Mushroom Ravioli in a Sun-dried Tomato Alfredo Sauce

Restaurant Recreation: Olive Garden’s Ravioli di Portobello

Ahhh….the Olive Garden. The go-to date night dinner destination of my teenage youth. This dish was the only one I would ever order there. It was consistent and good, the sauce especially since you could dip the breadsticks in it.

This is such a cheater’s version of it, which makes it perfect for a weeknight meal. And if you’re good at multi-tasking in the kitchen you can get it on the table in about 20 minutes.

This dish is very savory and gets a lovely pop of brightness from the fresh tomato and scallions. And it’s that combination I think that won me over so many years ago.

Mushroom Ravioli in a Sun-dried Tomato Alfredo Sauce

*Serves 4

(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

Goat Cheese and Basil Tomato Sauce

My 21^st birthday was some time ago. More years than I’d really like to admit, if I’m being honest. While there are many things I remember about this specific birthday, one was an appetizer we had at dinner. The dish was simple enough, consisting of goat cheese baked in marinara sauce and served with toasted baguette. Our server suggested mixing the cheese and sauce together – which we did – and I don’t think any of us could stop eating it. It was slightly tangy and luscious.

At the time when I whipped the sauce up for dinner, I wasn’t really thinking about recreating the appetizer in any way. I was just simply getting a bit creative with random items in the fridge and pantry. Now I think of this sauce as a nod to that appetizer…even though I’m making it about a million years later.

I’ve included a recipe for the dish I made that night and a separate recipe for just the Goat Cheese and Basil Tomato sauce. If shrimp, mushrooms, leeks, and spinach aren’t your thing, the GCBT Sauce would go great with grilled chicken or be fine all on its own.

Shrimp Pasta with Goat Cheese and Basil Tomato Sauce 

*Serves 4

(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

-          2-3 garlic cloves

-          ½ medium onion

-          16oz plain tomato sauce

-          3 tbl EVOO, divided

-          2 leeks, slice ¾ inch thick and clean*

-          2 cups mushrooms, sliced

-          3-4 cups fresh baby spinach

-          2 tbls butter

-          1 pound 26/30 shrimp

-          2 tbls goat cheese

-          2 tbls minced fresh basil

-          ¾ pound thin spaghetti

-          1-2 tbls tomato paste

-          Salt and pepper

*Clean leeks by placing them in a large pot of water and swishing them around to release any dirt trapped between their layers. Use a slotted spoon to scoop leeks out of bowl once they are clean.

Directions:

1- Cook pasta according to package directions

Shrimp and Scallop Roasted Red Bell Pepper Pesto Pasta

Many times I let ingredients in my fridge inspire me for an answer to that never ending question of “What to make for dinner?”. This dish was inspired by the roasted red pepper pesto I had in the fridge from this post. Feel free to use store bought if you don’t wish to make your own pesto.

Shrimp and Scallop Roasted Red Bell Pepper Pesto Pasta

*Serves 2
(printable recipe)

Ingredients:
- 1/3 lb medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
- 1/3 lb bay scallops
- 2 leeks
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup prepared alfredo sauce, I like Buitoni
- ¼ cup red bell pepper pesto
- a few handfuls of fresh spinach
- 4oz thin spaghetti, cooked per package instructions
- salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Place fresh spinach in the colander you plan to drain pasta in. Slice leeks in half and cut into 1/3 inch slices using only the white and light green parts. Fill a large bowl with water and rinse leeks to remove dirt. Remove from water and drain excess.

Spinach and Prosciutto Lasagna

Life has been crazy busy lately. You would think this is a good thing, but all I can think about is how Thanksgiving is right around the corner and then its nonstop chaos until 2011 arrives. Three weeks ago was Brent’s birthday, two weeks ago my dad was in town, and last week we went out of town for a lovely little vacation. And now the next week or so will be trying to catch up with life and focus on checking off about 167 things off my 500+ to do list. I’m ok with that, I love checking things off my TDL.
Back to the food.

I made this dish for dinner while my dad was in town. During his stay I didn’t want anything that took too much time away from chatting over a couple of cups of coffee with him. It’s actually my version of a Giada DeLaurentiis dish that I saw her make many years ago. So many in fact that this was the first meal I ever made for Brent (which I forgot actually), but he kindly reminded me of this as he ate it.

Spinach and Prosciutto Lasagna Rolls

Adapted from Giada

*Serves 4

(printable recipe)

Ingredients:- 1 10oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed
- 2 1/4 cups ricotta
- 1/5 lb prosciutto, sliced and diced
- ¼ cup parmesan
- 2 cups mozzarella, divided
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- 2 cups of your favorite red marinara sauce
- 1 cup alfredo sauce
- 10 lasagna noodles ( maybe throw one or two extra in case one rips)

Directions:

1. Cook lasagna noodles according to package and drain when done. Separate noodles and lay flat to cool.

Raviolini Pasta Salad

This was my third attempt at making this salad. I originally got the idea from a local Fresh Market that had mini ravioli in a sun-dried tomato oil-based pasta salad. I bought it because it had mini ravioli. That and because most pasta salads you find are mayo based and I don’t do mayo. While BD and I both liked their version, we both agreed there was too much seasoning and needed a little improvement. I’m happy with how this batch turned out because I was about ready to give up. Third times the charm!

Raviolini Pasta Salad

*Serves 6

(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

- 1 9oz package of mini cheese ravioli

- 1 cup chunk cut pepperoni

- 1 cup mushrooms, roughly chopped

- 2 tablespoons butter

- 2.25 ounce can black olives, sliced

- 1/4 cup scallions

- ½ cup any color bell pepper, sliced thin

- ½ cup shaved parmesan
- Salt and Pepper

Dressing:
- 1/2 cup Sun Dried Tomatoes (SDT) packed in oil
- 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

- 3 tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar (RWV)

- 1 small garlic clove, skin removed

- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

- 2 tablespoon SDT oil

Directions:

1- Cook the ravioli according to the package and set aside when done. In a sauté pan, melt butter and sauté mushrooms over medium high heat until lightly browned. About 8 minutes. Set aside to cool. Prep remaining ingredients.

Arugulamania Dish #1

So with a good amount of incredibly tasty arugula walnut pesto in my fridge I decided to give it a work out and planned a couple of meals using it. It actually could have been three, but I kept snacking on it too much.

The night I made the pesto I dreamed up this little pasta dish. A majority of the ingredients I had on hand, so it made for a quick and very delicious tasting supper. You could also make this meal with regular pesto, or omit the chicken and double up on the mushrooms for a vegetarian option.

Before I get started, let me point out that in this recipe I used a store bought marinade for the chicken AND a store bought alfredo sauce. I’m not opposed to short cuts in my cooking from time to time. You can certainly use your favorites in replace of mine, but I have noted what brands I used.

Grilled Chicken and Portobello Pasta

with Arugula Walnut Pesto Cream Sauce

*Serves 2

(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

- 1 marinated chicken breast, pounded to even thickness*

- 2 medium Portobello mushrooms

- 1 ¼ cup prepared alfredo sauce**

- 2 tablespoons Arugula walnut pesto

- ½ pound of fettuccini pasta, cooked al dente

- 1 roma tomato, diced (optional)

- EVOO

- S&P

* We used Lawry’s Herb and Garlic 30 minute marinade. Use whatever kind you prefer.

** If you’re feeling extra ambitious, you can make your own. We used Buitoni’s brand from the refrigerator section.

Directions:

1. Marinate chicken 30 minutes prior to cooking – at least. Clean mushrooms, remove stems and toss in a light coating of EVOO and salt and pepper.

2. Start your grill and bring to temp. Once well heated, grill chicken for roughly 4-6 minutes on each side. Start before you put the portabellas on – they will only take 3-5 minutes on each side. Remove portabellas from heat when have developed a deep brown color and softened up. Chicken should be no longer pink in the inside and juices will run clear. (I can’t give you an exact time because heat temps vary and thickness varies.)

3. While chicken is cooling, heat alfredo over medium heat in a sauce pan. Once alfredo is heated through add the pesto and stir to combine.

4. Once alfredo/pesto is heated through, remove from heat and toss with hot cooked pasta until sauce coats all the fettuccini.

5. Slice chicken and portabellas and place on top of pasta to serve. Add tomatoes as garnish if you choose.

Thoughts: This was a lovely pasta dish. The arugula didn’t overwhelm the dish because the alfredo mellowed out its intensity. They combined beautifully to make a flavorful and delicious cream sauce. The grilled chicken and portabellas were perfect on top of the pasta. You can add them in – BD likes to do this – but I don’t like to when using a long cut of pasta.

I noted that the tomatoes are optional. Personally, I love fresh tomatoes on top of a pasta dish. To me it adds a light and fresh element to a pasta dish that I really love. I’ve got one more recipe to share using the pesto and I should have it up sometime this weekend.

Rae ^..^

Quick Trip to Italy: Italian Flag Pasta

Usually by the time 6pm roles around on a Monday night, I am not in the mood to think about dinner - let alone actually cook dinner. I think this is why BD and I got into having Monday night as “slow cooker” night.

Yesterday I was in the mood for some food comfort and I had not made this dish in quite some time. I came up with the idea a couple of years back and it’s one of BD’s favorites that I make. I’m naming it Italian Flag Pasta because you have all the colors of the Italy’s flag and of course – it’s Italian!

Italian Flag Pasta

(print recipe)

Ingredients:

*This recipe serves maybe 4…??? Let’s just say that we had about double leftover after we were done.

- 3 Italian sausage links (use more or less if you like – I used mild)

- 3/4 red bell pepper, sliced thin

- ½ large white/yellow onion, sliced thin

- 8 basil leaves

- 8oz fresh mozzarella, cubed

- 2 cups of tomato sauce

- ½ pound rigatoni or ziti pasta

- Little bit of EVOO just for sautéing

Method:

1 -Take the sausage and remove the casing. You can do this by making a very small incision along the sausage and slowly peeling it back. I remove the casing because if left on while browning, it won’t retain the shape that I want. Then pop them into the freezer for about 15 minutes. This will allow them to harden slightly and it will be easier to slice into ¼ discs. Then in a large sauté pan, over med-high heat, add a little EVOO to coat the bottom of the pan and brown the sausage on both sides.

Once I get them all in the pan and in a single layer, I add a little salt and some pepper. When the sausage is browned on both sides, remove from the pan.

2 - While that is browning, slice your veggies, basil and cheese.

*Basil you can either tear, chop or chiffonade. I prefer the chiffonade because it’s prettier. It’s very simple to do: just layer the leaves on top of each other; roll into a little cigar; and then slice.

Cheeeeeese!

3 – Add some EVOO to a sauté pan and add your onion and peppers. Add S&P and sauté until soft. Takes about 10-15 minutes.

4- Once soft, add the sausage back into the pan and add tomato sauce. I used Hannaford’s Roasted Garlic tomato sauce. It’s probably one of the few jarred sauces that I will use because the flavor is really great. You can use any you prefer or even your own homemade. FYI: Hannaford is Sweet Bay’s private label.

5- Sauté everything together until sauce is heated through.

6- Once the sauce is hot and the pasta done, add the pasta to a large bowl, the sauce with veggies and sausage and stir together. Then add your mozzarella cheese and basil and toss.

Mmmmm

My thoughts on this dish: This dish always full of flavor and so easy to make. It's a great go-to for me, a good crowd pleaser, and feeds your soul. Wow, that was corny! My favorite part of this dish is how the cheese melts just enough to be soft and gooey. I also love the contrast of texture between the cheese and the browned sausage that retains a bit of a crust from the pan. And the fresh basil really gives it a nice burst of freshness. I'm usually not too picky with fresh or dried herbs, but with this dish its fresh basil or none at all, in my opinion.

Kitten ^..^

Lobster Pasta with Brandy Cream Sauce

This past Thursday night while I was attempting to do some online homework my boyfriend, BD was in charge of cooking dinner. BD and I have been dating for about three years now and one of the few things that we are equally passionate about is good food. My mother was always a great cook and while she never sat down and taught me, I am pretty sure I inherited my skill and knack for cooking from her. Not sure where I get my baking ability though b/c Mom can't even bake frozen garlic bread without burning it!

In past relationships I was always the one that did all of the cooking (unless you count making PB&J or ordering take out - I don't). This was until I met BD. I know he comes from a long line of southern cooks and that certainly does show but a majority of his skill was gained from cooking in restaurants. He's been a Sous Chef at a major Italian restaurant, worked in countless other acclaimed local places and is currently moonlighting at a local Seafood House as a Saute Chef. He's a fantastic cook and definitely the "professional" of the two of us. This tends to lead to problems from time to time in the kitchen but we are working on it.

So this past Thursday BD had full range of "my" kitchen. He asked what I was in the mood for and since we had a lobster in the fridge, I simply said Lobster Pasta - something yummy. He popped online for a little inspiration and the following dish is what he whipped up. This is actually pretty typical for both of us to do. We get a craving or an idea and just wing it. Usually it works and I think he hit this one out of the park. Because we don't follow recipes 99% of the time I know this will present a challenge when trying to share here but I'll work on it. Below is the recipe courtesy of BD. I can't promise if its exact but its probably pretty close so feel free to make some adjustments to your own taste.

Lover's Lobster Pasta

Ingredients:

- 1.5 - 2 lobster, steamed, shelled and chopped in 1" chunks

- 1 shallot, finely chopped

- 1 Roma tomato, quartered, seeded and julienned

- 2 tablespoons of scallions, finely chopped

- 1/2 cup of asparagus cut in 1/2 inch pieces

- 1 teaspoon of minced garlic

- 1 pint of heavy cream

- 1/4 cup of cognac

- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

- 3 tablespoons of butter -total

- half pound of linguine

- Salt and Pepper to taste

Method:

- Boil water for linguine first so it can cook while you are working on the dish. When it is cooked al dente, set aside in an ice bath to stop the cooking process and then strain and set aside.

- In a large saute pan, saute shallots and garlic in one tablespoon of butter until shallots are translucent.

- Deglaze the pan with the cognac and reduce until it reaches a glaze. This will take a couple of minutes. (If you are worried about the dish having too strong of a cognac flavor you can use about 1/2 of what the recipe calls for)

- Add asparagus and lobster with a splash of water and the remaining two tablespoons of butter. Let lobster simmer in the butter and cognac for about a minute and then remove and set aside.

- Turn burner on high and add heavy cream and let cream reduce by 1/3. Be sure to stir frequently.

- Once cream reduces, stir in Parmesan cheese and let simmer on low until it thickens.

- Add lobster and add salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer for another minute.

- Add pasta to saute pan and toss to coat evenly.

* You can toss the tomatoes and chives in at this point OR place on top of each dish after plated for presentation. We did the former.

My thoughts on this dish: I really liked it. The plate pictured is mine and I ate the entire plate. The asparagus and lobster worked really well together and I thought the tomatoes and scallions added a nice bit of freshness to the dish. The cognac flavor wasn't overpowering at all which was great and instead it played nicely in the background. My only complaint was that I didn't have a good hunk of crusty bread to mop up all the lingering sauce on my plate. BD says he was surprised how well this turned out and we will definitely be making it again.

Enjoy! And feel free to write if you need some claification. And please excuse my noob picture taking skills - I'll be sure to work on that too!

KW