1. pumpkin ravioli with sage cream sauce
OKAY. So i had never made ravioli from scratch before. It was an interesting and time consuming project - but well worth it. I think. With special help from my new assistant chef we were able to make a great filling, over stuff the wrappers and boil the pasta without too many falling apart. the cream sauce was remarkably easy to make and used dry white wine - that was fun because i don't often cook with wine but would like to. also, the recipe called for WAY too much sage - i should have trusted my judgement.
RAVIOLI-
1 cup canned pure pumpkin puree
Salt and pepper
32 wonton wrappers
6 tablespoons butter
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese, plus shaved parmesan for serving
1 large egg
-In a medium bowl, mash together the pumpkin, cream cheese, parmesan, egg and 2 pinches each salt and pepper.
-Line a baking sheet (or your counter top, i had to use the sheet bc i didnt have enough counter space) with parchment paper and set aside. Spoon a tablespoon (make sure not to do too much, otherwise the wonton wrapper wont fold well) of the pumpkin-cream cheese filling into the center of the wonton wrappers, brush two edges with water, then fold the corners together, press to seal, gently squeezing out the air and making a triangle shaped ravioli. Arrange in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
3. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
4. Working in batches (about 4 or 5 ravioli at a time), cook the ravioli in the boiling water until they float to the surface, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon,remove. the ravioli will be sticky so you need to set up a wet paper towel to place them on, when the plate is full cover them with another wet paper towel and contiune layering as such until all ravioli is cooked.
this recipe makes quite a bit, we ended up freezing about 20-30 ravioli to use for later
SAUCE RECIPE
3 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup finely chopped shallots
1 teaspoons crumbled dried sage leaves
1 1/2 cup dry white wine - i used a cabernet sauvignon
1 1/3 cup whipping cream
salt and pepper to taste.
Melt butter on medium heat until it browns.
Add sage and shallots to heat for around 30 secs.
Add wine and cream.
Bring mixture to boil and cook for at least 10 minutes or until it reaches desired thickness.
Season with salt and pepper.
then i arranged the raviolis on the plate and poured the desired amount of sauce over the pasta. i sprinkled a little of the left over cheese as a garnish.
2. smoky black bean soup
OH MY GOD. this was SO easy. seriously, the easiest thing I've made in a LONG time. I'll re-post the recipe and in addition I'd add guac or sour cream and tortilla strips. yum.
1 large onion, chopped
3 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes (I used fire-roasted)
15 ounces fatfree refried beans
15 ounces black beans, cooked
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 teaspoon cumin
1 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/8 - 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder (to taste)
1 teaspoon hot sauce (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano (optional)
salt and pepper, to taste
Spray a large, non-stick pot with cooking spray, and sauté the onion until it begins to brown. Add the garlic and bell pepper and cook for one more minute. Add all the remaining ingredients and cook until the flavors blend, 20-30 minutes.
3. granola
no, this does not make me a hippie - contrary to popular belief. It was my first time making it and though I wish there would have been bigger clusters i think it turned out okay. Here is the recipe i used, though I altered it a bit. Really just watch for the consistency of the granola when you're mixing everything together. ALSO really make sure to check on it every 5 minutes or so - it will burn EASILY.
Ingredients
4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2 cups sweetened, shredded coconut
2 cups sliced almonds
1 1/2 cups dried cherries, chopped
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup good honey
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Toss the oats, coconut, almonds, and cherries together in a large bowl. Pour the vegetable oil and honey over the oat mixture. Add the cinnamon, and stir with a wooden spoon until all the oats and nuts are coated with the liquids. Pour onto a sheet pan. Bake, stirring occasionally with a spatula, until the mixture turns a nice, even golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes.
Remove the granola from the oven and allow to cool, stirring occasionally. Store the cooled granola in an airtight container
I've been a very bad blogger the past couple of months. I'm afraid my creative energy has shifted from any sort of printing/book making to cooking and photography. Unfortunately my new California kitchen is really, really undesirable for cooking, and I don't really have a camera right now. I've been using my iPhone though and publishing photos on my flickr.com site (http://flickr.com/photos/29714536@N08/).
Jennie and I have been on a baking kick including: chocolate peanut butter bombs and Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting. Oh Autumn, how I miss you.
