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Sweet Potato-Ricotta Cavatelli with White Wine Braised Chicken Sauce

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Did someone say, Sweet Potato-Ricotta Cavatelli?

White Wine Demi-Glace Rabbit with Sweet Potato Cavatelli

White Wine Demi-Glace Rabbit with Sweet Potato Cavatelli

Yes, yes, that someone is ME! Something in my being simply calls me to make pasta and to make it often, in fact, to make it as often as possible.

A BIG obsession for me is ricotta cavatelli, its texture and shape just work with my taste buds….now go and mix it up with some seasonal yummies and it easily becomes the perfect food in my world, easily.

Ricotta Cavatelli was a staple when I was growing up. My Nonna would make it at least every Sunday and sometimes during the week if any of us did something extraordinary or just asked (isn’t that how it works with grandbabies?). I’m thinking the latter happened much more often than the former….

Now back to the cavatelli story. For her, she kept the sauces simple, Bolognese or butter, it just didn’t get much fancier than that and it didn’t need to. Honestly, any pasta she made was sensational and frankly, I ate more of it raw than anything (which completely made her crazy but secretly, she really loved it).

Nonna always started with making the ricotta, I am sure it had a lot to do with hovering grandkids waiting impatiently to be fed and acting completely starved to death…..Solution? Easy, triple the batch, make crostini, and let us go to town (and out from under her feet, literally) so she could crank out her cavatelli treasures.

I loved that the air was always filled with fresh cheese and the aroma of her infamous Bolognese sauce, which conveniently simmered all day and comatosed us while we waited for the feast of deliciousness!

Finally, I was old enough to make pasta in my own house and when I first branched out from the traditional and into the “variations”, I was sure I would need a pasta confessional and ask my Nonna for continuous forgiveness but, when I was able to create one I knew she would approve of, I felt redeemed!

I never got the opportunity to make her my sweet potato – ricotta cavatelli but the memory of those days comes to me every time I venture out and make them or any variation……and I never forget to start with the ricotta and crostini…….here’s to you Nonna….

Sweet-Potato-Cavatelli

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 Sweet Potato-Ricotta Cavatelli with White Wine Braised Chicken Sauce
This recipe was inspired by my love for ricotta cavatelli. Cavatelli are similar to gnocchi but a bit smaller in size. This recipe birthed from my love of sweet potatoes and ricotta cheese!
White Wine Demi-Glace Rabbit with Sweet Potato Cavatelli
Prep Time 3 hours
Cook Time 20 minutes
Passive Time 10 minutes
Servings
servings
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Cavatelli
Fresh Ricotta
White Wine Braised Chicken Sauce
Prep Time 3 hours
Cook Time 20 minutes
Passive Time 10 minutes
Servings
servings
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Cavatelli
Fresh Ricotta
White Wine Braised Chicken Sauce
White Wine Demi-Glace Rabbit with Sweet Potato Cavatelli
Instructions
Sweet Potato Cavatelli
  1. Preheat oven to 350. Pearce sweet potatoes all over and place on a baking sheet. Cook for 30-40 min or until soft. Pull out of oven and peel and pass through a food mill or ricer into a bowl. Cool completely.
  2. Combine cooled sweet potatoes, ricotta, egg, and salt
  3. Place flour on kneading board. Make a well and add the above ingredients. Mix to combine
  4. Keep kneading until the dough comes together and has a smooth consistency. If sticky, add some flour. Don't over knead dough or it will become too tough.
  5. Cut off a small chunk and roll it into a rope about ½″ thick.
  6. Roll rope in some flour before cutting in 1 inch pieces. With a gnocchi board, start at the top and press each piece to make and indentation and then roll down the board. (If you want, you can go one step easier and forget the gnocchi board, just roll out some dough into a ½ inch thick rope, indent a line down the middle and cut in 1 inch segments).
  7. Toss with flour and put on cookie sheets. Apply more flour if they are a bit "sticky". Let rest and dry about 2 hours.
Fresh Ricotta
  1. In a saucepan over medium heat, add all ingredients and let come to a light boil. Cook for 15 minutes as the liquid and solid separate. Remove from heat and pour into a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and let drain until all liquid is gone.
White Wine Braised Chicken Sauce
  1. Season the chicken legs on both sides with salt and pepper and in a very large saute pan on high heat with olive oil sear them until they are brown on all sides.
  2. Once they are brown remove them from the pan and place in a cassoulet baking dish.
  3. Add the onions, carrots, celery and garlic into the hot pan where the chicken legs were and caramelize.
  4. Once they are brown, add in the flour
  5. Next, pour in the wine and reduce it by ½, then add in the the rand chicken stock and cook for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
  6. Pour the entire mixture into the dish with the legs and add the thyme bundle and bake on 300° for 2-3 hours.
  7. After they are cooked, remove the chicken and strain the sauce into a pot and cook until it is reduced by ½ and keep warm. Shred chicken and put back into sauce.
  8. In a bowl combined the chopped herbs and set aside.
  9. Cook pasta in large pot with salted water for 7-8 minutes or until al dente. Drain and reserve 1 cup pasta water. Toss pasta with sauce, herbs, and pasta water, if needed. Top with parmigano reggiano and serve immediately.
  10. Buon Appetito!
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Oven Roasted Potatoes with Fontana Cheese

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Sometimes you just need a simple variation to a favorite classic.

Oven Roasted Potatoes with Fontina Cheese 1

Oven roasted potatoes bring me straight back to my childhood. My great grandmother made them EVERY Sunday (probably because she could feed a lot of mouths inexpensively and that way key in those days). I just remember how much I loved them especially RIGHT out of the oven (even if they burnt my tongue a little!) They were crispy on outside, soft on inside, and made with a ton of love….best ingredient out there.

A part of me hesitated posting this because it is so incredibly simple but even a few tweaks to a classic can freshen it up and make a meal memorable. I know at least once a week I look for some inspiration that doesn’t require 20 ingredients and 6 hours to prepare. We all need some simple standby’s tucked away in our recipe corner and this one is easily one of those.

One of my favorite way to cook these is in some duck fat as it has INCREDIBLE flavor and creates a whole other dimension! Then when I top it with fontina (or if you have another favorite cheese)  it gives that crispy texture some creaminess and reminds me of eating an upscale, healthier version of cheese fries! Oh Yeah!!!

I made these just last weekend with a whole roasted chicken and grilled asparagus and a the week before with braised short ribs…guess what??? No one knew I served the same potatoes twice! Now that is culinary success in my world!

If you end up making these and create a different version, post your success so I can tuck a new idea into my goto recipe file!

Oven Roasted Potatoes with Fontana Cheese
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Side Dish
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
  • 4 Russet Potatoes, peeled and sliced into ½" pieces
  • Olive Oil or Duck Fat
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Fontina Cheese
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 400 degrees
  2. Peel and slice potatoes and soak in water for 30 min
  3. Drain and pat dry. Salt and pepper both sides
  4. In a cast iron skillet (2 if you need them), heat olive oil or duck fat until smoking
  5. Add slices of potato and cook until golden brown. Flip over and place in oven for 10 minutes. Add fontina and cook 5 minutes longer.
  6. Serve with protein and veggie of your choice!

 

Gorgonzola Polenta Filled Ravioli with Short Rib Red Wine Demi-Glace

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Don’t diet yet, seriously. I mean, I am not a big diet fan because it equals deprivation somehow in my mind so I like to say “moderation”; yeah that’s it, moderation. Better.

Gorgonzola Polenta filled ravioli with short rib wine demi-glace

Okay so now that we got that issue out of the way, let’s talk about some seriously delicious ravioli. I think maybe these broke the bank on flavor, in fact, I know they did. The combination of gorgonzola cheese melted into polenta and then stuffed into a yummy dough and then topped with a short rib wine demi-glace is just on this side of heaven.

These babies take some time but totally worth it because time here is key. The sauce needs time, the raviolis take time, and you need to spend some time savoring this hard earned accomplishment. So the bottom line, time is your best buddy.

Start with the polenta because it needs to chill in order to fill the ravioli. Polenta is simple but patience is needed to stir it while it cooks and absorbs the liquid. It has a tendency to “splatter” so find that sweet spot on the stove for the heat. Once the polenta is finished, fold in the Gorgonzola and just a little pepper. No need to salt it because of the salt in the cheese but everyone is different so if you feel the need, go for it!

Next make the pasta dough because it has to rest to release the gluten into the dough and make it pliable and workable. Best to rest for at least 30 minutes and the sauce will take you that long to get going….

Now start that yummo sauce. I used boneless short ribs but rib on is good too, I just needed to maximize meat for lots of guests. As usual, after you salt and pepper, sear those babies and then remove them and continue on with the recipe. Another key is to make sure and reduce the sauce where it says to reduce, don’t skip this step a lot of flavor happens here so (as the Nike ad says…just do it!)

While the short ribs braise in the oven for about 4 hours, you have loads of time to make the raviolis. It will be your choice on thickness; everyone likes their dough thickness different. I personally enjoy mine silky and not chewy so I roll it out to the number 6 setting on my pasta maker (this number might be different on your machine so go for 3rd to last setting). Don’t forget that you place another layer on the backside of filling so if the pasta is rolled thicker; the ravioli are too doughy but again, your choice! If you aren’t sure, do a sample, boil it and taste test before making them all….

I have a ravioli tray that allows me to do about 12 at a time and is a lifesaver because it helps to get the “air” out of the ravioli….ravioli are delicate and if there is ANY air, they will break when cooked (there will always be a few that break but the yummy filling gets mixed into the sauce so don’t fret)! These can be done free hand or with a single stamp so use what is convenient just promise to get the air out!

Place the finished raviolis on a parchment lined baking sheet in an individual layer and stick into the freezer. Let them freeze up as it makes it easier to remove from tray and they stay together.

After ribs are done, remove from sauce and shred up. Strain the sauce of all the solids and return the shredded meat, keep warm.

Gorgonzola Polenta filled ravioli with short rib wine demi-glace

To serve, cook ravioli for 2 minutes in a LARGE pot (they need room and don’t crowd or they get mad!) then with slotted spoon, remove and put into sauce and cook for remaining 2 minutes. Plate and garnish with herbs and more Gorgonzola and plenty of demi-glace!

Whew…..that was more to write than I thought so, it’s cold, it’s time to be in, and make these…we all need something to do after the holiday bliss!

Gorgonzola Polenta Filled Ravioli with Short Rib Red Wine Demi-Glace
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 8-10
Ingredients
  • For the Ravioli:
  • 4 cups of semola rimacinata flour + more for dusting (can substitute 00 flour; both can get through amazon)
  • 4-5 eggs
  • a little water
  • pinch of Kosher salt
  • For the Polenta Filling:
  • 5 cups of chicken broth
  • 1 cup of course ground corn meal
  • 3 tablespoons of olive oil
  • Kosher salt to taste
  • 2 ounces of unsalted butter
  • 2 ounces of gorgonzola + more for garnish
  • For the Short Ribs and Demi-Glace:
  • 1 teaspoon of olive oil
  • 1 roughly chopped small yellow onion
  • 3 chopped carrot
  • 3 chopped stalk of celery
  • 5 cloves of garlic
  • 10 sprigs of fresh thyme, wrapped in kitchen twine to hold together
  • 4 tablespoons of tomato paste
  • 4 tablespoons of flour
  • 1 bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon
  • 2 pounds of bone in or boneless beef short ribs
  • 4 cups of reduced veal stock
  • 1 cup of espresso or coffee
  • Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh thyme
  • 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh chives
Instructions
  1. Instructions
  2. Filling: Bring the broth, oil and salt to a boil in a large pot. Once boiling whisk in the corn meal and constantly stir until the corn meal is cooked the mixture is thick, about 20 to 25 minutes. Next, whisk in the butter and gorgonzola until combined and chill.
  3. Ravioli:
  4. To Make Fresh Pasta:
  5. Make a mound of the flour in the center of a large wooden cutting board or in a bowl, whichever is more comfortable to you. Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the eggs and salt. Using a fork, beat together the eggs and begin to incorporate the flour starting with the inner rim of the well. As you expand the well, keep pushing the flour up to retain the well shape. Do not worry that this initial phase looks messy. The dough will come together when ½ of the flour is incorporated. If using a bowl, turn out onto a wooden cutting board now and start kneading the dough with both hands, using the palms of your hands primarily. Once you have a dough ball, remove its rom the board and scrape up any left over crusty bits. Lightly flour the board and continue kneading for 3 more minutes. If dry, add 1 T of water at a time and incorporate. The dough should be elastic and a little sticky. Continue to knead for another 3 minutes, remembering to dust your board when necessary. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. Note: do not skip the kneading or resting portion of this recipe, they are essential for a light pasta.
  6. To cut pasta:
  7. With a hand crank machine or kitchen aide attachment start with setting 1. Cut off ¼ of the ball and flatten out. Dust with flour as to not let it stick while passing through machine (you may have to do this periodically). Pass through once and then fold in thirds, turn and pass again. Do this 2 more times and then pass it straight through an additional 2 times. Put on setting 2 and pass through twice. Repeat with setting 3, 4, and 5. When you get to setting 6, put through once and set sheet aside and repeat with remaining dough. cut in half and place one half over a ravioli mold and place a small amount of cold blue cheese polenta into each ravioli mold.
  8. Next, whisk together the egg yolk and brush around the stuffing all over the dough.
  9. Place the other ½ of the rolled out dough on top of the stuffed dough and seal by rolling over with a rolling pin. Place each ravioli on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and put in freezer.
  10. Cook them by placing them in a large pot of boiling salted water. They are done cooking when they float at the top.
  11. Short Ribs:
  12. Season the short ribs on all sides with salt and pepper and in a very large saute pan on high heat with olive oil sear them until they are brown on all sides.
  13. Once they are brown remove them from the pan and place in a cassoulet baking dish.
  14. Add the onions, carrots, celery and garlic into the hot pan where the short ribs were and caramelize.
  15. Once they are brown, add in the tomato paste and flour until it becomes a dark rust color.
  16. Next, pour in the wine and reduce it by ½, then add in the the reduced veal stock and coffee and cook for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
  17. Pour the entire mixture into the dish with the ribs and add the thyme bundle and bake on 300° for 4 hours.
  18. After they are cooked, remove the beef and strain the sauce into a pot and cook until it is reduced by ½ and keep warm.
  19. In a bowl combined the chopped herbs and set aside.
  20. To serve: Place t6 pieces of cooked ravioli on a plate along side some pulled meat from the short rib. Pour 3 to 4 ounces of the demi-glace over the top and garnish with the chopped herbs fine and gorgonzola crumbles.

Gorgonzola Polenta filled ravioli with short rib wine demi-glace

 

Homemade Fettuccine with Brown Butter and Sage

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Fettuccine with Butter and Sage

Fettuccine with Butter and Sage

Fettuccine with Butter and Sage

Fettuccine with Butter and Sage

It’s November, it is really November; clocks even went back so we know we are full on now….only 20 days till Turkey time and the gorging bliss of the holidays begin!

I don’t know why but all this has taken me by surprise. BUT (always gotta jump into the positive aspect) after my post about duck breasts last week and all the comfy food talk, I’m ready to keep embracing the fall flavor profile and post one of my absolute favorite pasta recipes…..fettuccine with butter and sage! If I want it to sound REALLY yummy (and a little sexier) I would say fettuccine con burro e salvia (because everything sounds better in Italian)!

Okay enough with the Italian lesson as we have fettuccine con burro e salvia to talk about! Yep, essentially, flour, egg, butter, sage, parmigiano. Would you ever think that 5 ingredients could create SUCH MAGIC? Well they do and with ALL the pasta I have had over the years with ALL the different sauces, this one reigns at the top. It is perfect (of course it’s perfect, it’s pasta) but seriously, in my little world it’s perfect.

For me, the key to this recipe is to brown the butter and grow your own sage. I know, maybe the growing sage is a stretch but if you have ANY urge to be a little farmer like myself, growing herbs is an awesome starting point.

Why brown the butter? Well, the nutty flavor infuses into the pasta with the sage and the combination is INCREDIBLE, I mean INCREDIBLE! Just be careful not to overbrown because it can get a “burnt” flavor. What I do is to just get it to a “light” brown color and pull it off the burner. Then while the pasta is cooking for a couple minutes in the pot (cuz I like fresh pasta) I put the butter back on to brown up some more and add fresh sage leaves. If you leave them whole, they make a really pretty statement. Remember sage is a strong herb so use on the lighter side. (If you don’t want to make your own pasta, of course fresh pasta from the store works as does dried).

The last KEY step with this (or any pasta dish) is to put the semi-cooked pasta in the saucepan with the butter (or sauce) and let it finish cooking with the sauce (always add a little pasta water to help bind together).

I made this dish for my sister’s birthday dinner last week and served it out of roasted butternut squash bowls. After filling these cute bowls (which when pulled out of the oven are an ingenious way to keep the pasta nice and warm), I just sprinkled the top of the pasta with parmigiano cheese and a hunk of dense, artisanal bread with butter. I presented them to the table and time stopped, it was perfection.

Homemade Fettuccine with Brown Butter and Sage
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • Fresh Egg Pasta:
  • 4 cups all purpose flour or caputo semolina flour (found on amazon)
  • 4 -5 large eggs
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • water as needed
  • 2 sticks of butter
  • Handful of sage
  • Parmigiano cheese
Instructions
  1. To Make Fresh Pasta:
  2. Make a mound of the flour in the center of a large wooden cutting board or in a bowl, whichever is more comfortable to you. Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the eggs and salt. Using a fork, beat together the eggs and begin to incorporate the flour starting with the inner rim of the well. As you expand the well, keep pushing the flour up to retain the well shape. Do not worry that this initial phase looks messy. The dough will come together when ½ of the flour is incorporated. If using a bowl, turn out onto a wooden cutting board now and start kneading the dough with both hands, using the palms of your hands primarily. Once you have a dough ball, remove its rom the board and scrape up any left over crusty bits. Lightly flour the board and continue kneading for 3 more minutes. If dry, add 1 T of water at a time and incorporate. The dough should be elastic and a little sticky. Continue to knead for another 3 minutes, remembering to dust your board when necessary. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. Note: do not skip the kneading or resting portion of this recipe, they are essential for a light pasta.
  3. To cut pasta:
  4. With a hand crank machine or kitchen aide attachment start with setting 1. Cut off ¼ of the ball and flatten out. Dust with flour as to not let it stick while passing through machine (you may have to do this periodically). Pass through once and then fold in thirds, turn and pass again. Do this 2 more times and then pass it straight through an additional 2 times. Put on setting 2 and pass through twice. Repeat with setting 3 and 4. When you get to setting 5, put through once and set sheet aside and repeat with remaining dough.
  5. Put sheets through fettuccine cutter and put onto a floured cookie sheet. Toss to keep strands separate. Do this periodically while drying and add a little flour each time if necessary.
  6. To make brown butter sauce:
  7. In a large sauce pan, place butter. On medium heat cook until a slightly brown color begins. Remove until ready to cook pasta. While pasta is cooking partially (1-2 min), return to heat and add sage. Watch as to not over brown.
  8. To boil:
  9. In a large dutch oven, fill three-quarters of the way full with water and put in salt (salty as the sea). Bring to a boil and add pasta. Cook 1-2 minutes and drain (reserving 2 cups of water) and put immediately into browned butter to finish cooking, about 1-2 minutes more. Serve immediately topped with parmigiano cheese and more to pass at table.

Fettuccine with Butter and Sage

Fettuccine with Butter and Sage