My journey of cooking, gardening, preserving and more
Quinoa is one of those foods that became super trendy, for a while. Super trendy until a lot of people actually tried it and decided they didn’t like it. The first way I ever made it was as a savory side dish, with mushrooms, veggie stock, …
If you’ve been with me on this journey for a while, then you’ve seen my no-mayo coleslaw recipe, made with cider vinegar and Dijon mustard. In that post, I mention another no-mayo coleslaw recipe that I make and this, finally, is that recipe. If you’ve …
There is a beautiful simplicity about homemade pasta. It’s silky, smooth, and delicious. Sometimes I like it with a light sauce and sometimes I crave a heavier bolognese, but no matter what, I love it. And, since I love it so much, I thought it was a great idea to post this recipe just in time for Valentine’s Day.
Recently, I told you how to make homemade mushroom ravioli with browned butter, garlic and fresh herbs. Of course, you can skip out on making the ravioli and just buy some, but be careful of that store-bought ravioli, especially if it’s frozen. They pack a lot of stuff in there, sometimes, that isn’t really great for you. (hello, tons of salt and preservatives and things you can’t pronounce)
Or – HELLO! – don’t bother making or buying ravioli at all. Make the dough, roll it out using a pasta machine or a rolling pin, and just cut into thin strips, instead. That’s called “how to make homemade pasta” without it being “how to make homemade ravioli”, but it’s still just as delicious. You really have to go with what works for you. Either way, this fresh tomato and basil sauce will make your dinner amazing.
This is a beautiful sauce with summer Roma tomatoes and garden-fresh basil but, sadly, those are hard to come by in my neck of the woods in mid-February. No matter what tomatoes you use, know that cooking tomatoes in a bit of oil or fat ramps up their natural lycopene benefits. Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant, said to be beneficial in warding off certain types of cancer and other diseases. Not bad, huh?
Personally, I think this is a very sexy meal. Smooth homemade pasta and a creamy ricotta filling, with fresh tomato and basil sauce piled on top? Oh, my! Grate a bit of high-quality Parmesan or Romano over the top and oooh, la la! It’s a perfect Valentines Day meal and, if you’re so inclined, be sure to pour a little red wine to accompany your dinner.
Here’s where I have to tell you, once again, that I don’t really follow a recipe for this. It’s a few drizzles around the pan of olive oil, a touch of chopped garlic, a few handfuls of freshly chopped tomatoes, and a toss of fragrant fresh basil tossed in at the last minute of cooking. Anyway, these measurements are approximate and, if you’re lucky like I am, your significant other thinks garlic is pretty darned sexy.
Homemade ravioli recipe (or store-bought, if you prefer)
Ricotta ravioli filling recipe
Mix everything together well in a bowl and then assemble your ravioli, using a small spoon to fill the ravioli. Get a big pan of salted water going and then start making your sauce.
Fresh tomato, garlic and basil sauce recipe
Heat a skillet over medium heat. When oil is shimmering, add garlic and cook for about 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Just when the edges of the garlic start to turn golden, add diced tomatoes. Cook until tomatoes are heated through and just start to release their juice, about 7-10 minutes. Add basil and sauce, cook for one minute more. Remove from heat. Spoon over ravioli, sprinkle with freshly-grated Parmesan and serve.
If your significant other doesn’t drop to their knees and worship the ground you walk on, then I suggest you find a new love.
If, however, this dinner results in declarations of undying love and possibly some rumpled sheets….you’re welcome.
Lentils have made a serious comeback in the last year or so. Okay, maybe not a kale-style comeback, but a comeback, nonetheless. I don’t want to turn you off from lentils by telling you this, but lentils are pretty darned good for you. Lentils health …
If you’re looking for a vegetarian ravioli recipe, this mushroom-filled ravioli deliciously fits that bill. This is a little decadent with the lightly-browned butter sauce but it’s worth the indulgence in my book. You can use a mix of whatever mushrooms you like but I’ve …
I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season. I decided to make chocolate truffles this year, after taking a year off from making them. If you have a touch of OCD, these are not a project that you should go into lightly. It’s very messy and can be time-consuming, but I will tell you that the end result – and raves – are entirely worth it.
The truffles that I make are enrobed, meaning I dip my ganache in a hard chocolate coating, before sprinkling them with toppings. I see many recipes for just the ganache rolled with toppings, so feel free to stop at the ganache part, if you’re so inclined. I’m going to give you the “master” ganache recipe, but then I’ll tell you how I customized it in different ways. Feel free to customize these your own way; remember – do NOT be afraid to play with your food.
It’s a good idea to have toothpicks on hand, to help with the enrobing process.
Ganache:
In a glass bowl, break the chocolate up into small pieces. In a small saucepan, heat the cream until bubbles form around the edge. Remove from heat and let sit about 1 minute. Pour half of the cream over the chocolate and let stand about 4-5 minutes. You don’t want to add all of the hot cream at once or your chocolate with break and separate.
Slowly begin stirring. At first, this will look like a gloppy mess, but just keep stirring. After a couple of minutes, the chocolate and cream will come together beautifully. Make sure you’ve stirred until everything is completely blended. Slowly add the rest of the hot cream while continuing to stir. Your ganache should be creamy and smooth. Add your flavoring. Refrigerate overnight.
Remove ganache from refrigerator. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or waxed paper. Using a small spoon, scoop a bit of the ganache into your hands and roll into a small ball. Place ball of ganache on baking sheet and repeat making balls with the remainder of the ganache. Tip: having a bowl of ice water handy to dip your hands into will keep your hands chilled and prevent the chocolate from melting. You’re still going to end up covered in chocolate, but this helps. Some people recommend wearing food-safe gloves, but I find them hard to work with. Try whatever you think works best for you.
Place tray of ganache balls in freezer for about 30 minutes.
In the meantime, place your dark and white chocolates, below, in separate glass dishes, breaking them into squares.
Assemble your toppings, below, and have them ready to go.
Chocolate for Enrobing:
Assorted Truffle Toppings:
Microwave chocolates on low, at 30-second intervals, stirring each time after the first minute. Do NOT overheat your chocolate and do NOT get any water at all into it. It usually takes me about 2 minutes total to melt each flavor. The final round there should still be tiny bits of chocolate in the bowl, that melt as you’re stirring.
Let melted chocolate stand and cool for a few minutes before beginning the enrobing process. (otherwise, the minute you dip your ganache balls into the chocolate, the balls will begin to melt)
Remove ganache balls from freezer and, stabbing one with a toothpick, dip and roll the ball completely in the melted chocolate. Holding the ball above the chocolate, let excess chocolate drip from ball.
Slide a fork under the ball and hold it, while removing the toothpick. Using the fork and toothpick, gently place the ball back onto the baking sheet.
Sprinkle immediately with your choice of topping.
Repeat with remainder of balls.
That’s it! It’s quite a process but they’re beautiful and delicious!
Some ways that I customize them are the flavorings that go into the ganache:
And, of course, if you’re not a fan of dark chocolate, play around with milk chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate.
Use your imagination and your own taste to customize them however you like.
As you can see, mine are far from perfect – a little oddball in size and such – but no one ever seems to care….trust me.
Happy Holidays to all of you and enjoy the season!
When life gives you hot peppers…make hot sauce. I grew scotch bonnet peppers for the first time, this year. Last year it was bhut jalokia peppers, also known as ghost chilies, which certainly lived up to their hot, hot, hot reputation. On the Scoville scale, …