Heavenly Ravioli

I escaped the awful news of the day by taking refuge in pasta. Once again I turned to the porch garden for 5 medium sized tomatoes supposedly bred for use in Italian tomato sauces. I don't know all that really means, but I can tell you the results of tonight's enterprise was fantastic.

Cheese ravioli with creamy fresh tomato sauce with mixed mushrooms and seasoned with fresh oregano and tarragon.  All treated with a splash of sweet Vermouth and red pepper flakes.

8-20-17 Linguine with shrimp

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Tonight I used tomatoes from Patience’s front porch garden for the sauce that created a most delightful pasta dish.

INGREDIENTS:

1.     Linguine

2.     4 medium tomatoes

3.     Shrimp

4.     Asparagus cut in to 1 inch pieces,

5.     Fresh basil and dill

6.     Heavy whipping cream

7.     Olive oil

8.     Onion and garlic

9.     Sweet vermouth

10. Tomato paste

PROCESS:

Cut the tomatoes in half and grate them on the large openings on a hand grater, preserving the pulp and discarding the skin. Prepare the onion and garlic in olive oil, then add the tomatoes and herbs to the pan and simmer to reduce the liquid. After 5-10 minutes add a splash of wine.  Cook the sauce for about 20-30 minutes, but the timing is not critical. The idea is to cook off the excess liquid.  I added about 2 inches of tomato paste to help thicken the sauce.  While the pasta is cooking add the shrimp and asparagus, and when the pasta is almost done, add the cream. (I nuked the asparagus for 1 minute to cut down on the cooking time in the sauce.

COMMENTS:

My concern about this dish early in the preparation turned out to be misplaced. It was utterly delicious, with a unique sweetness, thanks to the fresh tomatoes. I guess I will have to repeat this using processed tomatoes to see if there is a significant difference.

Try it - you won't be disappointed.