller balls. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one of the six pieces using your fingertips into a long rope about ¾ inch thick. Cut the dough into 1 inch pieces.
You can cook the gnocchi as it is now, but traditional gnocchi has ridges. To create the ridges, press each piece of dough against the tines of a fork. With your finger, gently roll the pressed dough back off the fork. This takes a little practice. If you find the dough sticking to the fork, dip the fork in flour before you press the dough against it.
Place the gnocchi in a single layer on a lightly floured or parchment-lined dish. If you'd like to freeze them for later use, do so on this tray and once they are frozen, drop them into a freezer bag. This ensures that you won't have one enormous gnocchi mass when you are ready to cook them.
To cook the gnocchi, place them into a pot of boiling and well-salted water. After a few minutes the gnocchi will float to the top. Continue to cook for one minute then remove and set aside.
Gnocchi with Pancetta and Broccoli Rabe
Adapted from:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_25588,00.html?rsrc=search
1 bunch broccoli rabe, stems trimmed
Cook the broccoli rabe in a large pot of boiling salted water until crisp tender, about 1 minute. Transfer the broccoli rabe to a large bowl of ice water to cool, saving the cooking water. Bring the reserved cooking water back to a boil.
Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook until browned and juices form, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, and saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
To cook the gnocchi, place them into a pot of boiling and well-salted water. After a few minutes the gnocchi will float to the top. Continue to cook for one minute then remove and set aside.
Strain the broccoli rabe and add it to the pan with the pancetta mixture and toss to coat with the juices. Add the gnocchi to the skillet. Stir in the Parmesan and serve immediately.
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