Lobster Ravioli with Tomato Vodka Sauce

Is your mouth watering yet? This is on our menu for this week. More to come...

I purchased the lobster ravioli from Gallucci's during our big Girl's Day Out. It was delicious! Word of wisdom - the original recipe serving size was 8. I should have cut it in half before I started cooking last night. I halved the recipe below for you, use caution as my calculations may not be precise! Also, I used paste and had to dilute with water, consider tomato sauce or pureed plum tomatoes as stated below.

Ingredients:

- one dozen lobster ravioli
- butter or EVOO to coat skillet or sauce pan
- 5 medium garlic clove(s), minced
- 2 Tbsp parsley, fresh, minced
- 1/2 tsp sea salt, or other coarse salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
- hot red pepper flakes, to taste
- 1 can (12oz) canned tomato paste OR 1 can of Italian plum tomatoes with water, pureed in food processor
- 1/8 cup of vodka
- 1/2 cup(s) heavy whipping cream
- 10 leaves basil, fresh, cut into ribbons (chiffonade)

Instructions:
- Heat a large skillet/sauce pan over a medium-low heat. Add butter/EVOO and garlic; sauté until garlic turns brown, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add parsley, sea salt and pepper, stirring once or twice. Add tomato paste/sauce and mix to form a sauce. Cook for about 5 minutes, moving sauce around pan occasionally; add vodka. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes more.

- Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.

- Add cream to tomato sauce; reduce heat to low and simmer for about 3 minutes. Add pasta to sauce and mix to coat; top with basil and season to taste with salt and pepper. If you use tomato paste and prefer a looser sauce, add some pasta-cooking water to the sauce.

Pasta Sauce

Ladies, I don't know about you, but this chilly, rainy weather has driven me to the kitchen to try to create tasty creations that warm from the inside. One thing that we have been enjoying a lot of lately is simple homemade spaghetti sauce. It's flavor is as uncomplicated as the recipe, but it is so fresh and tasty. Plus, because it all goes through the food processor there is no need to really chop things up too much.

Ingredients
4-5 fresh tomatoes (I cut the "meat" off and toss away the seeds and liquid)
1 large can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
6 cloves garlic
1 onion
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic
Fresh basil
Fresh thyme
Fresh sage
The following to taste:
Chipotle powder
Cumin powder
Cayenne pepper
Ground cinnamon
Salt
Pepper
Sugar

Directions
Combine all ingredients except olive oil and balsamic in food processor. Process until still a bit chunky, drizzle oil and balsamic through processor feed tube and continue processing until almost smooth (or whatever consistency you enjoy). Serve over pasta with grated cheese.

PS - Mr. "I Love Prego" has actually been requesting this - maybe I've converted him from a processed food. Could it be true?

Farfalle with Caramelized Onions, Sugar Snap Peas and Ricotta Cheese

My parents came to visit this weekend and this seemed like the perfect recipe to bridge the cold winter months into the warm summer months ahead of us. After making it for them, I knew it would be a good dish to share!

Bon Appetit, June 2009
Ingredients

* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 4 cups (packed) chopped onions
* 1 8-ounce package trimmed sugar snap peas, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
* 1 8-ounce package orecchiette (little ear-shaped pasta) or Farfalle pasta
* 1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
* 1/4 cup torn fresh basil leaves
* 1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel

Preparation

*Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions. Sauté until onions are pale golden, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; sauté onions until tender and deep golden, about 15 minutes longer. Add 1/8 cup sugar to enhance the caramelization process and cook for 1-2 minutes more.Add peas to onions in skillet. Sauté until peas are crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat.
*Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid.
* Add pasta and 1/2 cup cooking liquid to onion mixture; stir over medium-high heat 30 seconds. Mix in ricotta, basil, and lemon peel, adding more cooking liquid to moisten as needed. Season with salt and pepper.

Swiss Chard Lasagna

Swiss Chard Lasagna
Serves: 12

12 lasagna noodles
6 tbsp EVOO
2 bunches Swiss chard, finely chopped, leaves & stems separated
8 cloves garlic, sliced
3 cup ricotta cheese
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 large eggs
6 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
6 tbsp chopped fresh basil
Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper
1 lb asiago cheese
8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
*sauteed sliced mushrooms (not in recipe, and not in Brett's portion!)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Prepare lasagna noodles as directed. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add chard stems and garlic and cook until golden, about 4 minutes. Add chard leaves and cook until wilted, about 3 more minutes.
2. Mix ricotta, cream, egg, parmesan, basil, 1 tsp salt, and pepper to taste in small bowl.
3. Spray olive oil in 2 baking dishes and add 3 noodles each in a single layer. Top with half of the ricotta mixture, chard, and asiago. Repeat with remaining noodles, ricotta mixture, chard, mushrooms, and asiago. Cover with foil and bake until cheese melts, about 20 minutes. Remove foil, sprinkle with mozzarella, and bake until bubbly and golden, about 5 more minutes.

This recipe comes from the March 2010 edition of the Food Network Magazine (as does the picture). I added mushrooms because it seemed like a good idea. This recipe calls for Swiss chard, but it would be a good way to use up George Jones kale or other greens! It's a pretty basic recipe that lends itself to adaptations.

Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

I adapted this from an Ina Garten recipe (Barefoot Contessa Family Style). And I will admit that I had a major cooking FAIL tonight. I made way too much pasta in one pot and I thought it was all cooked and then I mixed together the pasta, dressing, olives, and tomatoes and realized that the pasta was not just al dente, but it was chewy and nasty. So, I actually went through and picked out all the good stuff and started over! So a really quick and easy recipe became a nightmare!!!

1 pound pasta (I ended up using little shells. The rotini got tossed, sadly.)
kosher salt
olive oil
5 carrots, sliced (not in Ina's recipe)
2 red bell peppers, chopped (not in Ina's recipe)
1.5 cups kalamata olives, pitted & diced
1 container feta cheeses (Ina calls for 1 lb. fresh mozzarella but I was feeling like Feta)
12 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained & chopped

for the dressing:
10 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
12 tablespoons good olive oil
1 garlic clove, diced
kosher salt, to taste
freshly ground pepper, to taste

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water with a splash of oil to keep it from sticking together according to directions on box. Drain well & allow to cool. Place pasta in a bowl and add olives, veggies, tomatoes.

For the dressing, combine the sun-dried tomatoes, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper in a food processor until almost smooth.

Pour the dressing over the pasta. You can garnish with parmesan cheese or fresh basil if you like! She also calls for fresh tomatoes in the recipe but I left those out. Oh, and she calls for 1 teaspoon of capers in the dressing but I didn't have any on hand (and I don't really like them!) Serve cold. This is kind of a summery recipe in hopes that all this snow will soon melt.

Darlene's Gateway Cafeteria Mac 'n Cheese

This is my mom (Darlene's) recipe and I have never had a batch that didn't call for seconds...

Ingredients:
2 lbs macaroni pasta
1 T oil
1 cup flour
2 T worcestershire sauce
2 lbs cheddar cheese
1 T. salt
1.5 sticks butter
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 gallon skim milk

Topping:
8 oz. dry bread crumbs
3 oz. butter
1/4 lb shredded cheddar

To do:
1. Cook macaroni in boiling water with salt and oil according to the directions on the box. Drain and set aside.
2. In large stockpot, melt butter, stir in flour and seasonings eliminating lumps.
3. Cook 5-10 minutes stirring frequently.
4. Gradually add milk, whisking constantly and cook until thickened (about 10-15 minutes)
5. Add cheese to sauce and stir until cheese melts.
6. Put cooked macaroni in one or two large buttered casserole dishes. Pour cheese sauce over macaroni.
7.Mix breadcrumbs with melted butter Sprinkle evenly over casserole. Sprinkle with shredded cheddar and bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes.

Makes 12 servings

Asian-inspired Vermicelli

I got this recipe from my Godmother, who makes this dish often for her family. I had it the first time and fell in love with it. It's a nice meal because the turkey is lean and there are so many flavors in the sauce. This is the basic recipe (with my tweakings), but I've also made it and added in vegetables which is tasty too. Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, diced

1 tsp ground ginger

1 lb ground turkey

1/4 c white wine

1/3 c Hoisin sauce

1/4 c soy sauce, reduced sodium if possible

1/2 c chicken broth

3 Tbsp cornstarch

1/2 c green onions, chopped

1 lb vermicelli, cooked and drained

Process

Medium hot pan (I used a dutch oven, but you could also use a wok or a large saute pan). Add olive oil, onions, garlic and ginger. Saute until translucent. Add meat and cook thoroughly. At this point I remove the excess grease and dispose of it. In a bowl, mix all liquid ingredients (not cornstarch) and add into pan/d.oven. Cover and let cook about 20 minutes. Uncover and remove some of the sauce to a small bowl and mix it with the cornstarch. Pour back into meat mixture and stir. When sauce has thickened to your liking, it is done. Add chopped green onions and vermicelli into mixture, stir until combined and serve.

This recipe serves between 2-4, depending on how hungry you are. ;-) Generally you'll have enough for 4 servings, and maybe even leftovers!

Pierogi

I love starch, especially potatoes and pasta. Pierogi combine both of these things, which makes them one of my favorite foods on the planet. I used a recipe from Gourmet this time, and they turned out pretty tasty (well...the butter and onions didn't hurt the flavor either...) Here is the recipe. I used a pasta maker to roll out the dough uniformly (as opposed to rolling out the dough, which always seems to be too elastic and doesn't hold its shape). To make for ten people, double the following portions.

For dough

• 3 cups all-purpose flour plus additional for kneading
• 1 cup water
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon salt

For potato filling

• 1 1/2 pound russet (baking) potatoes
• 2 c. grated cheddar cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 stick butter
• 1/2 c. milk

For onion topping

• 1 1/2 medium onions, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
• 1/2 stick butter

• Special equipment: a 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter
• Accompaniment: sour cream

preparation

Make dough:
Put flour into Kitchenaid mixer bowl. Add water, egg, oil, and salt to well and carefully combine with a fork without incorporating flour. Turn on mixer, using the dough hook, and let knead for about five minutes. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface. Invert a bowl over dough and let stand at room temperature 1 hour.

Make filling while dough stands:
Peel potatoes and cut into 1-inch pieces. Cook potatoes in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain potatoes, then transfer to a bowl along with cheese, salt, pepper, butter and milk and mash with a potato masher.

When mashed potatoes are cool enough to handle, spoon out a rounded teaspoon and lightly roll into a ball between palms of your hands. Transfer ball to a plate and keep covered with plastic wrap while making 47 more balls in same manner (there will be a little filling left over).

Make onion topping:
Cook onion in butter in a 4- to 5-quart heavy saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally (stir more frequently toward end of cooking), until slightly brown around the edges, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.

Form and cook pierogi:
Halve dough and roll out 1 half (keep remaining half under inverted bowl) on lightly floured surface (do not overflour surface or dough will slide instead of stretching) with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 15-inch round (1/8 inch thick), then cut out 24 rounds with lightly floured cutter (this is where I used the pasta maker, rolling out the dough with the #2 setting). Holding 1 round in palm of your hand, put 1 potato ball in center of round and close your hand to fold round in half, enclosing filling. Pinch edges together to seal completely. (Brush half of the edge with water, then seal; do not leave any gaps or pierogi may open during cooking.) Transfer pierogi to a lightly floured kitchen towel (not terry cloth) and cover with another towel. Form more pierogi in same manner.

Bring a 6- to 8-quart pot of salted water to a boil. Add half of pierogies, stirring once or twice to keep them from sticking together, and cook 5 minutes from time pierogies float to surface. Transfer as cooked with a slotted spoon to onion topping and toss gently to coat. Cook remaining pierogies in same manner, transferring to onions. Reheat pierogies in onion topping over medium-low heat, gently tossing to coat.

Serve with sour cream, onions and maybe a little bit of cheese on top! Mmm!

Stevenson Casserole

For our weekly dinner exchange, Nathan thought it would be a good idea to have the husbands/fiances take a turn cooking for the ladies... His favorite dish growing up was a family recipe and his mom used to make this for his birthday dinner every August at the beach. We have lightened up the dish just a bit by adding lite cream cheese and lite sour cream. Enjoy!

STEVENSON CASSEROLE - 4 -5 servings:

1 lb ground beef
1 chopped onion
1/2 tsp salt
pepper
1 large can tomato sauce (15 oz)
1/4 cup red wine
8 oz lite sour cream
6 oz lite cream cheese
6 oz egg noodles
Cheddar cheese

Brown ground beef and onion. Spoon off fat. Add salt, pepper, wine, and tomato sauce; Simmer. In separate bowl, combine sour cream and cream cheese. Slightly cook noodles. Place in layers in casserole dish (two total) - end with meat sauce on top: noodles - cheese mix - meat. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Top with squares of cheddar cheese; bake 5 minutes more until the cheese is melted.

The most common mistake is with the noodles - either using too many or over cooked.

Spaghetti & Meatballs

Whole Wheat Spaghetti: 2 boxes for 8-10 people. Follow directions on box. This is hard to mess up!

Jeremiah's Tasty Balls - Recipe compliments of Jeremiah's Blog - Cooking4Kicks
w/ Sara's adjustments

• 2 lbs. of ground beef
• 1 cup of bread crumbs
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup of skim milk
• 1-2 tbs. Ms. Dash Italian Seasoning (I used garlic herb)
  
• 1 cup of grated parmesan cheese
  
• minced garlic (I ran out, so don't expect garlic in your balls)
  

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all dry ingredients. Add to wet ingredients and mix until well incorporated (mixing with hands is easiest). Scoop out 1 tablespoon at a time and roll into balls. Place balls on cooking sheet and cook for 15 mins. Turn the balls over and cook for another 15 mins or until brown.

Makes between 26-36 balls depending on size. For consistent ball shape and size use either an icecream scoop or meatball/cookie scoop. I got 42 out of this batch.

Spaghetti Sauce: Homemade this summer from my neighbors garden and farm share. Remove from freezer and thaw. Complete Recipe.

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Gnocchi with Mushrooms

Mmm... I made this recipe a few weeks ago and while it was delicious, Martha sure likes to use a lot of heavy cream and butter. I adapted it yesterday to suit our "everyday eating" desires and the outcome was just as tasty!

Ingredients

Serves 4

* 1 small sugar pumpkin (1 1/2 to 2 pounds), stem removed, halved lengthwise, and seeded (save the seeds--wash them, salt them and bake them on a baking sheet for 10 minutes at 400 degrees... the perfect topping for the side salad!)
* 2 cups whole wheat flour, plus more for work surface
* Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, plus more for serving
* 1 1/4 cups freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving
* 1/4 cup (4 T) unsalted butter
* 2 shallots, finely chopped
* 16 oz sliced mushrooms (your choice)
* 8 fresh sage leaves or 1 tsp dried sage
* 1 cup homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock
* 1 cup 1% milk


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place pumpkin halves, cut side up, on a baking sheet and fill each with 1 tablespoon water. Cover each half with parchment paper-lined aluminum foil. Transfer to oven and roast until soft, about 45 minutes. Let cool. Scrape pumpkin flesh from skin; discard skin.
2. Mound flour in center of a large work surface; add 1 tablespoon salt and the nutmeg. Using a fork, mix until well combined. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add 2 cups pumpkin and 1 cup grated cheese to well. Slowly incorporate flour, beginning with inner rim of well. When flour is incorporated, gather dough together to form a rounded mass; knead mixture until smooth, 4 to 5 minutes.
3. Divide dough into 6 equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a cylinder about 1 inch in diameter; cut into 1/2-inch-long pieces. Transfer gnocchi to a baking sheet and cover with a clean, damp towel. Repeat process until all the dough has been used.
4. Bring 6 quarts water to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Generously salt water and return to a boil. Add gnocchi and cook until they rise to the top, about 4 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over high heat and add butter and shallots. Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking until shallots are golden. Add mushrooms and sage; cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes until mushrooms are softened. Add 1/4 cup pumpkin, chicken stock, milk, and 1/4 cup grated cheese; cook, stirring, about 30 seconds. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Using a slotted spoon, transfer gnocchi to skillet and toss to combine. Serve immediately with a fresh green side salad (my preference would be argula!)

Adapted by MCE from MarthaStewart.com

Mom's Lasagna with major additions

What was supposed to be a delicious lasagna recipe of my mothers, really turned into a free for all when I started to dig through the fridge/freezer to see what I could use for this weeks contribution. I'd love to give you all some idea of the recipe, but to be honest I just have no idea what portions I ended up using. Here's my best guess:

- Two tupperware containers of Sara's homemade tomato sauce which I made fresh this summer and froze - thaw before using
- One additional jar of Newman's Own Organic Marinara Sauce - I found that I needed to increase the sauce after starting to layer the lasagna
- 1lb of Hickory Acres ground beef
- One tupperware container of frozen veggies left over from the farm share, including tomatoes, kale, zucchini, yellow squash, radish, onions,
- One small butternut squash
- 4 cloves of garlic & one small onion sauted with meat
- Approx 33 cooked lasagna noodles
- Two 15oz containers of low fat ricotta cheese
- 1 cup of parmesan cheese
- Two eggs
- Oregano
- Two packages of frozen spinach - thawed
- One container of goat cheese


In some order do the following:
- Thaw and brown meat with onion and garlic then mixed with sauce
- Thaw veggies add to meat sauce of simmer
- Thaw the spinach and mix with ricotta cheese, parmesan, eggs and oregano
- Halve the spinach and cheese mix and add goat cheese to one half
- Cook noodles, sun under cold water and lay out on towels to cool and dry
- Add a 1/2 to one cup of sauce to the bottom of two 9x13 pans
- Begin to layer noodles, sauce mix, then dollops of cheese mix, sprinkle (or heap) shredded mozzarella between layers and repeat as necessary.
- I highly recommend using excessive mozz. cheese on the top layer before baking

I think that I ended up with 4 layers per pan.

Cook at 350 degrees for 45 minutes covered and 15 minutes uncovered. I suggest using toothpicks to hold the foil up of the lasagna while the cheese melts. When cooked, set out to cool and place in fridge. If the lasagna has time to cool it's way easier to cut and the pieces stay together better. It's a great meal to make ahead of time and freeze!

Butternut Squash Risotto

Butternut Squash Risotto (makes 4-6 servings)

Ingredients:
2 c. chicken broth
3 c. water
2-3 T EVOO
1/4 c finely chopped onion
1 c. Arborio rice
1 c. freshly grated Parmesan
3 C. shredded butternut squash (uncooked)
1/2 c. dry white wine
salt and pepper to taste

To Do:
1. Heat broth and water to slow simmer.
2. In a separate pan, heat EVOO, add onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. The add squash and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until lightly browned, about 15 minutes.
3. Add rice and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
4. Add wine and cook until liquid is absorbed. Continued in 1/2 c. increments until all liquid is absorbed and rice is tender (about 25 minutes).
5. Stir in parmesan and season with salt and pepper.

Enjoy with a green salad!

Adapted (by me!) from a Williams-Sonoma cookbook

Stuffed Shells with Red Sauce

Ingredients:
2 boxes of pasta shells (24oz)
48 oz. of cottage cheese
32 oz. of shredded mozzarella cheese
1½ c. parmesan cheese
6 eggs
1½ tsp dried oregano
4 tsp fresh parsley
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 - 28 oz. jars spaghetti sauce
Parmesan Cheese

To Freeze:
1 - Cook shells 1/2 of recommended time
2 - Drain
3 - Cool in a single layer on pan
4 - Combine cheeses, eggs, and spices
5 - Fill each shell with 2 T. cheese mixture (snip the corner off of a Ziploc bag)
6 - Freeze filled shells on a pan just until solid.
7 - Divide into five freezer bags.

To Serve (one bag):
1 - Thaw shells.
2 - Spread 1/2 c. of the jarred sauce in bottom of an 8x8 or 9x9 pan.
3 - Arrange shells and top with remaining sauce.
4 - Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
5 - Pour yourself a glass of wine and thank the food exchange for saving you precious time today
6 - Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
7 - Enjoy, and then go do something fun with all of your extra time...