vegetables

Homemade Butternut Squash Ravioli

December 23, 2012 by Eva Louise 3 Comments

Butternut Squash Ravioli with Sage-Infused Olive Oil

Christmas is coming and one of the nice things about this time of year is, of course, gathering with family. There are several of my recipes that I reserve especially for these times, so I can take advantage of the extra man-power. Homemade butternut squash raviolis definitely fall into this category. A simple but labor-intensive dish, these raviolis are a great way to incorporate the whole family so everyone feels like they are part of the meal.

I adapted my recipe from Emril Lagasse’s and used wonton papers instead of fresh pasta dough. For my sauce, I used olive oil simmered with rosemary and sage, instead of the butter that Emril’s recipe calls for. One trick I use to finish this dish is to purposely allow the starchy pasta water to drip into the serving dish when I transfer the raviolis. This makes the sauce sauce-ier and more delicious.

Butternut squash and Parmigiano-Reggiano are the stars of this dish, but they could be easily substituted with different combos like crispy prosciutto and ricotta, goat cheese and mushrooms, salmon and chives (with a cream sauce instead). You could even do sweet raviolis with cinnamon-apples and mascarpone with a caramel sauce…mmm.

Cubes of squash are simmered with chicken broth and herbs while onions are softened. Their powers combine in the Cuisinart to make the filling.

A little Ecuadorian princess delicately folds the wonton papers filled with sweet and savory squash into perfect raviolis

Superwoman’s Salmon, Fennel and Mushroom Pot Pie

November 26, 2012 by Eva Louise Leave a Comment

Coho Salmon, Fennel, and Mushroom Pot Pie with Truffle Cream

Ray and I woke up early, had a delicious breakfast and headed to the Metropolitan Museum to see the Warhol and Protoshop exhibits, amongst a thousand other amazing works of art. After three lovely hours of photographs, paintings, vases and tombs, I managed to do three loads of laundry at the laundromat (with Ray’s help), mend our ripped duvet, go to the grocery store, workout for an hour and then bake what I’ve been craving for weeks–a salmon pot pie, just in time for half time of the Giants game. Flaky and rich, this pot pie blew the traditional chicken-carrot-pea-celery combo straight out of the water. I call it “Superwoman’s pot pie” because I’m having one of those Sunday evenings where I can’t stop high-fiving myself because I was so awesome and productive all day.

High-fives aside, I juiced this dish up by tucking a teaspoon of truffle butter under the hood of puff pastry before serving. Since I’m amazing at following recipes (not), I used the Food Network’s here.

I tried to be cute and put pastry fish on the top, but after being in the 400 degree oven it looks like two of them got a little fresh…

Button Soup

November 21, 2012 by Eva Louise 1 Comment

Piping hot matzoh ball soup, fresh challah with salted Irish butter…Mom would be pleased!

Last weekend my sister came over; we pulled out my big stock pot and spent the whole day (punctuated by cookies breaks and catnaps) leisurely making our mom’s good ol’ Jewish Matzoh Ball Soup. We jokingly call it “button soup” after a short story we used to read: An old woman traveling takes shelter at a poor and grumpy old man’s house. She ends up making the old ~~ungrateful bastard~~ man a scrumptious soup with a button as it’s first and most important ingredient. Like button soup, matzoh ball soup is a peasant soup, simple and modest in it’s composition, making nothing more comforting. It’s a great time to share this recipe especially with the turkey surplus we’re all about to experience.

Mom’s recipe ( adapted from her Grandma and Aunt):

Matzoh Ball Soup

I learned how to make this soup as I have many dishes from my Grandma Ida and my Aunt Josie. Having said this, these recipes are never exact, never measured rather “eye-balled” and approximated. So, this is my way of saying, I too add a little of this and a bit more of that ….and so will you. The most important ingredient is that you make it with love! Here is the best I can do without showing you.

For a Large Pot of Soup:

A whole kosher chicken, rinsed off and patted dry, or alternately pieces of chicken with bones 6 to 9 leg/ thigh combos (boneless breasts would be too dry and stringy)
** Two different ways: I put in 8 cups of Swanson chicken broth and 8 cups of College Inn Chicken Broth into the pot bring to a simmer, add the whole chicken breast side down. Add enough water or more broth, if necessary, to cover chicken and come up to fill ¾ full of your soup pot. ** (Of course Grandma Ida just used water, especially with the kosher chicken as it is already salted, hence the reason I am having you rinse and pat it) but you would then need to add chicken bouillon, probably 2 tablespoons or to taste. I like my way better, I must admit.
Add to pot with the chicken in it:

-2-3 rough chopped medium sized yellow onions
-2 sliced and peeled parsnips
-3-4 stalks peeled and cut up celery
-4-5 peeled and sliced carrots
-3-4 crushed garlic or a couple more if you have a cold

Don’t add yet, Set aside: 4-5 Tablespoons of very well washed parsley (no sand, uh!) well chopped, to add in the last 15 minutes. Pretty much for color.
Cover and simmer for probably 2 to 2 ½ hours. Check on it, stir every once in a while and test along the way. Skim off any creepy stuff that may or may not float to the top and discard….of course.
At the end you can remove the chicken, cool it, disassemble, cut it up and add back into soup.
Serve with either wide egg noodles already prepared separately or Matzo balls…Yum!!

Dinner with Basil: Homemade Pesto + Caprese Salad

August 11, 2012 by Eva Louise Leave a Comment

Green Gold

Red, White and Green

Earlier this week, Ray and I had a special guest for dinner, basil! This beautiful broad-leafed herb is definitely in season with the bundles so big, I could barely tell it apart from heads of lettuce in the produce section. When I get a bouquet of basil this large, there’s really only two things I want to make, homemade pesto and a caprese salad. And that’s what I did: Seared Scallops with Pesto Rigatoni with a Caprese Salad drizzled with a homemade balsamic vinaigrette. I think I’d like to have basil over dinner more often!

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For the Pesto: I never follow recipes, so in my Cuisinart I just blended pine nuts (they have pre-packaged 1/4 cup bags in the baking aisle at the store), whatever Parmesan I had in my fridge and garlic. I then added the basil leaves and the juice of one lemon. Word on the street is to keep the Cuisinart running while you add the olive oil through the top feeder until the mixture is smooth. At the last minute I added zest of 1/2 lemon and I’m pretty sure that took the pesto to a whole other level of amazing both in flavor and color. For perfect single-servings down the road, scoop any extra pesto into an ice cube tray and cover with plastic wrap making sure it’s flush with the pesto and place in freezer. For the rule followers, Ina Garten has a great recipe for pesto.

Buenos Aires Cannellonis: Jamon y Queso + Verdura

August 9, 2012 by Eva Louise Leave a Comment

Baked Cannelloni

My Buenos Aires Cannellonis are inspired by my time living in the “Paris of Latin America.” Each morning I would pass Mas Pastas, fogging up the glass window as three old men buzzed around the checker-floored pasta shop. One man would delicately drop dollops of ricotta onto rugs of ravioli pasta, another kneaded pizza dough and the other formed pillows of potato dough for fresh gnocchi. When I finally mustered up enough courage and enough Spanish, I became a regular at Mas Pastas, frequently stopping in for a dozen cannellonis (cheese-filled tubes of fresh pasta) to cook for friends and my host family.

While no cannellonis can really do Mas Pastas justice, here is my take on the most popular variations: cannellonis con jamon y queso (ham and cheese) and cannellonis con verduras (vegetables) topped with tomato sauce. On my next try, I might go for crab filled cannelloni with a bechamel sauce (yow!).

For this recipe, I use my secret weapon-wonton papers! You can find them in the produce section next to the vegan chorizo (why, why does that exist?) and the tofu shaped like chicken nuggets. Wonton papers are extremely versatile and really fun to work with. In addition to using them for cannellonis, I use them to make homemade raviolis; I even used them to make a quick lasagna once.

Filling: I make a very simple base filling of ricotta, cream cheese, mozzarella, 1 medium sauteed onion, seasoned with fresh garlic, salt and pepper. I then split the filling between two bowls and add vegetables to one and meat to the other:

For Jamon y Queso: I sautee cubes of pancetta (sturdy and salty, ideal for this dish) in a pan to make them nice and crispy before adding them to the filling. Cooked bacon, prosciutto, chicken or shrimp would be great alternatives.

For Verduras y Queso: I sautee frozen spinach (drain before adding to pan) with a zucchini cut into thin half-moons and seasoned with chili flakes. Mushrooms are a slammin’ addition.

Once the variations are added to each bowl of filling, I prepare a clean, flat surface and small dish of water (to seal the seam of the wonton paper) and then make the cannellonis:

Step 1: Scoop 2 heaping tablespoons of filling along one side of the wonton paper, careful not to let any get too close to the edge.

Step 2: Pull the wonton over the filling. Pressing your fingers flat on the cutting board, tug the wonton paper back (think how the guys at Chipotle wrap burritos). This will ensure that filling is tightly packed into the wonton paper.

Step 3: Once the filling is snug, roll the wonton paper once and wet the top edge with water.

Step 4: Finish rolling the wonton paper by sealing the wet edge to rest of the cannelloni.

Step 5: Line the bottom of a large glass dish with pasta sauce, place the cannelloni seam-side down.

Step 6: Cover with the remaining pasta sauce and mozzarella cheese, bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes, until the top is bubbling.

Summer Entertaining Cooking Class

June 23, 2012 by Eva Louise Leave a Comment

Roast Leg of Lamb with Ratatouille Vegetables

Stingray and I took a “Couples Summer Entertaining” cooking class at Culinaerie, back when we were living in Washington. Despite our food snob status, neither of us had taken an actual cooking class, so this was a real treat (thanks, Mom!). Dressed for date night we marched to the front of the class kitchen (again, food snobs) to ensure optimal viewing and instruction by the school’s co-founder Susan Holt. On the menu was a Wild Mushroom and Goat Cheese Tart, Roast Leg of Lamb with Ratatouille Vegetables and a Brulee of Summer Fruits. The menu was straightforward and accessible, but impressive enough that I was eager to add to our repertoire. I would even argue it could be easily adapted for the winter months by swapping out seasonal vegetables in the ratatouille and replacing the lamb with beef.

The class was extremely well done with plenty of support staff, great instruction and endless wine. We were obviously the most experienced couple, starring multiple times as the “example table.” Although, I suppose…upon further reflection we spent just as much time sizing up the competition as we did chopping mushrooms. DC friends–try their classes and steal more delicious recipes for me!

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Exotic Mushroom and Chevre Tart

Mushroom and Chevre Tart

Ingredients

(Serves 8 as an appetizer, 4 as a main course)

1 ½ cups exotic mushrooms, such as shiitake, crimini, Portobello, or oyster
2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
Salt and fresh black pepper to taste
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary or tarragon
1 package frozen puff pastry dough, slightly defrosted
8 ounces soft goat cheese, at room temperature
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 cloves fresh garlic, very finely minced

Brush the mushrooms free of any dirt and trim rough parts of the stems; cut into ½” slices. Heat a large sauté pan over high heat, add half the oil, then add half the mushrooms. Sauté about 3 minutes, with very limited stirring, until mushrooms are golden brown; repeat with remaining oil and mushrooms. Season cooked mushrooms with salt and pepper and add herbs.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out pastry into a rough circle, about 14” in diameter, and place on large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spread goat cheese over surface, stopping two inches short of the edge. Distribute mushroom mixture evenly over top, then bring extra pastry over mushrooms to form a border.

Combine butter with garlic; using pastry brush, paint or drizzle the garlic butter on top of the mushrooms. Bake in center of oven for approximately 30 minutes, until pastry is golden brown on top and bottom. Allow to cool slightly then cut into wedges.

Roast Leg of Lamb with Ratatouille Vegetables

Seared Lamb

Ratatouille Vegetables

Ingredients

(Serves 2)

1 – 1½ pounds boneless lamb leg
1 medium zucchini (about 1 pound), cut in 1” cubes
1 medium red or yellow onion, cut in 1” cubes
2 plum tomatoes or 1 heirloom tomato, quartered
1 red pepper, cut in medium dice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon sugar
Juice of half a lemon
Handful of minced fresh basil leaves and/or 2 tablespoons good quality pesto
4 – 5 Calamata or French Nyons olives, pitted and halved
2 ounces Gruyere, grated

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Season lamb leg with salt and pepper, place on a rack over a sheet pan fat side up, and roast for 45 minutes. Remove from oven.

Toss together the zucchini, onion, tomatoes, pepper, olive oil, salt, sugar and lemon juice. Roast in a large sauté pan for 15 – 20 minutes until vegetables start to soften and brown. Remove from oven and stir in basil and/or pesto and olives. Top with gruyere and return to oven for 10 minutes. Remove and serve with thinly sliced lamb.

Brulee of Summer Fruits

Brulee of Summer Fruits

Ingredients

(Serves 2)

½ cup heavy (whipping) cream
2 tablespoons sugar
2 cups fresh raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, sliced peaches
2 tablespoons demerara, turbinado or brown sugar

Beat the cream with a whip until soft peaks form. Add sugar very slowly and continue beating until sugar is dissolved and the cream forms stiff peaks.

Gently fold in the fruit. Transfer raspberries to 2 individual shallow oven-proof dishes, such as brulee dishes and sprinkle the demerara sugar over them. Place dish under the oven broiler on the top rack on high and cook just until some of the sugar caramelizes (this will only take 30 seconds or so). Alternately, use a blowtorch with cautious abandon. Serve immediately.

Notice all the fearful eyes around me…

Two Coudies Archive: Fine Investment Father’s Day Rockfish

June 17, 2012 by Eva Louise 2 Comments

Daddy-Happy Father’s Day! Along with great hair, thank you for gifting me with a discerning and rather expensive palette. You’ve programmed me to thrive best when consuming fine wines and champagne, imported cheeses, charcuterie, caviar and fresh seafood. While my wallet doesn’t appreciate it, my belly definitely does.

Since it is Father’s Day I’ve pulled from the Two Coudies Archive this Father’s Day fish post. It reminds me of such a great Father-Daughters trip we took a couple of years ago, I’m happy to have a place in cyber space to remember it forever. Love you, Dad!

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For Father’s Day, my sister and I took Dad to St. Michael’s, Maryland (GO THERE!) for a nautically-inclined weekend. Amidst sunset sailing, an antique boat show and a private plane ride over the Chesapeake Bay (!), we set him up with a fishing guide. Luckily for me he caught three HUGE Rockfish (called Striped Bass, where I’m from). He couldn’t take them back on the plane with him so when I returned to DC, I invited some of my girlfriends over and made a super simple Parmesan Rockfish. To celebrate summer I added a feta and watermelon salad. While we ate the meal with rice, I’ve added a recipe for some insanely rich mashed potatoes…because that’s what the rockfish would have wanted. Thanks to my girl Nicole GoodHat Aguirre of Worn Magazine for the photos.

Parmesan & Parsley Fish:

Preheat oven to 350 and begin marinating fish.

Marinade:

2 large garlic cloves crushed
2 1lb filets of rockfish (or any other white fish)
the juice of 1 lemon
splash of white wine
2 tsp salt and pepper
3 tsp olive oil
2 shakes of chili flake if you want to get KrAZy

Topping:

1/2 cup Parmesan
2 tsp finely chopped parsley

Mix fish and marinade ingredients together in gallon-size Ziploc and stick in fridge. After it’s chilled again, place in buttered glass dish large enough for filets to lay flat. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and fresh chopped parsley.

Depending on thickness, bake for approx 13-15 minutes. The fish should flake when you pull a fork through it.

**WiLd SiDe:turn on the broiler at the end of cook time for 2 minutes to brown the top.

They will love you Forever Boursin Mashed Potatoes:

Russet, Yukon Gold or bliss potatoes
1-3 garlic cloves
3/4 small package of Boursin or Alouette herbed cheese
2 T butter
2 T sour cream
splash of milk or cream
1 egg
salt/pepper

Quarter and boil potatoes in large pot for about 30 mins. Potatoes will be ready when you can pass a fork or knife straight through with little pressure. When cooked and tender, drain and return to large pot and turn heat to low. Mash slightly with with masher or hand mixer. Incorporate all other ingredients except for egg. Continue to taste to adjust flavors and consistency to your liking. Add raw egg and blend.*

*If you have a Jewish family member in the kitchen, do this discreetly. If you get caught, deny everything.

I-Am-A-Sex-MaH-Cheen Watermelon and Feta Salad:

Vinaigrette:

1 part lemon juice
2 parts Extra Virgin olive oil
1 tsp salt/pepper
1 tsp sugar
the leaves of 4 thyme sprigs, finely chopped
5 raspberries, optional
splash of any good quality fruit juice in the frig (lemonade, limeade, raspberry juice)
1 T dijon mustard

Mix all together in blender until smooth. If it’s too sweet, add one more lemon and/or pepper. Too tart, more olive oil, then more sugar.

Place a handful of washed spring mix, arugula or spinach on a salad plate. Serve with a slice of watermelon and a feta cube, drizzle with vinaigrette.