Butternut Squash Ravioli, Chickpeas, Sage Butter, Herb Foam

• Homemade Butternut Squash Ravioli
• Spiced Roasted Crispy Chickpeas
• Sage Brown Butter Sauce
• Herb Foam

Seafood Linguini

Seafood linguini with white wine cream sauce with chanterelles, cherry tomatoes. beet greens, and fresh herbs.

• Linguini noodles, cooked al dente (homemade if you are feeling ambitious)
• White wine chanterelle cream sauce
• Local mussels
• Baked cracked pepper brown sugar salmon
• Local cherry tomatoes
• Baby beet greens
• Fresh tarragon
• Fresh dill

Lobster Ravioli 2.0

I made lobster ravioli again; the filling recipe and dough recipes were essentially the same but this time there were several differences in the dish.
#1 I made them at work, not home
#2 The pasta rolling machine broke, so I did most of the rolling by hand which resulted in more work, more time, more muscle, and a slightly thicker dough
#3 I didn't have the little ravioli molds this time, so I hand cut them and pieced them together with round cutters
#4 I paired the ravioli with a different sauce and different sides

Lobster Ravioli Catch

• Ravioli - fresh, hand-rolled, homemade pasta dough 
• Lobster Filling - local lobster, goat cheese, lemon, tarragon
• Chanterelle Cream Sauce - butter sauteed local wild chanterelles, redued cream
• Wilted Spinach - spinach, garlic, shallots, white wine
• Lobster Cheese Toasts - lobster, cream cheese, herbs, cracked black pepper

Lobster Ravioli

Basically for the lobster ravioli I made I used the same recipe as for the ricotta ravioli but simply added finely chopped lobster to the mix along with a little bit of paprika. I used about fifty percent lobster ad fifty percent ricotta mix and used frozen pre-cooked lobster claw, then adjusted the seasoning. I used the square mold for the lobster ravioli so it would be easy to distinguish from the ricotta ravioli.

I served the lobster ravioli with some butter-poached lobster tail, a tarragon lemon cream sauce, tarragon-infused oil, fresh tarragon, grated Parmesan cheese, and paprika. I found the lobster ravioli held together better and cooked more evenly than the plain ricotta ravioli without any filling escaping!

Ricotta Ravioli

As mentioned in yesterday's post, I made homemade pasta dough and with it a couple batches of ravioli. Following is the recipe for the ricotta filling I used in the triangular-shaped vegetarian ravioli. 

Herbed Lemon Ricotta Filling
1 container (475 grams)
1 Tablespoon chopped tarragon
zest of one lemon
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 Tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
cracked black pepper
salt

Mix all ingredients together. This is just a base recipe - any desired combination of herbs and spices may be used. I used lemon and tarragon as flavors to pair with the lobster ravioli I also made.

Ricotta Ravioli
Roll pasta dough into sheets using the thinnest setting, keeping sheets covered when not in use. If you have a handy ravioli tray, then the process will be easier. If not, you will need cutters of desired shape and size to cut the individual raviolis out by hand.

Drape one sheet over the ravioli tray, and gently press a small spoonful of filling in each cavity. I'm not sure exactly but I think I used about one teaspoon filling for each ravioli. Brush all the edges of dough with egg yolk or water. I just used water for this and used my finger and found no problems with the dough not sticking or the seal breaking. Gently drape another sheet over, then unmold the raviolis as directed. Place on a baking sheet dusted with flour. Repeat until either all the filling or all the pasta has been used up.

Ravioli can be cooked immediately, chilled for awhile before cooking, or alternatively frozen and cooked from frozen as required. Cook in boiling salted water for a few minutes until dough is cooked through, 

Eggless Pasta Dough

fettucini to be dried

As requested, I finally got around to making homemade ravioli. Making homemade pasta is always a but of a procedure; it's a lot more work than cooking a box of dried pasta. Ravioli especially involves a filling and more rolling and cutting. But homemade pasta in the end is always worth it.Sadly I do not have my own, so I had to borrow a pasta roller and ravioli cutters - thanks again!! I made a big batch of eggless pasta dough and ended up making 60 ricotta-filled ravioli, 42 lobster-filled ravioli, and with the extra dough I made some fettucini and spaghetti to have on hand.

spaghetti to be dried

Easy Homemade Eggless Pasta Dough
4 cups all-purpose (plain) flour
1/2 cup olive oil
approx. 3/4 cup water (room temperature or warm water is preferred over cold)
salt, optional (usually salt is just added to the water when boiling pasta, but feel free to add some to the dough if preferred)

Place the flour in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Pour the oil and water into the well, then bring the mixture together with your hands, kneading it together until it forms a nearly smooth ball. More water or flour may be required, but don't add more until the dough had been kneaded at least five minutes, as pasta dough usually requires a bit of muscle.

Wrap the dough ball well, and set aside on the counter to rest for about an hour before rolling. Roll out, cook, and dry as needed! This makes a big batch, so some dough can be saved in the fridge or freezer for rolling out later, or simply cut out a lot of pasta and freeze it or dry it.

Fridge Pasta Plate

Whole wheat penne + knock-your-socks-off spicy stock + stir-fried bok choy + spicy cocktail peanuts + salsa + mixed bean salad = lime juice + homemade mustard seeds + capers + hot sauce + pickled peppers = one awesome plate of pasta.

The spicy stock was made in advance and made with a bunch of herbs and spices for tons of flavor. Then I cooked the pasta right in the stock to let it absorb all that delicious flavor. I reserved a little after draining for the sauce, and stirred in the remaining ingredients and garnished! Delicious hot or as cold pasta salad and makes a quick and easy dinner. That's what I like to call fridge diving.

Kinda Strange Pasta Salad

What happens when you take some leftover penne, some random salad vinaigrette, pickled mustard seeds, pickled red onion, pickled cucumber, and pickled peppers? Well you actually get quite a tasty pasta salad, although maybe a wee bit acidic. Packed full of lots of flavor and it gets better with age.

People's Choice Award: Cheesy Pasta with Bacon

This is the dish from yesterday's blackbox competition I promised I would share. In the limited time, space, and pantry I had, I tried to create a dish that the spectators would love, but also one that was refined enough that the judges would enjoy too. It seemed to be successful, I god a gold in the People's Choice Award and silver with the judges. Here is a general recipe as to how I remember making my dish.

1. Grab A LOT of bacon and quickly chop it up. Throw it in a hot pan.
2. Meanwhile, peel and dice five small red onions. Toss it in with your bacon.
3. While that sweats down, mince up some fresh tarragon.
4. Strain the bacon and red onion, reserving the bacon fat. Return the fat to the pan and add a cup of salted butter. Melt it.
5. Add about a cup or two of all-purpose flour and whisk until you have a thick roux.
6. Gradually whisk in one to two liters of whole milk and keep the heat on high, stirring often, to thicken the sauce.
7. While sauce is on the go, cook your pasta noodle sin boiling salted water.
8. Season your sauce with salt, black pepper, dijon mustard, tabasco sauce, garlic seasoning mix. Through some worchestershire and more tabasco sauce into your bacon and red onion.
9. Cube up some cheddar cheese and throw into the sauce, reserving some cheese for the end. Melt it down a bit, then throw in some parmesan flakes as well.
10. Melt the cheese into the sauce, and season it again.
11. Strain your pasta and stir in the sauce and bacon and red onion. Stir in the extra cheddar and tarragon, reserving a little of each for garnish.
12. Taste and adjust seasoning, consistency, and cheesiness and enjoy!!!

Vegan Mac and Cheese

Vegan mac and cheese. Some may call it an oxymoron, fake, or a sin. But I call it delicious. It doesn't have that same 'sharpness' you get from mac and cheese using old cheddar, but it does have a similar flavor profile and the same look and texture, it's hard to tell the difference. This is a hearty but healthy comfort food meal that can be on the table within thirty minutes. The procedure seems lengthy, but only because I've explained it in detail. It's really only a matter of cooking and puréeing. The key here is a good food processor or Vitamix if you have one - my sauce was not quite as smooth as I would have liked since I don't have a great food processor. Cooking the veg slightly longer if you have the time may also help alleviate part of this problem. 

I can't stress this enough - even if you are not vegan - you need to try this recipe!

Vegan Mac and Cheese
2 medium white potatoes o use one large sweet potato, diced
2 small carrots, diced
1 small white onion, diced
1/2 cup cashews (preferably raw, unsalted)
1 package (4 serving size) dry elbow macaroni (I used whole wheat)
1/2 cup coconut milk (from a carton or can - doesn't have to be the thick kind)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon prepared yellow or Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
salt, to taste
cracked black pepper, for garnish

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile dice your veg - they don't need to be precise at all since they will just be blitzed in the end, but the smaller you make them, the quicker they cook, so I recommend spending the extra time chopping and not cooking.

Add the veg and cashews to the water and cook for 15-30 minutes until just tender. You don't want them mushy, but just soft enough to easily purée. I throw the cashews in here as well, in lieu of soaking them overnight, as is called for in many vegan recipes (cheeses, cheesecake, etc.) These is just for convenience sake and also to make the cashews extra soft for processing.

Once the veg are cooked, take them out of the water but don't throw the water away! Use a slotted spoon or spider to remove the veg, then save the water for cooking the pasta - this is economical, saves time as the water will still be hot, and reserves all the nutrients from the veg and infuses into the pasta. Simply return the water to a boil, if needed, and add some salt. Then add the macaroni and cook to the desired doneness. 

While the pasta is cooking, transfer the veg and cashews (well drained) to a food processor along with the remaining ingredients. Process until very smooth. Check consistency, and add some pasta water, more coconut milk, or oil as needed, and adjust the seasoning. 

Drain the pasta well, return to the pot, toss with the sauce, and serve immediately! You may also choose to transfer to a casserole dish and bake for a more traditional mac and cheese, but I like mine straight from the pot as I find it creamier. Baked mac and cheese is good for non-vegan versions where you sprinkle the top with shredded cheese and want it to melt, or if you plan to top with breadcrumbs.

Variations: You may add diced whole veg of choice, or diced and cooked vegan bacon into the mix, add more nutritional yeast, add vegan shredded cheddar, or top with pecan parmesan. Sun-dried tomatoes and roasted red peppers would also add nice flavors.

Hummus Tofu Pasta

Happy Halloween! Today I am sharing an easy recipe because I happened to use a cute Halloween coloring as a prop.
This is a really easy recipe I came up with just using leftovers. I realized I had plenty of pasta, but I didn't really have any sauce ingredients, or so I thought. But I managed to make something out of basically nothing again.

I cooked some multigrain fusili pasta. Meanwhile, I seared some tofu cubes in a little oil until crisp. Then I mixed together a little leftover hummus and red pepper dip I had, added some garlic powder, onion salt, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, olive oil, and milk. I heated this up and tossed it into the pasta, then tossed in the tofu. It worked. It was a flavorful sauce enough to coat the pasta and made a quick weeknight meal. Just round out the meal with some vegetables and dessert of course. 

Gnocchi À La Parisienne

 Gnocchi are known as a soft, Italian dumpling. Some people think of them as pasta, but they are actually classified as dumplings though often served like fresh pasta. What many people don’t know is there are actually three different types of gnocchi. There are gnocchi piemontaise, which are the most familiar potato gnocchi; gnocchi à la romaine, which use semolina flour, egg yolks, and cheese; and the special gnocchi à la parisienne, which are gnocchi made from choux paste and often finished with cheese. I have made both the potato and choux paste gnocchis, and I find the choux paste ones to be much easier and less fussy.

Gnocchi À La Parisienne

2/3 cup water

2 Tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons salt

2/3 cup all-purpose (plain) flour

2 large eggs, beaten lightly

butter

cheese

In a medium saucepan, bring the water and butter to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in the flour all at once, mixing for thirty seconds until dough forms a ball in the middle of the pan. Transfer mixture to a bowl and cool for five minutes.

Meanwhile bring a large pot of water to a boil, then salt the water.

Beat the egg into the dough, a little at a time, until smooth and glossy. Transfer to a piping bag or cookie press fitted with a large plain or star tip. Pipe lines of dough onto a lightly floured, flat surface such as a cutting board or a baking sheet. Cut into ½ - 1 inch lengths. Place gnocchi in the boiling water and cook for a few minutes until they float to the top. Remove with a slotted spoon.

If you would like to serve the gnocchi as a soft boiled pasta, cook for a few minutes longer after they float to the top until they are no longer doughy. Then drain well and toss in melted butter and shredded cheese or a light sauce of choice.

Alternately, finish your gnocchi dumplings by pan-frying them. Heat some butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat, then sauté the dumplings until golden on all sides. Finish with some grated cheese, such as Parmesan.

I pan-fried my gnocchi and finished them with shavings of Irish porter cheese, which is why they look black, but they are not burnt. Any cheese is tasty with these neutral-flavored gnocchi.

Makes two hearty servings or four appetizer portions. Recipe may easily be increased. 

Pasta With Fenugreek Dressing

Here is my finished pasta dish from yesterday: curried pine nut pasta with swiss cheese and fenugreek dressing. 

To finish the pasta: Roll the pasta dough out to approximately 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into rectangles, about one inch by 1/2 inch. Place a small amount of grated cheese (I used swiss) in the center of each, then fold over and press to seal with the tines of a fork. Cook for a few minutes in boiling salted water until tender. Serve with extra cheese, crushed pine nuts, and a sauce. I served mine with the following, not a typical pasta sauce but seriously good!

Fenugreek Emulsified Dressing
1 whole egg
1 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder
1 teaspoon fenugreek
1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
1 Tablespoon fresh cilantro, minced
salt and pepper, to taste
125mL rice vinegar
375mL canola oil
fresh lemon, juiced

In a medium bowl, beat the egg with the mustard. Beat in the remaining herbs and spices. Whisk in the vinegar. Slowly whisk in the oil to emulsify. Adjust the seasoning and consistency with lemon juice and additional salt and pepper. 

Curried Pine Nut Pasta

Curried Pine Nut Pasta
1 cup semolina flour
3/4 cup all-purpose (plain) flour
1/4 cup pine nuts, finely chopped (toast first for more flavor)
2 teaspoons curry powder
pinch salt
1 large egg
1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
2/3 cup cold water

In a small bowl, mix together the flours, nuts, curry, and salt.
In a separate small bowl, beat together the egg, oil, and water until combined.
Mound the dry ingredients on a wooden table or board. Make a hole in the center. (Alternately you can do this in a bowl, but it is not the traditional way of making pasta). Carefully pour the wet ingredients in the center, then gently work the flour in with your hands to form a stiff dough. Knead until smooth. Form into a ball, wrap well in plastic wrap, and let rest for at least an hour or so.

At this point, your pasta may be put through a pasta machine, or rolled out and cut by hand. Then it may be cooked for a few minutes in boiling salted water until tender, or dried for storage. Fill as desired. Fresh filled pasta can be refrigerated or frozen for later use. This pasta can be made into any pasta shape possible.

This isn't a traditional pasta formula - but my own recipe that gets more color from the curry powder. The use of some semolina flour makes the pasta firmer and gives more color as well. I will share the entire pasta dish I created with this pasta dough tomorrow. 

Macaroni Beef Casserole

This is a big batch of an easy casserole I made. Of course it can easily be varied by: type of pasta, type of meat, vegetables, sauce, spices and seasonings, add-ins (cheese, sour cream, etc.), but here is what I did:

Cook two bags of macaroni pasta in boiling water until tender.
Meanwhile, cook one package of ground pork in a little oil in a large saucepan until fully cooked. Stir in two large green peppers, diced, one package of sliced button mushrooms, and one can of seasoned diced tomatoes (with juice). Add in three packages of chili seasoning and bring mixture to a boil. Simmer for a few minutes until vegetables are tender.

Pour the drained pasta into a large casserole dish, pour meat mixture over top. Stir in a couple cups of tomato sauce of choice. Mix well. Top with cheese if desired. Bake immediately to heat through, or cover and place in the fridge until ready to bake later.

Big Batch Lasagna

I grew up helping my father make lasagna. Whenever we had lasagna at our house, we always made two 9x13 inch panfulls and ate it for a few days, or froze extras. It was also a favorite dish to have when company came over. If you are going to go through all that trouble, you may as well make two big lasagnas and get more than one meal out of it. Also, the lasagna noodles fit larger pans better and one container of cottage cheese was always enough for us to make two lasagnas. We always made one meat lasagna and one vegetarian - I did the meatless and my father handled the meat. We would work side by side, I preparing the cheese and sauce, and eating the broken noodle pieces, and my father cooking up the meat. At work recently, I made one really big lasagna in a much bigger pan. It was definitely a different recipe than my father and I always made together, but the techniques were the same and it certainly brought back memories, especially since I didn't have a helper and was making this all by myself. 

This lasagna consists of a spicy meat tomato and pepper sauce, four layers of noodles, a layer of cottage cheese mixed with spinach, and a top layer of shredded mozzarella cheese. I like how lasagna can be prepared in advance, stuck in the fridge, and baked shortly before serving. Pictured here is the unbaked version. I also love the layering process and don't find it to be tedious at all, as long as you have all your mise en place in order beforehand. 

Big Batch Fettucini Alfredo

Fettucini alfredo is a classic, comfort food dish, and it is not too difficult to make either. I recently made a huge batch of it, and it only took me a few minutes. Here is how I did it: I brought a big pot of water to a boil and cooked rotini until al dente. Actually, I did not have quite enough rotini, so I used two-thirds of rotini and one-third egg noodles, which are very close in shape and essentially have the same cooking time. The flavor is similar enough as well. I drained the pasta, then transferred it to a large pan. I then prepared the sauce, making it nice and hot. This was not only an alfredo sauce, but was also flavored with a little garlic, Parmesan cheese, and roasted red pepper. The sauce to pasta ratio depends on your personal preference. Personally, I like enough sauce to coat the pasta and provide flavor, but I do not like when there is so much sauce the pasta is liquidy and you need a spoon at the end of the dish. I stirred in a little chopped, leftover cooked turkey into the sauce at the end, though this is optional. Chicken, shrimp, lobster, ham, or vegetables may be used instead. I then poured the hot sauce over the pasta and tossed to coat. I then like to bake the pasta to ensure it is nice and hot and bubbly, and I usually cover it with foil so it does not dry out. However, for advance preparation it may be cooled then covered and stored in the refrigerator to be baked later or the next day. 

Big Batch Pasta Salad

Pasta salad is such a staple for an easy, cold side dish to go with a variety of quick, home-style meals. Every pasta salad is different, even when using the same recipe, there is variation within each batch. Pasta salads can be creamy and rich like potato salads, or light and oil-based like green salads. This is a big batch pasta salad I made recently. I find the best types of pasta to use for salads are short, medium ones with some ridges to hold the sauce, but not really tiny pastas such as orzo or alphagetti. Macaroni is good, but macaroni salad is an entire different type of pasta salad on its own. Pastas like spaghetti, linguni and fettucini are just too long for salads. The best pastas are rotini, fusili, short egg noddles, bow ties, or shells. Here I have used broad egg noodles. Although it is fun to mix different shapes of pastas sometimes, that is better for sauces and not ideal in salads. 
In this salad, I have used minced green onion, chopped celery, diced red pepper, and tomato strips, although I change up the vegetables I use slightly every time depending on what I have on hand in the refrigerator. A few chopped vegetables add a little extra color, flavor, and crunch. I also use a fairly creamy-based dressing, with some mayo and coleslaw dressing, and a little bit of garlic, parsley, and a touch of paprika. 

Hamburger Noodle Casserole

Hamburger Noodle Casserole
2 pounds lean ground beef
12 cups hot water
3 cups milk
2 boxes or one large bag medium egg noodles
4 packets hamburger seasoning mix

In one huge or two larger skillets over medium heat, heat a little oil. Cook the meat in the oil until browned and thoroughly cooked. Stir in the remaining ingredients (if using two pots, put half in each). Bring to a boil, then boil slowly or simmer for ten minutes until the noodles are tender, stirring often. This mixture can then be left in the pot for a few minutes to thicken, or transferred to a pan or casserole dish and allowed to thicken, or kept warm in the oven. It may also be cooled and reheated later. 

This is a really quick recipe that is always a hit with those who like beef and pasta, and you can make a huge batch in just a little bit of time. The recipe is forgiving, holds up well, can be made ahead, and makes good leftovers. In order to make a quantity this large, I sort of made two separate batches, but made them at the same time, so everything I added to one pot I also added to the other. Then I combined it all in a large pan,