There is nothing like homemade pasta filled with delicious filling. Whether it is meat, cheese, or this yummy butternut squash filling, the result is a delicious meal made with love. I paired this ravioli with a brown-butter sage sauce and it was delicious! No measurements for this one, you will need to taste as you go.
Pasta dough ingredients:
Tipo 00 flour
one egg per 100 grams of flour used
Butternut squash ingredients:
Butternut squash
Extra-virgin olive oil
Butter
Salt
Pepper
Nutmeg, pinch
Fresh sage, chopped (1-2 leaves)
Heavy cream or 1/2 and 1/2
Parmigiano Reggiano, freshly grated
Butter cream sauce ingredients:
3 TBS Butter
1/4 cup shallots, sliced thinly
1 sprig tarragon, stems removed
2-3 sprigs thyme, stems removed
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup parmigiana cheese, grated
Directions:
First make your homemade pasta dough:
Make a mound of flour on your (clean) counter top. In the middle of the flour mound, with your hands, make a little well. Crack the egg inside the well. Using a fork or your hands, lightly beat the eggs and gradually mixing the eggs with the flour from the inside lining of the well.
Gradually work in more flour from the inside of the well until the dough becomes too thick. At this stage, begin to use your fingertips and then your hands.
Once all the flour has been used, begin to knead the dough on a floured surface for about 10 minutes. The dough will become smooth and elastic. If the dough is sticky, dust it lightly with the extra flour you’ve reserved. Continue to knead your dough until it is no longer sticky.
The test to ensure your dough is ready is if, when you poke a hole using your fingers, the hole bounces back at you.
If you have reached this stage, wrap your dough in plastic wrap and let it stand on your counter for at least 20 minutes.
Second make your butternut squash filling:
Peel and cube your butternut squash and place on a roasting pan. Drizzle olive oil over the squash and salt and pepper. Roast at 400 F until tender, timing depends on the size of cubes.
Place all of your butternut squash ingredients into a food processor or blender and blend. All ingredients must be adjusted to taste.
Third continue making your pasta:
Start a large pot of boiling water and add salt.
We are lucky to have a KitchenAid with a pasta machine on it. If you have one of these or a hand crank pasta machine, the following directions apply to you. If you do not, you will need to roll out your pasta dough by hand.
Remove your dough from the plastic wrap and cut your dough into 8 pieces. Cover with a damp cloth to ensure they do not dry-out.
Make the first piece flat using your hand or a roller. If it is sticky, dust with flour.
Feed your first piece through the pasta machine at the widest setting. Once it has been passed through, adjust the setting to make the width thinner at the next level. Continue this process until you have reached the desired width of your pasta (usually at the 2nd thinnest width)
Once you have finished your first sheet, set it aside and continue these steps for each piece of dough you have cut. You will probably need to dust them with flour. Once you have created all the sheets using all your available dough, place the filling on the sheets, 2 finger widths apart, so that you can fold over and cut the ravioli shape. Once you fold over, press gently to seal. Use a fork to gently press the edges to seal a bit more.
Lastly make the butter cream sauce:
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in the pan.
Once butter has melted add the sliced shallot and sauté for 1-2 minutes for the shallot to soften, being cautious to not burn. Add the tarragon and thyme leaves.
Once the shallot has softened, reduce the heat and stir in the heavy cream and Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the cooked ravioli to the sauce and use a spoon to coat in the sauce.Serve it over your cooked ravioli. Sprinkle the completed dish with shredded parmigiana.
The smell of freshly baked cinnamon rolls throughout the house, how can anyone resist! I have made these cinnamon rolls a couple of times after finding this recipe on a website named ambitiouskitchen.com. The writer of this website obviously knows what she is doing. Give these healthy rolls a try (cue sarcasm), you will not be disappointed.
Ingredients:
For the dough;
3/4 whole milk, warmed
2 1/4 tsp quick rise or active yeast
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk, room temperature
1/4 cup butter, melted
3 cups bread flour plus more for dusting
3/4 tsp salt
For the filling;
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
1 1/2 TBS ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, softened
For the frosting;
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup powdered sugar
3 TBS butter, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Directions:
Warm the milk in the microwave for 40-45 seconds. If you are doing this on the stove top, bring the milk to 110 degrees F. Place warm milk in the bowl of an electric mixer. Sprinkle in yeast then add sugar, egg, egg yolk, and melted butter and combine.
Next, mix in flour and salt and mix with a wooden spoon until dough begins to form. Place this on your electric mixer with the bread hook and mix for 7-8 minutes. If you don’t have an electric mixer, this step will need to be done by kneading the dough with your hands on a floured surface.
Transfer the ball of dough to an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and a towel. Let this rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until it doubles in size.
While waiting for the dough to rise, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon portion of the filling ingredients together and set aside. Assure you have the softened butter at the ready for the next step. Also, grease a 9 X 9 inch pan and line with parchment paper.
Transfer the dough to a well floured surface and rollout to a 14 X 9 inch rectangular shape. Spread softened butter over dough then add the filling, rubbing the brown sugar mix into the dough. Tightly roll the dough up, starting with the 9 inch side and cut into 1 inch sections with a serrated knife. Place these rolls in the prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap and towel and let rise again for 30-45 minutes.
Once the rolls have finished proofing, preheat your oven to 350 F.
Remove the plastic wrap and towel and bake for 20-25 minutes. They should be slightly golden brown
While the buns are baking, make the frosting by blending cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter and vanilla in a stand mixer or by hand.
Once you take them out of the oven, let them cool for 5-10 minutes before frosting.
Anthony Bourdain in ‘Parts Unknown’. Photo: CNN FILMS
This meatloaf, found in Anthony Bourdain’s last cookbook, Appetites, is a game changer. It is super tasty. I am a huge Bourdain fan and love watching all of his shows over and over again. For that reason, it is about time to start trying his recipes. If you are a Bourdain fan, I recommend you buy this book, because he does a lot of writing in between all of the amazing recipes.
Ingredients:
2 1/2 TBS canola oil (I used extra-virgin olive oil)
1 large yellow or white onion, peeled and very finely chopped
3 ribs celery, very finely chopped
2 sprigs fresh marjoram, leaves only, very finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
2 pounds ground beef chuck
1 1/3 pounds ground veal
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup panko bread crumbs (I used homemade regular bread crumbs)
1/4 cup tomato paste
3 TBS unsalted butter (I used salted)
1 pound cremini mushrooms, diced
2 large or 3 to 4 shallots, peeled and finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
2 TBS all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups veal stock (I used beef stock)
1/2 cup heavy cream
Directions:
In a large, heavy-bottom sauté pan, heat 2 TBS of oil over medium heat and add the onion, celery, marjoram, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper and cook until soft and translucent. Remove from heat and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Once the vegetable mixture is cool, add the beef, veal, eggs, bread crumbs, 2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Mix well with your hands, so make sure they are clean. Use the remaining 1/2 TBS oil to grease a loaf pan and transfer the mixture to the pan, packing it down gently. Cover the loaf with foil and place the loaf pan on a sheet pan. Cook in the over for one hour.
Remove the foil and spread the top of the meat loaf with the tomato paste. Continue to cook for another 30-40 minutes until the meat thermometer reads 150 F while placed in the center of the loaf.
While it rests, make the gravy.
In a large, heavy-bottom sauté pan, heat the butter until it foams and subsides. Add the mushrooms and stir occasionally, until their released juices evaporate. Add the shallots and salt and pepper to taste. Continue to cook until the mushrooms get browned and the shallots are translucent or slightly golden, 3 to 5 minutes.
Sprinkle the flour over the mushrooms and stir well to evenly coat. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes, to cook off the raw flour taste. Add the stock and whisk to pull up the stuck flour from the surface of the pan. If the mixture seems too thick, add more stock or a little water. Reduce the heat and add the cream, season with salt and pepper.
This delicious pizza is made with a 2 hour pizza dough. If you have more time, and sourdough starter, you can do the sourdough pizza dough instead. They are both delicious and both recipes are included below.
Pizza Dough (2 hour)
Ingredients:
4 1/8 cup flour – type 00 works best
1 package yeast
1 1/4 tsp sugar
1 1/4 cup warm water
2 1/2 TBS lard or butter
Directions:
Mix warm water, sugar, and yeast. Let sit for 5 minutes. Mix salt and flour in a separate bowl. Add flour mixture to yeast mixture then add lard or butter.
Mix and knead dough.
Let rise for 2 hours.
Divide into desired size and shape for pizza
Sourdough Pizza Dough
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cup water
1/2 cup sourdough starter
10 grams or 1 3/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 cup flour – type 00 works best
Directions:
Mix all ingredients.
Cover for 30 minutes.
Stretch and fold.
Repeat steps 1 and 2 – four times
Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit for 8 hours at room temp.
Stretch and fold.
Divide into baseball size balls.
Store for up to 3 days in fridge.
Remove from fridge and let come to room temp before use.
Margherita Pizza
Ingredients:
Pizza dough (one of the above recipes)
Tomato sauce; mix tomato passata with fresh basil and extra virgin olive oil.
Mozzarella cheese; I prefer fresh mozzarella—either di bufala or the cow’s-milk version, fior de latte—because it’s what was used on the original Pizza Margherita in Naples, Italy. Do not use pre-shredded type or you will be disappointed.
Fresh Basil
Extra virgin olive oil
Directions:
Once you have your dough shaped and ready to go, heat oven to 500 F. Make sure the rack is in the upper third of the oven.
Place your tomato sauce, cheese and basil on the uncooked pizza dough.
Cook in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, until the rust is golden and the cheese is partially golden and melted.
We recently took a trip to Italy and had the pleasure of staying a couple of days in a town called Citta della Pieve, which is known for their saffron. My BF put together this delicious rice dish with what we had on hand at the cottage we were staying in. Luckily, we had bought some local saffron, which added a lot of flavor to this fusion of fried rice Italian style.
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked rice, cooled
Saffron
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 red bell pepper, 1/2 diced somewhat fine and the other half larger dice
2 eggs, beaten
2-3 TBS butter
Parmigiana cheese to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Burrata cheese
First, place a few stalks of saffron in the olive oil and let that infuse for a while; the longer the better the flavor will be.
Pre-cook the rice to yield two cups and let cool.
Heat saffron infused olive oil and add 1/2 of the red bell pepper (the smaller diced half). Let that cook until the bell pepper is softened and add salt and pepper to taste. Add the rice and combine well while adding more olive oil to taste and to assure the rice does not get dried out.
Create a hole in the rice and add your eggs, scramble and combine with rice.
Add the larger diced bell pepper half along with the butter and grated parmigiana.
Once you take it off the heat, add the burrata cheese.
Another recipe from Pasquale’s recipe blog. This is his Amaretto Tiramisu. I have made this three times and it is now adjusted to my preference. You can find his complete recipe at: https://orsararecipes.net/amaretto-tiramisu
Ingredients:
28 ladyfingers
5 eggs
1 lb Mascarpone cheese, room temperature
1 cup espresso, brewed and room temperature
1 oz white rum
1 oz amaretto liquor
1/2 cup white sugar
Salt
Cocoa powder
10 X 10 baking dish
Directions:
Separate the egg whites from the yolks, set aside.
Add the sugar into the bowl with the egg yolks and blend with an electric hand mixer until smooth. Fold the Mascarpone cheese into the egg yolk mixture with a spatula. Do not use an electric mixer for this part, that is very important. I used a Kitchen Aide for this part one time and it was a disaster because it was too thin.
Add a pinch of salt to the egg whites and mix until peaks form. In Pasquale’s recipe he directs you to do this by hand. I used my Kitchen Aide for this part and it worked well.
Fold the egg white mixture with the egg yolk mixture and combine until smooth.
Combine the cold coffee with the amaretto and rum. You can decrease the alcohol content if you would like, or omit it all together.
One by one, briefly dip half of the ladyfingers into the coffee mixture and line up, coffee side down, into the baking dish. Once the first layer of ladyfingers lines the bottom of the pan, spread half of the cream mixture over the ladyfingers. The layer should be thin but thick enough to cover all the ladyfingers. Repeat these steps for one more layer.
Sift some cocoa powder over the top.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 3-4 hours and preferably overnight to set well.
We had this delicious beef stroganoff last night. My BF forgot to buy noodles so he just whipped up homemade pappardelle pasta. If I haven’t brought it up in previous posts, he is a very talented cook. The entire dish was kicked up to a whole new level with the homemade pasta. This recipe is from Pasquale Sciarrappa’s recipe blog at http://www.orsararecipes.net. Picture above is my BF and his daughter.
Ingredients:
1 lb sirloin (rib eye, NY strip, flank), sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 yellow onion, sliced
2 TBS flour
1 cup sour-cream
2 cups beef stock
1/2 cup white wine
4 TBS butter
2 TBS Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Noodles of your choice, pappardelle is what we used
Directions:
Heat 2 TBS olive oil and 4 TBS butter with medium-high heat. Add sliced beef and cook until brown. Do not cook all the way through, it should be pink in the middle. Set aside.
In the same pan sauté garlic and onion with a bit more olive oil. Continue to cook on medium heat until onions are soft. Add mushrooms and cook 4-5 minutes. Add wine, cook another 5 minutes. Add beef stock and cook another 5 minutes. Add TBS flour while whisking to avoid lumps. Re-introduce the meat.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Stir until desired thickness, you can add more flour if needed.
This recipe can be made into large soft traditional pretzels, pretzel bites, or even pretzel buns to have as a delicious hamburger. In order to make this recipe you will need to have sourdough starter. In particular, you will need the discard of the starter when you are making room to feed your starter.
Ingredients:
Dough:
1 cup and 1 TBS water
1 TBS brown sugar
2 tsp kosher salt
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
3/4 cup (200 grams) sourdough starter discard
2 1/2 cups (20 ounces) flour
4 TBS butter (softened)
Oil to coat bowl
Parchment paper
Boiling:
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
Topping:
Egg wash ( 1 egg yolk in 1 TBS water) beaten
Flaky sea salt
Directions:
Start the dough by combining tepid water, salt, brown sugar, and yeast and let sit for 5 minutes until foamy.
If you have an electrical stand mixer, use that for the next steps.
Add starter, flour, and butter to water/yeast mix on low until combined. Then increase to medium for 4-5 minutes. Add additional 1 TBS flour until the dough forms into a ball. Knead just to ball formation and set aside in large bowl that has been lightly oiled.
Let the dough rise until double the size, about 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 425 Fahrenheit, line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Turn the dough onto floured surface and divide into pieces of desired size and shape.
Place on parchment paper and let rise again for about 20 minutes.
In the meantime, get the 10 cups of water boiling with the baking soda.
Boil each dough piece for 45 seconds and return to baking sheet.
