• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Mind in the Butter

Food for taste, buds, and family

  • Recipes
    • Appetizers & Snacks
    • Breakfast
    • Desserts
    • Dinner
    • Drinks & Cocktails
    • Instant Pot
    • Pasta & Grains
    • Salads & Vegetables
    • Seafood
    • Sides
    • Soups & Stews
  • Entertaining
    • Holidays
  • Life & Travel
  • Food & Sustainability

myfriendsinfood

End of the Heat Wave!: Asparagus Ravioli with Seared Scallops

July 24, 2013 by myfriendsinfood 2 Comments

scallops and ravioli

We’ve just survived a brutal, swassy heat wave here in New York and  I swear, you couldn’t pay me to cook in my kitchen these days.  Luckily, protein bars and happy hours  have been sustaining me, but man, I’m really fiending some of my own food.

I started flicking through some of the dozens of unposted food photos I have on file and picked this homemade asparagus ravioli with lemon zest and mascarpone with seared scallops to share today. I made this earlier in spring time, at the beginning of asparagus season and cheated by using wonton papers which I’ve used for other recipes as well. (Link to that post here)  I’d love to try this with ramps or garlic scapes (maybe too late in the season??), or some other funky farmers market vegetable. I’ll definitely be trying this dish again.

Asparagus Ravioli with Lemon Zest and Mascarpone 

scallops and ravioli 2

  • zest of 1lemon
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 bunch asparagus
  • 1 small dish of mascarpone cheese (about
  • block of Pecorino or Parmesan
  • 1 bunch chives, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic (optional), smashed or rough chopped
  • S/P to taste
  • wonton papers

Rinse and pat dry the bunch of asparagus and cut each stalk just below the crown.  Set the crowns aside for garnish later*. Cut and discard the dried or discolored bottoms of the stalks. These are normally dry and tough and not tasty. Rough chop the remaining stalks and toss into a food processor.

To the food processor, also add: 2 cloves of rough chopped garlic, a handful of chopped chives (they are so mild I love using a lot), 1 teaspoon of lemon zest, 4 – 6 Ts of the mascarpone, 1/4 cup of pecorino, cracked pepper (hold on the salt until you taste the blended mixture). Pulse the mixture in the processor until mostly smooth and incorporated. Taste and adjust flavors accordingly. Salt, more garlic or more cheese might be necessary.  The consistency should be a bit stiff and asparagus-y; you don’t want the creaminess of the cheese to drown out that flavor, or for the filling to be too soggy.

Once the filling is a good consistency, prepare your station and start assembling your raviolis. For this, you need:

  • a big plastic cutting board
  • a drying rack (wipe with oil or spray it with Pam to keep the raviolis from sticking)
  • small ramekin of water

Lay out the wonton papers onto the cutting board and place a small dollop of filling in the middle. Dip your finger in the ramekin of water and wet the edges of the paper.  At this point you can either fold the wonton into a triangle, or place another wonton paper on top (recommended) to keep its square shape.  Make sure the edges are sealed fully and place on the drying rack.

Once all the raviolis are assembled and drying, boil water a shallow pot. Add salt and one layer of raviolis. Cook 2-4 minutes until the wonton paper is tight around the filling. Continue to cook the rest of the raviolis (or freeze the remainder). Use a slotted spoon to place on a pretty platter or on individual plates.

*In a saute pan,  heat a generous splash of olive oil and saute the reserved asparagus crowns with a few pinches of the chives for 2-3 minutes until al dente. Distribute evenly among the plated raviolis. 

Garnish the asparagus ravioli with lemon juice, lemon zest, chives, and pecorino. The pasta water, olive oil and lemon juice will naturally create the sauce for the dish. I served mine with seared scallops, but chicken or salmon would be awesome as well!

Filed Under: Dinner, Pasta & Grains, Sides Tagged With: asparagus, cheese, cooking, food, lemon, New York City, pasta, ravioli, recipes, scallops, seafood, summer

Copy Machine Food Muses…and Salmon

July 12, 2013 by myfriendsinfood 4 Comments

Salmon

I love my co-workers. No but actually… I’m obsessed with them.  We have this unnaturally close bond because we are frequently required to travel internationally together, sometimes making work feel more like camp or high school (except awesomer because I’m not going through puberty and I’m now cool). We bond over champagne at 40,000 feet, over horrific food poisoning, severe colds and broken limbs, in strange and foreign countries. We bond over lost baggage, language barriers, Swiss fondue and too many bottles of wine.  I really love this level of familiarity and comfort because it allows me to do things to my colleagues I’d never do anywhere else, you know, like break into their desk late at night on a regular basis to eat that salted chocolate they keep at the back of their bottom desk drawer, or ask to borrow their socks on my way to the gym.

Travel disasters and desk break-ins aside, I love my coworkers because of their support of my blog.  Mind in the Butter has gained incredible traction in my office and some of my biggest fans and food muses are right here scanning documents at the copy machine. They  “like“, comment, and drool over every blog post or food photo immediately once I click “Publish.” Conversely, they tap their watches, scowl and shun me when I’ve gone too long between postings.  They are a huge motivating factor and source of inspiration for my food blogging and deserve to be celebrated. THANK YOU!

Yesterday in the spirit of home-cooking and coworker love, we hosted a “Coworker Potluck”  to give us an excuse to swap recipes and enjoy each other’s company. With the help of one of my coworkers, I did Roasted Salmon with Lemon, Tarragon, Shallot Butter with Tomatoes Provençal and others brought incredible salads, sides, dips, and desserts. What a treat!

Roasted Salmon with Lemon, Tarragon, Shallot Butter  

  • Filet of Salmon
  • 1 lemon
  • 2 sprigs tarragon (about 3 T), torn up
  • 3 T chives, rough chopped
  • 2-3 pads of butter
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, rough chopped
  • 1/2 medium shallot or one whole, small shallot diced
  • S and P to taste

Pre-heat oven to 350

In food processor mix tarragon, chives, butter, garlic, shallot, olive oil, S/P and the juice of ½ the lemon until smooth.  No food processor? No problem.  Just finely chop everything and blend with olive oil and softened butter.

Rinse and pat dry the salmon and place in a foil-lined baking dish. Spoon the luscious herby mixture generously over the salmon making sure to cover all the sides. Slice the remaining 1/2 lemon into 3-4 thin slices and place on top of salmon. If possible, leave in the refrigerator for at least an hour before baking.

Pull the corners of the foil up around the filet into a loose tent, careful not to smush the herb mixture. Bake at 350 for about 20-25 minutes, depending on the size. White specks should form around the salmon indicating it’s done.  Use a fork and pull at the corner of filet to ensure it’s ready.

Tomatoes Provençal

  • Small, ripe tomatoes on the vine (campari and cherry tomatoes are ideal)
  • Olive oil
  • Herbs de Provence
  • Italian seasoning

On a plate, drizzle olive oil on whole tomatoes. Shake or pinch herbs and Italian seasoning on around the tomatoes to fully coat.  Sprinkle on salt and pepper for good measure.  To avoid cleaning another dish later, tuck the vined tomatoes into the corner of the same pan as the salmon (not inside the foil tent). Roast at 350 with the salmon.  They should be soft and blistered when done, so they might need a few more minutes than the salmon depending on their size.

Filed Under: Dinner, Entertaining, Seafood Tagged With: cooking, coworkers, fish, food, main dish, party, recipes, salmon, vegetables

Primary Sidebar

Don't miss a post!

Enter your email to subscribe and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Welcome

I’m Eva Louise and welcome to Mind in the Butter! This is my food bloggy, showcasing my favorite dishes and recipes often inspired by and cooked for my loved ones. My goal with this blog is to eventually document every single dish I make so when I’m old and stale, I will be able to remember and celebrate memories from my favorite place…the kitchen!

Recent Posts: Mind in the Butter

Shulamit’s Unreal Lasagna with Ground Beef and Spinach

Best-ever 4 minute Instant Pot Rice

Best-ever 4 minute Instant Pot Rice

Seared Scallops and Fennel Risotto

Seared Scallops and Fennel Risotto

Palm Springs: the World’s Best Jetlag Cure

Palm Springs: the World’s Best Jetlag Cure

The Karmic Boomerang is real! New Year, new beginning for me

The Karmic Boomerang is real! New Year, new beginning for me

Copyright © 2025 · Foodie Pro & The Genesis Framework