My dear friend Dustin approached me with the challenge to make a special menu for him and his awesome wife Becky's anniversary. I was very excited for this challenge and the idea of making something special for someone else. So with the brain cells in overload, I decided what is more special than making homemade pasta? Not just that, but ravioli! *Flashback to the days before culinary school graduation when my friends turned into little ravioli making minions and cranked out hundreds of these suckers and were found in the hallway covered in flour and mumbling to themselves.... shudder...* Anyway, this menu and the following dessert are my tribute to them. Although hubby and I sure didn't mind tasting it for, uh, research purposes... yeah, research purposes. Who wants a soggy spinach salad shipped from Austria anyway??? Without further ado, here are the recipes. I hope you all enjoy them, and a very happy anniversary to Mr. and Mrs. James, you guys are awesome!
Spinach Salad with Warm Balsamic Vinaigrette
Ingredients:
- 1 large bag of pre washed baby spinach
- 1 small red onion, sliced thinly
- 1/2 cup slivered or sliced almonds (you can also use toasted sesame seeds if there is a nut allergy)
- Sliced radishes (optional, we just had them to use up and it tasted very good!)
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 large shallot, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (you can use 1/2 cup balsamic if you don't have cider vinegar)
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp. dijon mustard
- Juice of one lemon
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic, and sautee for 2-3 minutes.
2. Add vinegars, mustard, salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, and let cook for 2-3 minutes, whisking constantly.
3. Assemble salad, by layering spinach, onion, almonds, and radish.
4. Pour warm dressing over salad, and toss until all spinach is coated. Serve alongside your homemade ravioli, and enjoy!
Homemade Ravioli with Brown Butter Sage Sauce
Ingredients
Note- The filling can be made the day before hand, and fully assembled ravioli can be stored overnight, but storing the dough by itself overnight will make it tough and very hard to work with. So, either plan enough time to make the whole thing the day of, or just make the filling the day before to save a little time.
Dough:
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 4 tbsp. olive oil
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
Filling:
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 1 zucchini, diced very, very small
- 1 squash, diced very, very small
- 1 lb. mushrooms, diced very small
- 5 sage leaves, chopped finely
- Juice from one lemon
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- Splash of balsamic vinegar
- Salt and Pepper
Brown Butter Sauce:
- 1/2 lb unsalted butter
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- 8-10 sage leaves chopped finely
Directions:
Filling:
1. Start by preparing the filling so that it can cool while you make the pasta. Sautee the shallots and garlic in olive oil for 2-3 minutes, or until soft.
2. Add in the mushrooms, zucchini and squash, and let cook for about 8 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.
3. Add in salt, pepper, juice from one lemon, splash of balsamic vinegar, and sage leaves. Let cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.
4. Place filling inside a collander over a bowl. This will allow the rest of the liquid to drain off, and ensure your filling doesn't make your ravioli soggy. This is a very important step, don't skip it!
Dough:
1. Place your flour and salt into a mixing bowl.
2. Add your olive oil, and stir until dough becomes crumbly.
3. Pour in your water, and mix until dough begins to come together.
4. Pour dough onto a floured surface, and knead for about 5 minutes. The dough should be elastic and cohesive. If it is too dry, add a little water. If it is too wet, add a little more flour.
5. Roll dough into a ball, and let rest for about 15-20 minutes under a damp towel.
6. After dough has rested, cut it into 6 equal pieces. Work with one piece at a time, and make sure other pieces stay under a damp towel to prevent drying out.
7. Roll dough out into a long log, then flatten the log with the palm of your hand so you can roll it out.
8. Using a rolling pin (or a cup, if you don't have one) flatten the dough out into a long, wide rectangle. Make another piece the same size to be the top layer of your ravioli.
9. Place one tablespoon of filling at a time on the dough. Space filling mounds one tablespoon apart. There should be a large enough edge around each mound to cut the ravioli.
10. Place the other piece of dough on top of the filling. Using your fingers, press the dough down between each filling mound. Press firmly, so that the filling doesn't come out of the dough.
11. Using a small glass, press the rim of the glass over the mound of filling. Press firmly, so that the dough is severed, and a round ravioli comes out.
12. Take excess dough from outside the ravioli and re roll it to use again. When not using the dough, keep it under a damp towel. Once your ravioli are all cut out, use a fork to seal the edges. Press the tines of the fork around the outer edge, making sure not to pierce the part of the dough with the filling in it.
13. Once your ravioli has been sealed all around, dust it with flour and place on a plate while you finish the rest. At this point, you could wrap the plate in plastic wrap to cook the next day.
14. Place ravioli in boiling water, and let cook for 2-3 minutes. The ravioli are done when they float to the top.
Sauce:
1. Melt 1/2 pound of butter in a skillet and add salt, pepper, and sage leaves.
2. Add in a splash of balsamic vinegar, and let the sauce cook for about one minute. You will see bubbles rise to the top, which you can skim off. The butter that is left underneath will be very brown.
3. Add in your boiled ravioli, and toss around in the butter sauce until all the ravioli are coated.
4. Place into a serving dish, or plate and serve immediately. You can top this with fresh parmesan cheese, but the brown butter really provides a depth of flavor without it. Enjoy!!!
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