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Bruschetta with Grilled Zucchini and Ravioli with Asparagus

March 28, 2016 by Renee

Ravioli with Asparagus

Ravioli with Asparagus-2817

We’ve made pasta by hand three nights in the past week. Having made David Lebovitz’s Herbed pasta as a side to the delicious Belgian Stew with beer we had last weekend, and remembering how easy and fun making pasta by hand is, we’ve become a little obsessed this week. There was a simple fettuccine with garlic and brown butter and then there was spaghetti Bolognese and last night, moving up the scale of effort, there was ravioli.

Don’t be intimated by making pasta or even ravioli at home. The process is fairly quick and once you get the hang of it, you can make your dough in the time it takes to boil the water. I picked up this inexpensive ravioli maker years ago – it is so simple to use and makes perfect ravioli!

My girls had a good time making the sheets of pasta, cranking the machine and making sure the dough didn’t dry out too much. There were many giggles while kneading the dough and working together to feed it into the pasta machine. They quickly learned that the end had to be relatively thin to get the dough started in the machine, and that if it was too thick, it was really hard to crank.

They created beautiful long sheets of pasta to use with the ravioli mold. Then they carefully spooned the filling into each indentation and covered it with another sheet of pasta before rolling out perfect little pouches. They were a good team and made about 4 dozen raviolis.

While the kitchen table became the assembly line for the pasta making efforts, the counter became a bruschetta bar. Because, you know, the workers get hungry making all those sheets of pasta, filling them and rolling them into perfect little pouches.

In addition to tomatoes, basil and mozzarella, one of my favorite variations is to grill thinly sliced zucchini, give it a good dousing of olive oil with mint and lemon juice, and serve it with fresh Burrata on toasted bread.

Bruschetta-2745

Bruschetta with Zucchini and Mint

Ingredients
1/4 cup fresh mint, cleaned and chipped fine
Juice of 1 medium lemon
Salt and Pepper, to taste
2 zucchinis, sliced thinly length ways, (by hand or using a mandolin)
1 Italian Bread cut into 1-1 1/2″ slices
1 Burrata, buffalo mozzarella, about 8 oz.
Method
• In a small bowl add the oil, mint, and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Brush one side of the zucchini slices with olive oil and place on the grill oil side down and cook until dark grill marks appear, about 5 minutes. Brush the top side with oil and flip the piece over on the grill and continue to cook until dark grill marks appear. Transfer each piece as it finishes to a large plate.
• Once all the zucchini slices have been grilled, pour the oil, mint and lemon vinaigrette over them.
• Brush the bread slices with oil and grill on both sides until crispy.
• To serve, add a spoonful of Burrata to the grilled bread, add a few slices of zucchini, and drizzle with additional olive oil, if desired.

Bruschetta-2772


Ravioli with Asparagus

Ingredients for the Ravioli Filling

1/4 cup walnuts, chopped fine and toasted
1 cup Ricotta cheese, firm, drained
1 egg yolk
3 tbs freshly grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients for the Pasta Dough

2 cups “00” flour
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbs water (or more if needed)

Ingredients for the Asparagus

1 bunch asparagus, sliced diagonally in thirds
1 garlic clove, sliced thin
1/4 cup fresh sage leaves
6 tbs butter, divided into thirds (2 tbs each)

Method

1. Make the filling.

• In a heavy duty frying pan, over medium high heat, add the walnuts to the dry pan and cook until golden and fragrant, about 1-2 minutes, being careful not to burn them.
• In a medium bowl, combine the toasted walnuts, ricotta, egg and parmesan cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

2. Make the pasta dough.

• Combine the flour, eggs, yolks and salt in a large bowl. Add the water and begin mixing the dough with a fork. Once it is well combined, begin working the dough with your hands (you may need to add a little more water if the dough is too dry or add more flour if it is too wet- a teaspoon at a time for each) and form into four large balls.
• Working with one piece of dough at a time, flatten one of the balls into an oblong shaped piece and starting at the widest setting on a pasta machine (0) run the dough through twice on each setting until you reach (7) or about 5mm thick.
• Lay the sheet over the ravioli mold and using the top mold press to make the indentations for the filling. Slice off any extra dough and if long enough, save it for the top, or refold into a ball to keep reusing.
• Add the filling to the indentations, 1/2-3/4 tsp of filling for each ravioli.
• Add another sheet of dough on top of the filled ravioli and using a rolling pin, roll over the mold to cut the pieces.
• Set the filled ravioli aside to dry while you repeat the process until you are out of filling/dough.

3. Make the asparagus.

• In a large sauté pan over medium high heat, add 2 tbs of butter and melt gently until foaming, 1-2 minutes. Add asparagus and garlic and toss until coated, cook 2-4 minutes until brightly green and still crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
• Add 2 tbs butter and melt gently until foaming, 1-2 minutes. Add the sage leaves and fry until crisp, 1-2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
• Keep the pan handy, there is no need to wash this yet as you will mix the pasta and asparagus here.

Put it all together

In a large pot, boil salted water. Add the ravioli and cook until al dente, 3-5 minutes. Remove the ravioli with a slotted spoon and place onto a plate. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water to add to the pasta sauce.

Add the remaining 2 tbs butter to the sauté pan and melt gently. Transfer the asparagus, pasta and cooking water to the pan. Toss well to combine over medium heat.

Serve hot topped with the fried sage and add some freshly grated parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Ravioli with Asparagus

Hope you will try it and will let me know how it turns out! Buon Appetito!


Filed Under: Eat, Appetizers, Bread, Pasta Tagged With: Asparagus, Bruschetta, Burrata, Pasta, Ravioli

Rich & Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

June 18, 2014 by Renee

Creamy and Cheesey Macaroni and Cheese

Creamy and Cheesey Macaroni and CheeseToday I teamed up with 15 of my food blogger friends to bring you some fabulous recipes to help you get your daily servings of dairy.

Fresh nutritious dairy foods like milk, cheese and yogurt don’t just taste delicious; they’re good for your body! Dairy foods are the #1 source of calcium in most individual’s daily diet and offer 9 essential nutrients.  Milk and dairy products are fresh 365 days a year, making Dairy Month a great time to think about exciting, nutrient rich combinations like creative grilled cheese sandwiches, salads and refreshing desserts.

Join in the fun & deliciousness and celebrate “All Things Dairy” with 15 Food Bloggers from around the country as we celebrate with some of our favorite dairy recipes. Here’s one I think you will really like!

Rich & Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

When it comes to Mac & Cheese, there are so many different variations but none is creamier than this one!  And it packs a punch with the addition of Greek yogurt.

The trick to creamy Mac & Cheese  is to cook the pasta over a low flame in milk, not in water. You must be very careful to keep the pasta moving by stirring it frequently and to not scorch the milk. Low heat is essential as you want the pasta to absorb most all of the milk. This is not a five minute Mac & Cheese, but more like a twenty-five minute Mac & Cheese. However, you will be rewarded for your patience with an incredibly rich and creamy Macaroni and Cheese that’s sure to please the whole family.

 

Rich & Creamy Macaroni and Cheese
 
Print
Author: Renee
Ingredients
  • 2 cups Milk
  • 2 cups dried pasta (I like Medium Shells but use whatever shape you'd like.)
  • ½ small onion, diced fine
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. black (or white) pepper
  • ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp. Cayenne pepper
  • 1 6-oz. container Greek yogurt
  • 1 tbs. butter
  • 2 cups grated cheese (A combination of Sharp Cheddar and Gruyere works best)
Method
  1. In a medium saucepan over very low heat, add the onion, milk and pasta. While stirring frequently, simmer over low heat until the pasta is cooked and most of the milk is absorbed.
  2. Add the salt, pepper, nutmeg, and Cayenne to the milk/pasta mixture.
  3. Once almost all of the milk is absorbed and the pasta is cooked, add the Greek yogurt, butter and cheese. Stir gently to combine and melt the cheese.
  4. Taste and adjust seasonings if need be. Serve right away.
3.2.1311

 

 

Creamy and Cheesey Macaroni and Cheese-2

 

 

See what delicious dairy dishes my Blogging friends are cooking up:

Souffle Bombay – Blueberry Cheesecake Shooters
What The Heck’s A Bonbon? – Strawberry Watermelon Cucumber Granita with Vanilla Lemon Frozen Yogurt
Mind Over Batter – Strawberries and Cream Icebox Cake
Pass The Sushi – Roasted Blueberry Graham Cracker Crumble Frozen Yogurt
We’re Parents – Strawberry Cheesecake Pancakes with Whipped Topping
Little Kitchie – Spinach & Prosciutto Pizza
Sugar Dish Me – Healthy Creamy Summer Pasta
The Vintage Mom – Strawberry Creamsicles & Other Creamy Treats
Real: The Kitchen and Beyond – 11 Grilled Cheese Combinations
Giggles Gobbles & Gulps – 10 Fun Ways To Drink Your Milk
How I Pinch A Penny – Banana Pudding Shooters
An Opera Singer In The Kitchen – Double Cheese Spinach & Mushroom Omelette
It’s A Keeper – 10 Ice Cream & Frozen Treat Recipes
The Suburban Soapbox – The Ultimate Chocolate Martini

 

 

Filed Under: Eat, Pasta Tagged With: ALLTHINGSDAIRY, Cheese, Contest, Dairy, Giveaway, Mac & Cheese, Macaroni, Pasta

Dressy Pasta “Risotto” aka Macaroni and Cheese – French Fridays with Dorie

January 3, 2014 by Renee

#FFWD Dressy Pasta Risotto-5561

The first recipe up for January for French Fridays with Dorie is called Dressy Pasta “Risotto”.  It’s not really a risotto at all. The “risotto” part actually comes from slowly cooking the pasta in (chicken) broth until it is nearly totally absorbed by the pasta, like it would be if it were arborio rice. Other than that, it’s more akin to a fancy mac & cheese.  What would be a quite ordinary dish becomes extraordinary with the addition of freshly grated Parmesan, heavy cream and a dollop of mascarpone. The rich sauce tasted much like the one I use for potatoes gratin, and I was tempted to add a dash of nutmeg to it, but everyone who had a spoon in the pot said to leave it alone. I know when I am outvoted, and truth be told, it didn’t need it. (Although, I may try it again with this addition another time.)

It is important to only salt after you’ve used the broth and the Parmesan as they both tend to be rather salty already and you don’t want to overdo it!

This was a super fast and very easy, one pot recipe-making for minimal fuss and a quick clean up. Everyone really enjoyed it too, an empty crock and some spoons was all that was left. I can easily see myself making this again.

#FFWD Dressy Pasta Risotto-5577

While I cannot share the actual recipe, you can (and should!) buy the book and cook along with us. It’s great fun! Every Friday we make a new recipe. Looking forward to next weeks! For details and to see how others are recreating the dishes from this awesome book, check out the FFWD site.

Buy the book:

greenspan

frenchfridayswithdorie16

 

 

Filed Under: Eat, French Fridays with Dorie, Pasta Tagged With: Cheese, Dorie Greenspan, French Fridays with Dorie, Mac & Cheese, Mascarpone, Parmessan, Pasta

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