Zelinda's Ricotta Ravioli

Yum!!! Nothing says comfort food like my mom's cooking. You can buy pasta dough but nothing comes close to homemade. Combine that with the simplest ricotta filling and you're in heaven. Granted, the recipe is a bit time consuming but well worth the effort. You might even have some extra dough to make fettucini which you can freeze for later use. Just a little reminder: when making the dough make sure it is moist to allow the filling to seal well, as my mom's recipe does not call for egg wash. So if you dare, why not go for it!
I have provided the recipe from my previous post on homemade pasta dough (March 24, 2010), but for a step by step pictorial tutorial go to "archives", or simply use the search engine on the blog to access the instructional  photos.




Pasta Dough

4 Cups of all purpose flour
6 large eggs
Place the flour on a clean surface (a counter or large wooden board). Make a well in the center of the flour. Break the eggs into the well and lightly beat with a fork. Start incorporating the flour a little at a time. Continue blending in the flour with your fingertips. The amount of flour used will depend on the size of the eggs and the humidity. You may not need all the flour.
Remove excess flour from the work surface and start kneading your dough on this lightly floured area. Knead for about 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let stand in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
Roll out the dough into a 9 inch disk and cut into 6 pieces. I start my machine at #6 and roll each piece through the slot. I then lower it to #4 and roll the dough pieces once again. Continue this process until #1, which will give you a thin dough. The dough should be moist to ensure that the ravioli filling is sealed inside.


Ricotta Filling
500 grams ricotta (about 16 ounces)
2 egg yolks

In a bowl add the ricotta and the egg yolks and beat with a fork or wooden spoon to combine. Set aside.



Directions:
Dust your work surface with flour, and lay out a 5" wide by 18" long sheet of the pasta dough. Place a spoonful of the ricotta filling on half of the dough, and continue spooning the filling 2 inches apart along the length of the sheet of pasta dough. Fold the unfilled dough over the ricotta filling. Using your fingers, press gently around the ricotta filling to remove any air pockets and to seal the filling.
With a crimper, cut into half moons and press the edges gently to insure the filling is sealed.
Drop the ravioli in a large pot of salted, boiling water. Gently boil for approximately 5 minutes. Usually, they will rise to the surface when they are done. Serve with marinara sauce and grated peccorino cheese.

Peach Almond Cherry Crisp

Peaches and Cherries could be found in abundance this week. So, what is a girl to do but head to the kitchen, and make an easy dessert recipe highlighting these luscious summer beauties.  I added almonds for crunch and orange zest to enhance the flavors of the fruit.  The Kirsch, though optional,  highlights the whole cherry flavour.  Toasted almonds in the recipe add crunch and flavor.  To toast the almonds, simply spread them on an ungreased cookie sheet and place them in a 350 º F oven for 7-10 minutes.  Just remember to check on them to prevent them from burning.


Streusel Topping
!/2 cup brown sugar firmly packed
1/2 cup sliced almonds
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/4 cup soft butter
1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

In a small bowl add the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, butter and work with your fingers until it resembles very coarse meal. Toss in the almonds and combine. Set aside


Peach Almond Cherry  Crisp
4 cups peaches peeled and sliced
1 cup cherries pitted
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup Kirsch
1 heaping tablespoon cornstarch
zest of one small orange

In a 8" inch greased baking casserole, add the peaches, cherries, sugar, zest and Kirsch.  Add the cornstarch and toss to combine. Spread the streusel topping on the fruit and bake in a pre-heated oven for 40-45 minutes.  Serve warm with ice-cream

Strozzapreti Pasta with Prosciutto and Zucchini

Only the Italians can come up with pretty risqué names for dishes.  Take the "putanesca" sauce, homage to Naples' ladies of the night. Also, the next time you are at your favorite pizzeria, why not order men's trousers or "calzone". In the tradition of baptizing food with quirky names, Italians have a knack for giving fun and inventive names to their pasta too: fedelini (Little Faithful), occhi di lupo (Wolf Eyes), orrechietti (Little Ears), radiatore (Radiators), vemicelli (Little Worms).  Today's recipe uses "strozzapreti", which translates as priest-strangler.   Go figure!  Just the name alone is worth giving this recipe a try, not to mention the crispy pieces of Parma prosciutto.

Strozzapreti Pasta with Prosciutto and Zucchini 
 
3 tablespoons extra virgin oil
4 thin slices Parma prosciutto, cut into pieces
400g fresh strozzapreti pasta
1 large sweet onion coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
3 small zucchini sliced
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh oregano (optional)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

In a large skillet, heat up the extra virgin olive oil and cook the prosciutto until crisp.  Set aside and in the same pan and sauté the onions and garlic.  Meanwhile, in a large pot with boiling salted water, add the pasta and cook according to the directions. Reserve some of the hot water when you drain the pasta.  Add the zucchini and oregano to the onions. Cook until al dente and add the white wine to deglaze the pan.  Return the prosciutto to the skillet and toss in the drained cooked pasta. Add some of the reserved water to the pasta if it is too dry. Grate a generous amount of parmesan cheese and toss. Plate the pasta and add extra parmesan if desired.
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Spinach and Red Lentil Curry

This spinach lentil curry is both satisfying and delicious; not to mention its healthy component . It is brimming with fresh vegetables, lentils, olive oil and of course turmeric which is being touted for its medicinal attributes. Apparently it has anti-inflammatory properties, and proven beneficial in the treatment of numerous diseases.  Granted the recipe might not have the mega amount probably needed to qualify as curative; much like good old chicken soup it might not cure the common cold but at the very least; it is good for the soul.


Spinach and Red Lentil Curry
3-4 tablespoons extra virgin oil
1 onion coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cauliflower, cut into florets
3 small zucchini sliced
1 cup red lentils
4 cups spinach
3 cups water or chicken broth for non vegetarian version

In a saucepan heat the oil and saute the onion and garlic until transparent. Add the turmeric, cumin coriander and salt. Cook for about a minute to allow the flavors infuse.  Stir in the cauliflower and cook for an additional minute or two before adding the zucchini.  Add some of the liquid if necessary, to avoid the vegetables from sticking.  Stir in the lentils and add the water or broth.  Cook for about 10 minutes, until the lentils are tender. Toss in the spinach near the end and cook for an addtional minute until the spinach is wilted.  Serve with basmati rice

Tea Biscuits

Sometimes there just isn't any way of getting around it, a recipe just calls out for butter and more butter to elevate it to that whole other level.  No, and I'm not referring to cholesterol levels but rather the heavenly flavour, that only butter can give you in a recipe.  Anyway, it is a natural ingredient; even the grand dame of French cuisine, Julia Child swore by butter and she managed to live to a ripe old age. So, let the buttery flavour of these tea biscuits seduce you, and may you find solace in the fact that the key to healthy living is in moderation. So if you can limit yourself to one or maybe two, why not go for it? After all, the French are notorious for the butter content in their recipes, and apparently they have the lowest levels of cholesterol.  Alors, mes amies, enjoy these biscuits straight out of the oven with some delicious jam and maybe a nice cup of café au lait.

Tea Biscuits

2 cups flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup cold butter, cut in small pieces

1 cup 3% milk

In a food processor add the dry ingredients and pulse briefly to blend.  Add the pieces of butter to the flour mixture and pulse until the consistency of coarse meal.  Transfer to a large mixing bowl and add the milk, mixing to combine.  Transfer to a floured work surface and roll out to 1/2 inch thickness. With a cookie cutter or the rim of a wine glass, cut out the tea biscuits; each should  measure about 21/2 inch in diameter..  Transfer to a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake in a pre-heated  425º F oven. for about 10-12 minutes.  Makes 12 tea biscuits.

Blueberry and Almond Streusel Coffee Cake....Repeat

The blueberry coffee cake with almond streusel is definitely worth a repeat performance. In case you missed this recipe, an older post, I wanted to share with you some recent photos of this easy to make and delicious coffee cake.  As you will recall, it is a simple coffee cake recipe on which I spread almond streusel and fresh blueberries on the bottom half of the cake batter, and then top it with the remaining batter and streusel.  The full recipe can be found on my blog, either use the search engine found on the top page of the blog or go to archives.

Top Five Food Network Member Photos

Wow! What a nice surprise to see my Mediterranean Tuna Salad and Baby Spinach and Strawberry Salad make part of the top five most viewed photos for June, on the Food Network Community Site.  It is such a great venue to connect with other foodies, and I would like to thank the staff for their support and encouragement. The feedback it provides through online interaction with other members and the network staff's active participation, are important motivational factors for me to want to continue to post and provide new recipes.  The following is an excerpt from the Food Network Community Site:

Your Top 5 Member Photos in June! posted by Jessica McLaughlin Fri, Jul 2 2010

Thanks to our handy-dandy internal reporting tool, we bring you the Top 5 most-viewed member photos from June! Congrats to lamiavitadolce and annastable.blogspot.com (who both made the list twice!) and to suziethefoodie!
Here are the Top 5 (Clockwise from top left):

1. Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumble by suziethefoodie (this pic has been in the top 5 since Suzie uploaded it in April!)
2. Chocolate Genoise & White Chocolate Mousse Cakes by lamiavitadolce
3. Baby Spinach Salad with Strawberries and Poppy Seeds by annastable.blogspot.com
4. One Bowl Chocolate Cupcake with Creamy Peanut Butter Frosting by lamiavitadolce
5. Mediterranean Tuna Salad by annastable.blogspot.com

Congrats! And keep those photos coming. They are amazing.