5 posts tagged “nyc”
i eventually want to make some flavored raviolis, but for the first time i wanted to keep it simple.
ingredients:
for the pasta
eggs
flour
for the stuffing
ricotta
thyme
sea salt
for the sauce
butter
thyme
pecorino romano
step one: make the dough
as i've done before, i piled up flour and put 3 eggs into the middle. mixed up the eggs, kneaded it together for 5 minutes. then covered it and let it rest.
step two: make the filling
simple as can be. mix together the ricotta, the thyme, and the sea salt. in the future i may use eggs, to keep it together, because like this the filling kind of oozes out. but it's still good.
step three: roll out the dough
split the dough in half. on a floured board, roll out the dough pretty thin. not too thin, of course, it's got to hold the filling in. then cut the edges off of the dough and square it off.
step four: form the ravioli
lay out one of the rolled halves on the board. put small dollops of the filing at even intervals, leaving room at the edges. be careful not to use too much filling. then dip your finger in water and use it to make lines in between the filling. this is to help the top half stick to the bottom half.
lay the other half on top of the filling, and gently press down in between the humps to form the ravioli. when you have the ravioli formed, press more firmly and make sure the outside edges are sealed.
then use a sharp knife to cut and separate the ravioli.
for a finishing touch, use a fork to crimp the edges. this seals the ravioli shut and also makes them look real purty.
step five: cook
boil salted water, then lower the heat so that it's not boiling too hard. don't want to break the ravioli in the water. carefully drop them in, and don't overcrowd the pot. you may want to cook them in batches. remove from the water when they are floating aggressively, and transfer them directly to the sauce.
step six: the sauce
simple again. melt the butter, add some fresh thyme. add the cooked ravioli until lightly browned, then top with grated cheese. simple as can be.
One of the comfort foods from my youth is stuffed cabbage -- several of my relatives made their own versions. I had some beautiful collard greens and decided to try to make my own vegetarian version.
ingredients:
several collard green leaves, stems cut
boca recipe crumbles
carrots
celery
cabbage
onions
garlic
lemon
salt & pepper
tomato sauce
red wine vinegar
sriracha
sugar
water
eggs
breadcrumbs
step one: start the stuffing
in a large pan, brown the fake meat and then add finely shopped onion, garlic, carrots, celery, and cabbage. season with salt & pepper, red chile flakes if you like. when soft, add some fresh lemon zest and lemon juice, turn down the heat, and cook the liquid out. then turn off the heat and let the whole mixture cool.
step two: prep the leaves
after cutting out the stems and the hard center part of the leaf, drop a bunch into boiling salted water. when the leaves become soft (but not overcooked), remove them from the water and shock them in ice water to stop the cooking and to set the color.
step three: finish the stuffing
when the stuffing is cool, add a lot f breadcrumbs and two eggs. mix together briefly, not too much. let the mixture set for a few minutes.
step four: stuff!
spread out one of the leaves and pat it dry. add a small dollop of the stuffing towards the stem end. to roll, roll from the stem end over the stuffing, tuck the ends in, then roll up.
continue rolling up leaves and lay them seam side down in a roasting pan. save some leaves at the end for covering the dish.
step five: sauce
the sauce is key to the stuffed leaf. heat some olive oil in a sauce pot, add a bit of red wine vinegar and some garlic powder. then add some tomato sauce, some salt, pepper, sugar, and sriracha for heat and more acid.
step six: bake
to prep for baking, pour most of the sauce over the leaves. then, cover the whole thing with the reserved leaves. these will help protect the rolls from burning in the oven, and to help them steam.
pour the remaining sauce over those leaves, and then bake in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes.
step seven: remove
when you remove the pan from the oven it will look burned -- but remember, that's what the covering leaves were for. remove them and you should see the beautiful green leaves underneath. let cool then enjoy!
ingredients:
for the crespelle:
milk
flour
eggs
salt
olive oil
for the filling:
spinach
olive oil
salt
lemon
ricotta cheese
for baking:
basic tomato sauce
ricotta salata
pecorino romano
parmesan
fresh rosemary
step one: make the crespelle
much easier than i thought. combine the ingredients to form a thin batter. in a small crepe pan, heat a little bit of olive oil. pour a small amount of the batter into the pan, and swirl to cover the bottom. let it cook until firm, then flip. firm the other side, then remove from heat and repeat with more batter.
when you have made 6-8 crespelle, let them cool on the side.
step two: prep the filling
sautee spinach in olive oil with a little salt, then add some lemon juice, cook it down. check for seasoning, then let it cool.
after it cools, add a bunch of ricotta (i used a goat's milk ricotta from the farmer's market). mix thoroughly, reseason if necessary, then set aside.
step three: assembling the canneloni
holding the crespelle in one hand, put a small scoop of filling in the middle, then roll them up. lay them seam-side down in a deep baking dish.
when the canneloni are stuffed and lined up, cover with tomato sauce (in this case i made my own, but feel free to use pre-made, if you're a sissy).
then cover the sauce with cheese -- i used ricotta salata (to match the ricotta inside), pecorino romano, and parmesan. then add a splash of olive oil and some fresh rosemary (i used rosemary in the tomato sauce, so that matched as well).
step four: finishing touches
remove from the oven, and add a dash of olive oil, and some more fresh rosemary. let it cool, then eat. delicious!
ingredients:
acorn squash
flour
eggs
salt & pepper
olive oil
butter
step one: roast the squash
quarter the acorn squash, and add a little butter, salt & pepper.
roast in the oven at 400 for about 45 minutes. remove and let cool.
step two: prepare the dough
make a mound of flour, create a hole in the middle. add egg, and mushed up roasted squash.
knead and knead, until the squash in incorporated. then let the dough rest.
step three: prep the gnocchi
roll the dough into dowels, and cut small, one inch squares.
roll the squares off the end of a fork to form the gnocchi.
step four: cook the gnocchi
boil in salted water, until the gnocchi float aggressively. drain well.
step five: sauce the gnocchi
melt butter in a pan, add a little salt, pepper. add the cooked, drained gnocchi, and brown them.
step six: plating
you can add some shaved pecorino, some scallion greens to brighten up the plate. tasty!
ingredients:
one whole eggplant
celery
chili peppers
ricotta cheese
pecorino romano
thyme
can of whole peeled tomatoes
salt & pepper
i had an eggplant from the park slope farmer's market. to begin, slice the thing in half, lengthwise. to scoop out the insides, make a long cut through the flesh, and then several cross cuts -- comme ca:
then, using a large spoon, scoop out the insides and reserve them in a bowl, thusly:
set the scooped out flesh aside, and turn your attention to the big pieces. in a large saute pan, brown the cut side.
when out of the oil, lightly salt and set aside.
step two: the stuffing
in another pot, sweat celery and chili peppers in some live oil. add the scooped out eggplant, brown, then add salt.
add half of the canned tomatoes, but not the liquid from the can.
cook down, then add some freshly shaved pecorino romano. stir it through, then turn off the heat.
step three: assembly
spread some ricotta on the fired eggplant. then load on the stuffing.
when all the stuffing is in, top with some more pecorino.
step four: cooking
in a large pan, heat some olive oil, and add the remaining tomatoes (still reserving the juice). add the eggplant, skin side down, and cook for a moment. add the tomato juice, then top with some more pecorino, and then some sprigs of thyme.
cover the whole shebang and turn down the heat. cook for about 20 minutes, covered. make some pasta on the side.
step five: plating
remove the eggplant, turn up the heat, and add the cooked pasta to the braising liquid.
i cut an eggplant apart to see the layers and juice ran out everywhere. maybe i should have set the stuffing with egg and breadcrumbs. still, damned delicious.
