Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Minty Pea Ravioli



Yesterday I had a very strong craving for cheese ravioli. When thinking about how to make them interesting, my thoughts turned to spring (yes, it's technically summer, but the weather has been springy lately), and the classic combo of peas and mint. To dress these spring ravs, I chose to toss them with bacon and more peas. I love peas and prosciutto or bacon with pasta dishes. It's another classic. The only classic pea partner I'm missing in this dish is carrots!

Minty Pea Ravioli


2 cups frozen baby peas, thawed, or fresh peas (divided)
4 cloves garlic
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley
20 or so fresh mint leaves
1 lemon
1 egg
15 oz. container whole-milk ricotta
1 package wonton wrappers
3 or 4 strips thick-cut bacon, diced
1 shallot, sliced into thin half-moons
dash of dry white wine
olive oil
salt & pepper

Pulse 2 cloves of garlic, a big handful of parsley, the zest from the lemon (reserve lemon for juice later) and about 15 mint leaves in a food processor. Add 1.5 cups of the peas and blend until well-combined, but not completely smooth. Stir pea mixture together with the ricotta and egg. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.

Form ravioli by placing about a Tablespoon of the filling in the center of a wonton wrapper. Wet the wonton with water around the filling, place another wonton wrapper on top, gently pushing down around the filling. Use a ravioli cutter, cookie cutter or a glass to cut the ravioli into a circle, sealing the filling in. Repeat until you are out of wrappers. I had extra filling. You can either get more wrappers and make more raviolis, or put the rest of the filling in a small baking dish, bake until bubbly and serve as a spread.

Cook the bacon in a skillet until just crispy. Add the shallot and 2 more cloves of garlic that have been minced. add a splash of white wine and the lemon juice to deglaze the pan. Meanwhile, have water boiling for the ravioli. Cook ravioli in batches of 5 or 6 for about 1 minute (until they float). Remove ravioli from water with a slotted spoon and toss with the bacon mixture. Once the desired number of ravioli are in the skillet, add the rest of the peas and some chopped parsley and mint. Toss gently to heat everything through and serve.








similar posts:

stuffed gnocchi
gnudi!
spring chicken stew
carmelized leek and morel tart
sweet potato gnocchi with ham and sage
bruschetta 3 ways

Friday, June 24, 2011

salad with salmon & potatoes



Smoked salmon is expensive. However! Look around at your grocery store and you may find that they sell the trimmings/scraps. These taste as good as the pretty slices of lox that come on your bagel... they are just not as nice-looking. I usually use them in one of my go-to cream cheese spreads (cream cheese, salmon, capers, red onions... spread on rye bagel chips... yum!). Last night I used them on a salad. I still used capers and red onions... I just love that combination. The addition of tiny fingerling potatoes makes this a great dinner salad... very satisfying!


Salad with Salmon & Potatoes

-1 small red onion, sliced into thin half-moons
-1 lemon
-2-3 Tablespoons rice vinegar
-1 teaspoon agave nectar
-A big handful of tiny potatoes, or fingerling potatoes cut into bite-size pieces
-1/2 Tablespoon butter
-Capers to taste
-Salad Greens
-olive oil, salt, pepper to taste

Toss the red onion with juice from 1/2 the lemon, vinegar and agave nectar and some salt. refrigerate until rest of prep is done. Steam potatoes in the microwave with butter, the other 1/2 of the lemon juice, salt and a bit of water for about 4 minutes until fully cooked. Let cool a bit. Top salad greens with salmon pieces, potatoes, a bit of the potatoes' steaming liquid, capers, pickled red onions, a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper.




Similar posts:

Salmon with Cilantro gremolata & grapefruit
Grilled fennel and salmon salad
3 easy spreads
grilled salmon with white bean salsa
radish garbanzo salad
fennel clementine salad
turnip poppyseed salad
bruise salad
sushi ceviche
edamame salad

Sunday, June 12, 2011

radish garbanzo salad



At the Farmer's market this weekend I nabbed not 1, not 2, but THREE different kinds of radishes! I love radishes... so crunchy and refreshing and spicy. I love eating them just as they are with either a dab of good butter or a sprinkling of course salt. They are also great as crudites with hummus or your favorite dip. Radishes rule. Will a radish be my next food tattoo? Hmmmm.


Daikon radishes.... these pack quite a peppery punch. Yummmmm.


Regular radishes and "easter egg" radishes. The easter egg radishes were more crunchy. And adorable.


These are Shallot Tops. I had never heard of them. The person selling them said to use the long stems like green onions. They have a bit of a stronger onion bite than green onions, and a slight garlic flavor as well. And the flowers on top are edible! Pretty!

Anywho, one of the farms where a I got one of my bunches had some recipes out, and there was one I caught a glimpse of for a radish salad with garbanzo beans. Garbanzo bean are another one of my all-time favorite foods. So yeah, I like the combination idea. Of course instead of following the recipe, I used what I had from the market and in my cupboards to make the following salad. That's what's so great about the farmer's market. You can usually throw together the stuff you buy there and it will almost always make for a tasty dish. Be adventurous!


Radish Garbanzo salad

-1 bunch easter egg radishes, 1 bunch regular radishes, and 2 small daikon radishes (or 3 bunches of regular radishes.), sliced thin
-1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
-1 shallot top or 3 green onions, sliced
-1 green garlic top, sliced, or 1 clove garlic, minced
-3 carrots, sliced thin
-1 or 2 Tablespoons of rice wine vinegar
-2 Teaspoons agave nectar or honey
-1 Tablespoon olive oil
-1 Tablespoon roasted sesame seeds
-Salt and pepper to taste

Combine everything. Boom. Salad. It's good right away... so fresh and crunchy, but also more flavorful the next day after chilling in the fridge.

Wednesday, June 08, 2011

baked shrimp with feta



I saw this recipe on my friend Stacey's blog, Every Little Thing, a couple weeks ago, and bookmarked it. I sounded like a really nice summer weekday kinda meal. I didn't veer much from the recipe she posted.. I used more shrimp (it was on sale and I can put away some shkrimps), and I didn't have dill so I used basil. I also added chili flakes for a kick. I was really happy with how this turned out. The hardest part was peeling the shrimp (too cheap to spring for the pre-peeled ones... those were $4 more a pound!!). A very quick and satisfying and healthy recipe. Thanks, Stacey!


Baked Shrimp with Feta
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 14.5-ounce cans of diced tomatoes
- 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
- 1 1/2 pounds raw shrimp, peeled and deveined, thaw if frozen
- Salt and pepper to taste. 
- 1 6 oz. pkg. crumbled feta cheese chrumbles (about 1 cup)

Preheat oven to 425°F. Heat the oil in a dutch oven or large skillet on medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until soft, 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about a minute more.

Add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and let simmer for 5-10 minutes, until the juices thicken. Remove from heat. Stir in the herbs, shrimp, feta cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to baking dish if your skillet or dutch oven isn’t oven-proof.

Bake, uncovered, until shrimp are cooked through, about 10-12 minutes.
Serve immediately with bread. (or rice. or pasta)






MOAR SHRIMP!
Shrimp tacos with Mango-Jicama slaw
Curry Shrimp
Garlic Lemongrass Shrimp with coconut rice
Bacon wrapped shrimp!!
Grilled Shrimp & Asparagus with polenta
Shrimp 'n Grits casserole
Shrimp & Polenta BATTLE!!
Shrimp BATTLE! (shrimp with bock choy vs. creamy shrimp pasta)