Apple Pumpkin Ravioli

Every autumn my multiple social networking websites light up with buzz about the appearance of pumpkin on the scene. For a solid two months of the year, people go bonkers for pumpkins. Pumpkin spiced lattes, pumpkin pie, pumpkin scented candles. Pumpkin, pumpkin everywhere.

Shocking… I’m not into pumpkin. Maybe it’s my need to be different and unique or maybe I’m just a pumpkin grinch.

No matter the reason, I decided to challenge myself to do what I challenge others to do. I tried this ingredient in a new and unexpected way to give it a shot in my virtual recipe box. And I’m so glad I did.

This is pumpkin dressed up for a party. And who doesn’t love a good party for your palate?

You will need…

1 pumpkin (about 3lbs) halved, seeds and pulp removed

5 sprigs of thyme

2 honey crisp apples, diced

1 large onion, half roughly chopped and the other half diced

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 tablespoons sage, finely chopped

¼ cup pine nuts

1 cup white wine

2 chicken stock

8 ounces mascarpone cheese

Homemade ravioli, rolled into thin sheets about 2 ½ to 3 inches wide

Salt and pepper to taste

½ cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees F.

Toss together the large roughly chopped onion chunks and the apples with 1 tablespoons olive oil and lots of salt and pepper.

On a foil line, rimmed baking sheet spread out the apples and onions.

On a seconded rimmed baking sheet, place the two pumpkin halves and put both the baking sheets in the preheated oven.

Roast the onions and apples just till they are browned, about 20 minutes. Roast the pumpkin until it is very soft. About 1 hour.

When everything is done roasting and everything has cooled enough to handle. Combine the pumpkin, onion and apple in a food processor and blend until smooth. Season well with salt and pepper.

Scoop out about 1 cup of the blended pumpkin mix and reserve it for the sauce.

Stir the cheese into the pumpkin mixture and place it in the refrigerator to cool just until it is firmed slightly. About 20 minutes.

Spread out your pasta sheets and place 1 to 2 tablespoons of filling every 2 inches.

Lightly brush the bottom roll of pasta with a little water and place the top sheet on your pasta. Form and cut your ravioli.

When your ravioli has formed, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

While the water is boiling, heat the remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add in the remaining onion and cook just until the onions have softened.

Add in the pine nuts and toast until they are slightly browned. About 3 minutes.

Turn up heat a little and pour in the wine. Simmer the wine until it has reduced slightly.

Stir in the chicken stock and the sage and bring back to a simmer.

Whisk in the reserved pumpkin mixture until it is completely combined and saucy.

Cook the raviolis until they are heated through and toss them in with the sauce.

Serve hot with Parmesan cheese.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela

Apple Pumpkin Ravioli

1 pumpkin (about 3lbs) halved, seeds and pulp removed

5 sprigs of thyme

2 honey crisp apples, diced

1 large onion, half roughly chopped and the other half diced

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 tablespoons sage, finely chopped

¼ cup pine nuts

1 cup white wine

2 chicken stock

8 ounces mascarpone cheese

Homemade ravioli, rolled into thin sheets about 2 ½ to 3 inches wide

Salt and pepper to taste

½ cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees F.

Toss together the large roughly chopped onion chunks and the apples with 1 tablespoons olive oil and lots of salt and pepper.

On a foil line, rimmed baking sheet spread out the apples and onions.

On a seconded rimmed baking sheet, place the two pumpkin halves and put both the baking sheets in the preheated oven.

Roast the onions and apples just till they are browned, about 20 minutes. Roast the pumpkin until it is very soft. About 1 hour.

When everything is done roasting and everything has cooled enough to handle. Combine the pumpkin, onion and apple in a food processor and blend until smooth. Season well with salt and pepper.

Scoop out about 1 cup of the blended pumpkin mix and reserve it for the sauce.

Stir the cheese into the pumpkin mixture and place it in the refrigerator to cool just until it is firmed slightly. About 20 minutes.

Spread out your pasta sheets and place 1 to 2 tablespoons of filling every 2 inches.

Lightly brush the bottom roll of pasta with a little water and place the top sheet on your pasta. Form and cut your ravioli.

When your ravioli has formed, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

While the water is boiling, heat the remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add in the remaining onion and cook just until the onions have softened.

Add in the pine nuts and toast until they are slightly browned. About 3 minutes.

Turn up heat a little and pour in the wine. Simmer the wine until it has reduced slightly.

Stir in the chicken stock and the sage and bring back to a simmer.

Whisk in the reserved pumpkin mixture until it is completely combined and saucy.

Cook the raviolis until they are heated through and toss them in with the sauce.

Serve hot with Parmesan cheese.

Fennel, Shrimp and Chorizo Ravioli with Mascarpone Cheese

Last night I was super upset. After two hours working on a blog post, I lost it all in an instant. Such a sinking and defeating feeling.

Today, I had a really rough day at work. All day I just kept telling myself, relax. It is not a big deal. You are a good person and you have a beautiful life.

Yet all I could do was think about all the bad.

Then I talked to my friend Nicole who is a high school guidance counselor and always manages to put things in perspective. She told me all about teens doing crazy things to themselves and others. Drinking too much and harming their bodies.

For sure there are times, days, even weeks when life is hard or just plain sucky. But you couldn’t pay me to go back and be a teenager who hadn’t figured out how to live in my own skin yet. Even on the worst days, I know that the worst is behind me and the best is yet to come.

I know what I want. And I want to be a good person who makes people laugh and cooks good food.

So I’m getting after it one insane dish at a time. And this is an all time top five.

You will need…

1 tablespoons olive oil

2 fennel bulbs, white parts roughly chopped and greens reserved

1 small onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

¾ lb chorizo

¾ lb shrimp, peeled, de-veined and tails removed

1 cup mascarpone cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Flour For Dusting

Water

Homemade pasta dough

Slow Roasted Tomato Sauce or White Wine Parmesan Cream Sauce

Start by heating the olive oil in a large sauté pan.

When the oil is hot, add in the fennel and onion. Lightly toss to coat the onions and fennel and cook until they start to soften. About 5 minutes.

Add in the garlic and cook until the garlic is fragrant. About 30 seconds.

When the garlic is fragrant, add in the chorizo and stir, breaking it up with your spoon.

Cook until the chorizo is browned, about 5 minutes.

Add in the shrimp and cook, stirring often until the shrimp is just pink. About 3 minutes.

Remove from the heat and allow it to cool to room temperature.

In a food processor, blend together the cooked veggies, chorizo, shrimp and mascarpone.

When the filling is combined, season well with salt and pepper.

Heat a large pot of water till it’s boiling.

While the water is boiling, roll out your pasta dough into long thin strips about 3 inches wide.

Place about 1 tablespoon filling every 2 inches apart on a bottom layer of pasta. 

Gently brush the pasta sheet with water and place the top layer gently on top. Press with your fingers and cut with ravioli cutters or a knife.

Make sure to generously brush with flour so they do not stick.

Cook the ravioli in the boiling water until hot throughout and float to the top. About 3 to 5 minutes.

Serve hot with your favorite pasta sauce and topped with fennel greens.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela  

Fennel, Shrimp and Chorizo Ravioli with Mascarpone Cheese

1 tablespoons olive oil

2 fennel bulbs, white parts roughly chopped and greens reserved

1 small onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

¾ lb chorizo

¾ lb shrimp, peeled, de-veined and tails removed

1 cup mascarpone cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Water

Homemade pasta dough

Slow Roasted Tomato Sauce or White Wine Parmesan Cream Sauce

Start by heating the olive oil in a large sauté pan.

When the oil is hot, add in the fennel and onion. Lightly toss to coat the onions and fennel and cook until they start to soften. About 5 minutes.

Add in the garlic and cook until the garlic is fragrant. About 30 seconds.

When the garlic is fragrant, add in the chorizo and stir, breaking it up with your spoon.

Cook until the chorizo is browned, about 5 minutes.

Add in the shrimp and cook, stirring often until the shrimp is just pink. About 3 minutes.

Remove from the heat and allow it to cool to room temperature.

In a food processor, blend together the cooked veggies, chorizo, shrimp and mascarpone.

When the filling is combined, season well with salt and pepper.

Heat a large pot of water till it’s boiling.

While the water is boiling, roll out your pasta dough into long thin strips about 3 inches wide.

Place about 1 tablespoon filling every 2 inches apart on a bottom layer of pasta. Gently brush the pasta sheet with water and place the top layer gently on top. Press with your fingers and cut with ravioli cutters or a knife.

Make sure to generously brush with flour so they do not stick.

Cook the ravioli in the boiling water until hot throughout and float to the top. About 3 to 5 minutes.

Serve hot with your favorite pasta sauce and topped with fennel greens.

Arugula and Porcini Mushroom Ravioli

If you haven’t figured it out yet, I really like make ravioli.

I might even go out on a limb and say it is my favorite thing to make. Mostly because good ravioli is probably my favorite thing to eat.

There are few things better in this world than a delicate pasta filled with a decadent filling and topped with a scrumptious sauce.

Seriously, the only things I can think of better than that are massages, vacations and baby animals.

And it really is amazing how many delicious combinations of things you can put in and on top of a ravioli.

This here combo is different and unexpected, but oh so delicious.

You will need…

¼ cup minced shallots

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

8 ounces shitake mushrooms, stems removed and roughly chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 packed cups arugula

¼ cup mascarpone cheese

¼ cup ricotta cheese

1 tablespoon tahini

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 small can water chestnuts, rinsed and dried

Pasta Dough

Salt and pepper to taste

2 cups all purpose flour

In a medium pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add in the shallots, garlic and mushrooms and sauté until the mushrooms have given off most of their moisture. About 15 minutes.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

While the mushrooms are cooling, blanch the arugula in boiling water for about 30 seconds. 

Remove the arugula from the boiling water to an ice batch and then squeeze out as much of the liquid as possible.

In a food processor, blend together the arugula and mushroom mixture until smooth.

Add in the soy sauce, cheeses and tahini. Blend until all combined.

Season with salt and pepper and add in the water chestnuts. Blend until the water chestnuts are well chopped, but not pureed. You want the filling to have some texture.

Spread out your thinly rolled pasta dough on a well floured surface.

Place 1 tablespoon of filling every 2 inches on the pasta dough. Gently wet the bottom pasta sheet with water just so that it is lightly moist but not damp. Place a second pasta sheet over the first and push the air out around each filling. Gently press the pasta dough together. Cut out the individual raviolis and pinch closed with the ends of a fork.

Gently dust the ravioli with flour

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

When the water is at  rapid boil, cook the ravioli for 4 to 5 minutes. Just until they float to the top.

Drain the pasta an serve hot with Arugula and Soy Shitake Brown Butter Sauce

Love and Beer Floats

Angela  

¼ cup minced shallots

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

8 ounces shitake mushrooms, stems removed and roughly chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 packed cups arugula

¼ cup mascarpone cheese

¼ cup ricotta cheese

1 tablespoon tahini

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 small can water chestnuts, rinsed and dried

perfect pasta dough

Salt and pepper to taste

2 cups all purpose flour

In a medium pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add in the shallots, garlic and mushrooms and sauté until the mushrooms have given off most of their moisture. About 15 minutes.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

While the mushrooms are cooling, blanch the arugula in boiling water for about 30 seconds. Remove the arugula from the boiling water to an ice batch and then squeeze out as much of the liquid as possible.

In a food processor, blend together the arugula and mushroom mixture until smooth.

Add in the soy sauce, cheeses and tahini. Blend until all combined.

Season with salt and pepper and add in the water chestnuts. Blend until the water chestnuts are well chopped, but not pureed. You want the filling to have some texture.

Spread out your thinly rolled pasta dough on a well floured surface.

Place 1 tablespoon of filling every 2 inches on the pasta dough. Gently wet the bottom pasta sheet with water just so that it is lightly moist but not damp. Place a second pasta sheet over the first and push the air out around each filling. Gently press the pasta dough together. Cut out the individual raviolis and pinch closed with the ends of a fork.

Gently dust the ravioli with flour

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

When the water is at  rapid boil, cook the ravioli for 4 to 5 minutes. Just until they float to the top.

Drain the pasta an serve hot with Arugula and Soy Shitake Brown Butter Sauce.