February 6, 2010 | Entrees, Pasta, Sauces
Does that look good or what? I promised you the rest of the recipe for this homemade butternut squash ravioli that I posted a couple of days ago, so here it is! A brown butter sauce is one of the simplest yet most flavorful things you can put on a simple pasta dish. But it does take a couple of tricks, none of which I captured on camera as my battery went dead while I began cooking. So here are my instructions / tips with no photos – sorry!
- Always use a stainless pan to make brown butter sauce – if you use a dark pan you won’t be able to tell when it’s starting to brown and it could easily burn.
- Heat butter over a medium high temp until it melts. Next it will foam up (that’s the moisture in the butter) and then it will settle down as it browns (the remaining milk solids in the butter are what actually are browning).
- Once the foam starts to subside, throw in some minced sage – if you add it earlier it will be burned by the time the butter is ready. It may sizzle from the moisture in the sage leaves, so be careful.
- Simply spoon the brown butter sauce with the crispy pieces of sage over the cooked ravioli, garnish with toasted pine nuts, and enjoy!
February 4, 2010 | Pasta, Vegetables
Homemade ravioli. They are simple to make (I promise). They taste fresher than anything you’ll buy in the store. And you’ll impress your guests (or your spouse, or even just yourself). So let’s get on with it!
First of all, you can make homemade pasta dough, roll it out, and cut it to size if you want. I’m not usually that organized or patient, so I use wonton wrappers. I really like how thin and light they are, giving you a delicate pasta to hold your filling instead of something dense.
Next, make the filling. I like a really simple combination of equal parts cooked butternut squash and ricotta (I used part skim, but use whatever version you like), then I simply add some shredded Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Read the Rest »
February 3, 2010 | Entrees
I was reading today in a culinary report about a trend towards comfort foods and the use of “lesser” cuts of meat as I was thawing several of those on the counter. The biggest surprise to me since buying my meat directly from farmers and ranchers is just how fabulous those lesser cuts of meat can be, when prepared properly. This is one of those dishes.
Read the Rest »
February 1, 2010 | Entrees, One dish meals, Soup
Having spent way too long pulling together all of my business expenses and record keeping at the end of the year, I’ve vowed to do it each month. Part of that process yesterday included putting away several new cookbooks that have stacked up on my desk. Among them, one about eating healthy in season produced by Kaiser Permanente.
They had a version of this pork stew, but it used fresh tomatoes, chicken stock, and was more like a soup. I wanted something heartier, but still healthy, so adapted the recipe to suit my needs. Read the Rest »
January 31, 2010 | Best of the Food Web
I spend alot of time reading food blogs. I salivate over the photos, I muse over how I would change the recipes, and I earmark things to come back and try later. Starting in 2010 I’ll provide a monthly wrap up of the blog posts I found most enticing in the hopes it will inspire you! Let’s start with my own favorite posts from this past month:
Goat Cheese and Pistachio Crostini
Bison Chipotle Chili with Lime Crema
And then from all of my virtual friends in the food blogging world:
From Heidi at 101cookbooks – Ribollita
From Mark at Bitten – The Best French Toast
From Aran at Cannelle et Vanille – Potato, Parsnip and Watercress Tortilla (Omelet)
From Kevin at Closet Cooking – Mediterranean Fish Stew and Golden Beet Tatin with Goat Cheese
From Susan at Food Blogga – Italian Macaroni and Cheese with Pancetta
From Erin at fresh365 – Lemongrass Tofu, Mushroom and Swiss Chard Quesadillas, and Golden Beet Salsa
From Joy at Joylicious – Wheatberry Salad with Poached Egg
From Bea at La Tartine Gourmande – Rose Shaped Tea Cakes, Pea Risotto with Basil and Lemon, and White Lentil Soup with Chorizo and Paprkia Cream
From Nirvana at Nirvana’s Kitchen – Chickpea (Channa) Masala and Easy Chicken Tikka Masala
From Philomena at O Pistachio – Pear & Ginger Crumble Cake and Shallot Tart Tatin
From Bee at Rasa Malaysia – Ginger and Scallion Fish, Vietnamese Caramel Shrimp, and Basil Thai Chicken
From Kelly at Sass & Veracity – Coq Au Vin and Pork Meatball Banh Mi
From Angie at Sea Salt with Food – Vietnamese Spring Rolls
From Elise at Simply Recipes – Lentil Stew with Sausage and Lamb Braised in Milk with Fennel
From Deb at Smitten Kitchen – Poppy Seed Lemon Cake and Barley Risotto with Beans and Greens
From Sara at Sprouted Kitchen – Mediterranean Quinoa Bowl and Walnut Crusted Salmon with Edamame Mash
From Sugar Creek Farm – a reminder about why we should embrace winter, which I have a hard time doing!
From Elaine at the Italian Dish – Corzetti with Pine Nuts, Parmigiano and Herbs
From Garrett at Vanilla Garlic – a poignant description of the fire that burned up his apartment
From the White on Rice Couple – Creamy Hot Crab Dip to make on the stove
From Zen Can Cook – Braised Lamb Shanks
