5-15-18 Ravioli w mushroom-sundried tomato-cream sauce

I wanted to use the ½ pint of white mushrooms in the fridge to make a sauce for the spinach cheese ravioli in the freezer. I also wanted to keep in rather simple and open to last minute “inspirations”.

INGREDIENTS:

1.     Ravioli

2.     Mushrooms coarsely chopped

3.     Sundried tomatoes in oil coarsely chopped

4.     Tomato paste – 1-2 teaspoons

5.     Fresh basil leaves

6.     Olive oil

7.     Onion and garlic

8.     Sweet Vermouth

9.     Heavy whipping cream

10. Chicken broth

11. Grating cheese

PROCESS:

Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil until soft. Add the mushrooms and cook over med-high heat, stirring frequently until they begin to brown. Add the sundried tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, and a splash of sweet vermouth, lower the heat and continue cooking. Add the broth if the sauce becomes too thick. About 5 minutes before adding the ravioli stir in the cream – as much or as little as desired. There is no fixed amount for any of these ingredients, so there is no right way or wrong way to prepare this.

COMMENTS:

Patience and I both gave this a 10. It was fun to prepare, and offers a lot of options to explore any number of variations.

5-10-17 PASTA WITH MIXED MUSHROOM/SUNDRIED TOMATO SAUCE

                   

INGREDIENTS:

1.     Leek – thin slices

1.     Celery

2.     Garlic crushed

3.     Olive Oil

4.     Mixed mushrooms

5.     Sundried tomatoes in oil – coarsely chopped

6.     Dry white wine

7.     Fresh lemon juice

8.     Fresh parsley and sage oil – coarsely chopped

9.     Toasted Panko

PROCESS:

Cook the leek and celery in the olive oil until soft.  Add the garlic and continue cooking for about 2 minutes before adding the mushrooms and tomatoes.  Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until mushrooms begin to brown.  Add splash of wine and allow to cook off before adding fresh lemon juice (about half of med. Lemon).  Lower heat and simmer for 1-2 minutes then add the herbs. 

While the pasta is cooking toast the panko in butter in a small skillet on the stove top and remove when it begins to turn golden.

Add the pasta (recommend one of the shaped pastas) to the sauce; mix well, (add pasta water if needed) and serve, sprinkled with panko.

COMMENTS:

Patience and I give this a 20 on a scale of 10!  I think it was a perfect combination of ingredients, but it was the fresh parsley and sage and the toasted panko instead of cheese that gave it that little extra oomph.  We will serve this the next time we have dinner guests.

4-13-17 Out of the park!

4-13-17   Out of the park!

Sometimes you hit a home run when you least expect it, which is what happened tonight.  This morning I saw a post on Facebook for Penne pasta with spinach and sundried tomatoes, and that set the wheels spinning.  I like cooking with sundried tomatoes in oil – spinach not so much.  As the day wore on a recipe evolved in my head:

Pasta with chicken, asparagus, and sundried tomatoes in a cream sauce

INGREDIENTS:

1.     Pappardelle

2.     Asparagus

3.     Chicken tenders – marinated for 30 minutes

4.     Sundried tomatoes in olive oil – 4 or 5 coarsely chopped

5.     Shallots – one thinly slice

6.     Garlic

7.     Basil – fresh (I used frozen cubes from last summer’s garden.)

8.     Celery

9.     Sweet Vermouth

10. Red pepper flakes

11. Heavy whipping cream

For the Marinade:

1.     Finely chopped garlic

2.     Fresh basil finely chopped

3.     Salt and pepper

4.     Oregano

5.     Dry white wine

6.     Balsamic vinegar glaze

PROCESS:

Salt and pepper the chicken and place in a small bowl.  Coat with olive oil, Balsamic vinegar glaze, and wine.  Add the garlic, basil, and oregano and mix well.  Cover and place in refrigerator for about 30 mins.

When ready, brown the chicken in olive oil over high heat, remove, and set aside.  Save the marinade.

Cook the Shallots, garlic, and celery in olive oil until soft.  Add red pepper flakes and the tomatoes and cook for 5-10 minutes.  Cut the chicken into bite size pieces and add to the pan, along with the marinade and a splash of wine and cook over low heat.  About 5 minutes before the pasta is ready add the heavy whipping cream, stirring frequently.

Add the past to the pan and mix well.

COMMENTS:

Patience gave this a 25 on a scale of 1-10.  Enough said.

11-29-16 Penne with Zucchini, leeks, and sundried tomatoes

After 4 days of turkey and stuffing, as good as it was I needed some pasta.  But saying I want pasta is like saying I want beef, or vegetables.  There are so many ways they can be prepared.  My first thought was to use some of the porch tomatoes for a sauce, but Patience requested I use them in a salad, which I was happy to do.  There was nothing in the kitchen that inspired me, and since I was planning on a trip to Midtown Market for some Provolone and Mortadella I thought I’d see what I could find there.  And BINGO, as soon as I saw the Leeks in the produce section I knew what I would do, and I did it.

INGREDIENTS:

1.     Penne pasta

2.     Zucchini sliced crosswise

3.     Leeks sliced crosswise

4.     Sun dried tomatoes in olive oil coarsely chopped

5.     Olive oil

6.     Garlic 11or 2 cloves crushed

7.     Fresh Dill

8.     Celery

9.     Chicken broth

10. Sweet Vermouth

11. Parmigiano cheese

PROCESS:

Cook the Leeks and celery in olive oil over medium heat until soft.  Add the zucchini and garlic and cook over high heat until the zucchini is browned on both sides, stirring frequently to prevent burning.  About half way through this I added about ¼ cup of chicken broth and ¼ cup of Sweet Vermouth.  Continue cooking until most of the liquid has evaporated.  Add some finely chopped fresh dill.  When the pasta is ready add it to the pan with the “sauce”.  Add some pasta water if it is too dry.

COMMENTS:

What a sweet dish, literally.  The sundried tomatoes and the sweet vermouth gave it a distinct, and savory flavor.  It was fun to cook, and more fun to eat.

And the tomato salad?