White Wine Parmesan Cream Sauce

I had an epiphany tonight. Cooking seasonally is not just about the ingredients. It goes beyond my produce selections in the grocery store and spills straight into the dishes that I’m creating.

Tonight is really the first cool night in southern California and all I could think about was fresh autumn ingredients and cooking something that warmed me from the inside out. And there are few things more warming than a cheesy, creamy white wine sauce.

You will need…

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup dry white wine

1 cup chicken stock

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon flour

½ cup grated parmesan, plus the rind

¼ cup heavy cream

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by heating the olive oil over medium heat.

When the olive oil is hot, add in the garlic and cook until fragrant. About 1 minute.

Pour in the white wine and bring the liquid to simmer. Simmer for about 2 minutes, until the liquid has started to reduce and stir in the chicken stock.

Add parmesan rind and bring the liquid back to a simmer.

In a small bowl, combine the flour and the butter. 

When the flour is completely incorporated with the butter, whisk the butter into the sauce.

When the butter has been whisked into the sauce, add in the parmesan cheese and cream and continue to whisk until everything is hot throughout and completely combined.

Season with salt and pepper and serve hot.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela

White Wine Parmesan Cream Sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup dry white wine

1 cup chicken stock

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon flour

½ cup grated parmesan, plus the rind

¼ cup heavy cream

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by heating the olive oil over medium heat.

When the olive oil is hot, add in the garlic and cook until fragrant. About 1 minute.

Pour in the white wine and bring the liquid to simmer. Simmer for about 2 minutes, until the liquid has started to reduce and stir in the chicken stock.

Add parmesan rind and bring the liquid back to a simmer.

In a small bowl, combine the flour and the butter. When the flour is completely incorporated with the butter, whisk the butter into the sauce.

When the butter has been whisked into the sauce, add in the parmesan cheese and cream and continue to whisk until everything is hot throughout and completely combined.

Season with salt and pepper and serve hot. 

Lamb, Proscuitto and Fig Ragu with Beet Pasta

Figs are just one of those things.

They are one of those ingredients that are so stunning, but yet you still are often at a loss of what to do with them.

In my house, figs were not a regular staple. Perhaps that is why I often am at a loss of what to do with them.

Their hearty and sweet characteristics have been the driving force that has lead them to many of my slow cooked dishes. They hold up on their own while spreading their tasty love around any dish that is cooked for a long time.

No wonder this isn’t the first ragu they have found their way into.

You will need…

1lb ground lamb

1 tablespoon olive oil

6 large figs, chopped

4 ounces proscuitto, chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, chopped

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 cups chicken stock

Salt and pepper to taste

½ cup fresh grated pecorino cheese

Beet fettuccini

Start by heating the olive oil over medium high heat in a large pot.

When the oil is hot, add in the lamb and the proscuitto and cook it till it is browned. Breaking it up with a spoon as it cooks.

When the meat is browned, add in the rosemary and garlic and season well with salt and pepper. 

Continue to simmer until the garlic is fragrant. About 1 minute.

Add in the mushrooms and figs and cook for an additional two minutes. Just until the mushrooms start to softened.

Stir in the tomato paste until everything is lightly coated.

Pour in the chicken stock and bring the liquid to a simmer. Simmer the liquid slowly, stirring every couple minutes until the liquid has been absorbed. About 20 minutes.

Serve hot with the beet fettuccini or pasta of your choice and topped with cheese.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela  

Lamb and Fig Ragu with Beet Pasta

1lb ground lamb

1 tablespoon olive oil

6 large figs, chopped

4 ounces proscuitto, chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, chopped

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 cups chicken stock

Salt and pepper to taste

½ cup fresh grated pecorino cheese

Beet fettuccini

Start by heating the olive oil over medium high heat in a large pot.

When the oil is hot, add in the lamb and the proscuitto and cook it till it is browned. Breaking it up with a spoon as it cooks.

When the meat is browned, add in the rosemary and garlic and season well with salt and pepper. Continue to simmer until the garlic is fragrant. About 1 minute.

Add in the mushrooms and figs and cook for an additional two minutes. Just until the mushrooms start to softened.

Stir in the tomato paste until everything is lightly coated.

Pour in the chicken stock and bring the liquid to a simmer. Simmer the liquid slowly, stirring every couple minutes until the liquid has been absorbed. About 20 minutes.

Serve hot with the beet fettuccini or pasta of your choice and topped with cheese.

Arugula and Soy Shitake Brown Butter Sauce

Well mi amigos, I made it back from my week in Cabo for the Yi wedding without any major injuries. Of course there were a few signature Angela bumps and bruises, but all in all I survived. Not only did I survive, I thrived.

The trip was absolutely amazing, start to finish.

First of all, if you live in California, I HIGHLY recommend Cabo San Lucas as a vacation destination. That place is beautiful, everyone is amazingly nice and it is a true vacation destination. I’m sure many of you already know that. I can’t believe it took me this long to figure it out!

Basically, we had a blast. Everyone got a long. The wedding was stunning. And most importantly, I got a sweet SWEET tan.

While I am sad my vacation is over, I am happy to be back in beautiful Orange County for a few days before I start a crazy few weeks of travel. Dallas, San Fran, Atlanta and Temecula, I’m coming at ya!

But until I hit the road, I’m hitting the kitchen. Oh home cooked food, how I miss thee.

You will need…

4 ounces shitake mushrooms, sliced

3 tablespoons soy sauce

3 cups arugula

½ cup butter

3 tablespoons chicken broth

Over medium heat, bring the soy sauce and mushrooms to a gentle simmer.

Simmer the mushrooms until all the soy sauce is absorbed and the mushrooms are tender. About 8 minutes.

When all the liquid is gone, add in the butter.

Melt the butter over medium high heat until it browns.

As soon as the butter starts to brown, add in the chicken broth and the arugula and simmer for an additional minute.

Serve hot over your favorite pasta or a nice white fish.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela 

Arugula and Soy Shitake Brown Butter Sauce

4 ounces shitake mushrooms, sliced

3 tablespoons soy sauce

3 cups arugula

½ cup butter

3 tablespoons chicken broth

Over medium heat, bring the soy sauce and mushrooms to a gentle simmer.

Simmer the mushrooms until all the soy sauce is absorbed and the mushrooms are tender. About 8 minutes.

When all the liquid is gone, add in the butter.

Melt the butter over medium high heat until it browns.

As soon as the butter starts to brown, add in the chicken broth and the arugula and simmer for an additional minute.

Serve hot over your favorite pasta or a nice white fish. 

Slow Roasted Tomato Sauce

 It may look like I eat like a king seven days a week. But looks can be deceiving.

Usually I cook big meals once or twice a week. If I have one of my rare slow weeks, I’ll get wild and cook for a third.

But the other nights of the week I am throwing things together. We are talking serious basics here. The go to dishes are whole wheat pasta with tomato sauce and arugula with baby heirloom tomatoes and balsamic vinegar.

We are talking less than fifteen minutes and no more than five ingredients.

But all the canned tomato sauce got me thinking that I could probably make something even better, fresher, and cheaper on a Sunday and keep it all week long.

So I did.

This simple dish is the perfect way to freshen up my low key meals.

You will need…

3 lbs roma tomatoes, thickly sliced

10 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons freshly chopped thyme

3 tablespoons olive oil

¼ cup white wine

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

2 cups chicken stock

Start by preheating your oven to 225 degrees F.

Lay the garlic and tomatoes out in a thin layer on a baking sheet.

Sprinkle with salt, pepper and thyme and then drizzle with the white wine and olive oil.

Roast in the oven for 2 hours.

When the tomatoes and garlic are done roasting, pour them in a blender or large food processor and blend, adding the chicken stock a bit at a time until you reached your desired consistency.

Pour over your favorite pasta or save for later in the week.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela  

Slow Roasted Tomato Sauce

3 lbs roma tomatoes, thickly sliced

10 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons freshly chopped thyme

3 tablespoons olive oil

¼ cup white wine

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

2 cups chicken stock

Start by preheating your oven to 225 degrees F.

Lay the garlic and tomatoes out in a thin layer on a baking sheet.

Sprinkle with salt, pepper and thyme and then drizzle with the white wine and olive oil.

Roast in the oven for 2 hours.

When the tomatoes and garlic are done roasting, pour them in a blender or large food processor and blend, adding the chicken stock a bit at a time until you reached your desired consistency.

Pour over your favorite pasta or save for later in the week. 

Lobster Ravioli with Tomato Cream Lobster Sauce

So, I had to take a day off from writing about this homemade lobster ravioli. There is no way I was going to be able to stare at those tasty morsels too nights in a row with out actually eating them.

But I’m back at it because you wannabe foodies need to be eating this. Like, right now.

I made this sauce to go with my homemade raviolis, but it would be amazing on any pasta and would probably be quite tasty on some white flakey fish as well.

You will need…

4 ounces raw fresh lobster, roughly chopped (if you don’t have lobster you could us another shell fish)

¼ ounce white wine

2 tablespoons butter

½ cup heavy cream

2 tomato Roma tomatoes, diced

10 pearly onions, diced

1 shallot, diced

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped

¼ cup parmesean, grated

24 homemade lobster ravioli (or pasta of your choice) cooked per the instructions

2 tablespoons chives, finely chopped

Start by heating a medium pan over medium heat.

Add in the butter and, shallots and onions and sauté until the onions are translucent. About 5 minutes.

Then, toss in the tomatoes and thyme and sauté for an additional 2 minutes.

Add in the lobster meat and sauté for about 2 to 3 minutes. Be careful not to over cook it.

Lower the heat and add in the brandy. Cook for about 1 minutes, just to burn off the alcohol.

Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese and cream and stir gently.

Season with salt and pepper and pour over your ravioli.

Top with chives and serve hot.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela  

Lobster Ravioli with Tomato Cream Lobster Sauce

4 ounces raw fresh lobster, roughly chopped (if you don’t have lobster you could us another shell fish)

¼ ounce white wine

2 tablespoons butter

½ cup heavy cream

2 tomato Roma tomatoes, diced

10 pearly onions, diced

1 shallot, diced

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped

¼ cup parmesean, grated

24 homemade lobster ravioli (or pasta of your choice) cooked per the instructions

Start by heating a medium pan over medium heat.

Add in the butter and, shallots and onions and sauté until the onions are translucent. About 5 minutes.

Then, toss in the tomatoes and thyme and sauté for an additional 2 minutes.

Add in the lobster meat and sauté for about 2 to 3 minutes. Be careful not to over cook it.

Lower the heat and add in the brandy. Cook for about 1 minutes, just to burn off the alcohol.

Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese and cream and stir gently.

Top with chives and serve hot.

Season with salt and pepper and pour over your ravioli.