Ravioli is a beloved pasta dish that has stood the test of time. With its delicious fillings, cultural significance, and versatility, ravioli continues to be a popular choice for people of all ages and backgrounds.
The name ‘ravioli’ is derived from the old Italian word ‘riavvolgere’ (to wrap). Ravioli was traditionally served ‘al brodo’ (in broth) before the introduction of tomatoes from the New World in the 16th century, when tomato-based sauces became popular.
In the past, ravioli was just a fancy way to recycle leftovers, but today you’ll find a variety of elegant fillings ranging from gourmet cheeses, butternut squash, kale & spinach, wild mushrooms, lobster, and chicken. It can be served in a variety of ways, such as boiled, baked, or fried, and can be paired with a wide range of sauces and toppings.
The sauce you choose to serve with your ravioli will depend on the filling of your little pasta pockets. The idea is to pair the right sauce with the filling to create balance. Light, cheesy ravioli pairs well with a rich, meaty sauce, while hearty meat-filled ravioli works better with something creamy or mild. This keeps the dish balanced so it’s not too heavy or uninteresting.
This casserole pairs cheese ravioli with a creamy beef parmesan sauce making a nice flavorful meal.
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Beef & Cheese Ravioli in Creamy Sauce
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Instructions
Beef & Ravioli
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the ground beef, breaking it up into small pieces with a spoon. Cook until beef is browned, about 5-7 minutes. Drain any excess fat. Add the onion & garlic, cooking for an additional 2-3 minutes until softened & fragrant. Stir in oregano, basil & salt & pepper to taste. Set aside.
While the beef cooks, bring a pot of water to a boil. Add ravioli & cook according to package directions, typically 3-5 minutes. Drain the ravioli, reserving about a cup of pasta water for the sauce. Set aside.
Sauce
In the same skillet you cooked the beef, reduce the heat to medium-low & add the milk, cream cheese & chicken broth. Stir continuously until the cream cheese is fully incorporated into the sauce, creating a creamy base. Add the parmesan cheese, garlic & onion powder & pepper. Stir until the sauce is smooth & slightly thickened, about 2-3 minutes.
Assembly
Add the cooked ravioli & beef mixture to the skillet with the creamy sauce. Stir gently to combine, ensuring the ravioli is coated with the sauce. If the sauce seems to thick, add a small amount of the reserved pasta water to thin it to your desired consistency. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes to heat everything through.
Serve hot. Garnish with a sprinkle of fresh parsley & additional parmesan cheese if desired.
Summer equates to fresh produce so why not make the most of it in a vegetable pizza? When it comes to veggies the key word here is ‘ROASTED’. The veggies go in the oven with a little oil, herbs & spices until they start to brown up which brings out a little caramelization of their natural flavors and transforms them into little nuggets of vegetable GOLD.
Roasting vegetables brings out a depth of flavor with a hint of sweetness that lets the vegetables shine through in a truly magical way. Any combination of your favorite vegetables will work, so there is a lot of flexibility here.
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Roasted Vegetable & Smoked Cheddar Pizza
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Instructions
Roasted Vegetables
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In a large bowl, TOSS all roasted vegetable ingredients, combing well. Spread veggies onto a parchment lined baking sheet & roast for 20 minutes, stirring once half way through baking.
Herb Sauce
In a saucepan, combine all sauce ingredients. Heat & stir over medium heat until cream cheese is melted & sauce becomes thick & creamy. Grate smoked cheddar cheese.
Assembly/Baking
When vegetables are roasted, lower oven temperature to 375 F.
Divide herb sauce evenly between the 4 Naan breads & spread over each. Next, divide the roasted vegetables between the 4 pizzas. Top with grated smoked cheddar cheese.
Bake pizzas for 10-15 minutes or until veggies are nicely roasted & edges are crispy. Remove from oven & serve.
CELEBRATING FATHER’S DAY!
Father’s Day is celebrated on many different dates around the world. It gives us the opportunity to thank or reflect on that special person we call ‘Dad’.
The imprint of a father remains forever on the lives of his children. For daughters, he is the standard against which she will judge all men. To a son, he is his first hero.
Fathers are some of the most unsung, unpraised and unnoticed valuable assets of our society. Growing up, I recall that wonderful feeling of being very protected by our father.
Both of our fathers are no longer with us, but we will always hold dear fond memories of them. It seems a father’s love and influence are never fully appreciated until they are no longer with you.
I think both are dads would have enjoyed this meal I’m preparing today. Since the trendiness of balsamic vinegar in North America has only gained momentum over the past few decades, its probably not a version they would have been familiar with but liked it just the same.
Peaches and balsamic vinegar are the perfect accompaniment to pork chops. Pork chops pair so well with fruit and the natural sweetness of honey balances perfectly with the moderate, natural acidity of the balsamic vinegar.
The history of balsamic vinegar is a fascinating journey that spans centuries. Balsamic vinegar’s rise in prestige began with its medicinal use in the Middle Ages, gained royal favor and eventually became globally recognized as a highly prized product originating from the beautiful Italian regions of Modena and Reggio Emilia.
These balsamic pork chops are served with peaches, gorgonzola and a hint of thyme making them sweet and savory at the same time.
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Balsamic Pork Chops w/ Peaches & Gorgonzola
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Instructions
In a large oven-proof skillet over medium high heat, add the olive oil & let it warm up.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, honey, thyme. Add the peaches, toss to coat, & set aside.
Pat the pork chops dry, and cover them in the salt & pepper.
Add the pork chops to the hot oil in the pan & cook for 6 minutes on one side without moving the chops around, then flip them.
Add the peach vinegar mixture to the hot pan over the pork chops. Cook for 3 minutes.
Remove the pork chops from the pan & set them aside on a clean plate, leaving the peach vinegar mixture in the pan.
Turn the heat up to high. Cook for 8 -10 minutes, until the peaches are soft & the sauce has reduced.
Place the pork chops back into the hot pan. Spoon the peaches & sauce on top of the chops. Scatter the gorgonzola on top of the peaches & pork chops. Broil on high for 3 - 5 minutes, or until the gorgonzola has melted.
Eggnog, which is actually a drinkable form of custard, began in England, where eggnog was the trademark drink of the upper class. There was no refrigeration, and the farms belonged to the big estates. Those who could get milk and eggs to make eggnog mixed it with brandy or Madeira or even sherry. But it became most popular in North America, where farms and dairy products were plentiful, as was rum. The name, ‘eggnog,’ is a combination of ‘noggin,’ a wooden cup, and ‘grog,’ a strong beer.
Throughout Canada, the United States and some European countries, eggnog is traditionally consumed over the Christmas season, from late October until the end of the holiday season.
The eggnog tradition kind of reminds me of the fall ‘pumpkin spice’ craze. What started out as a drink is now added to ice cream, cookies, cake, coffee, protein powder, latte, etc. etc.…
These cookies are soft and pillow-y, filled with chai spices and topped with a spiced rum glaze. The warmth of the cinnamon and nutmeg brings out the eggnog flavor in the cookies, making the traditional holiday drink the main flavor.
The holidays are a time for tradition. For a lot of people, that tradition consists of baking …. baking cookies…. lots and lots of cookies!!
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Eggnog Chai Cookies w/ Spiced Rum Glaze
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Instructions
Cookies
Preheat oven to 325 F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, cardamom & black pepper. Set aside.
In another bowl, using a mixer, cream together butter & sugars. Add egg yolks & vanilla. Beat until creamy. Carefully beat in eggnog.
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients & beat until just combined.
Fit a piping bag with a large star tip nozzle & fill with cookie dough. Make 30 cookie swirls on parchment paper. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the bottoms just start to turn golden brown.
Immediately transfer cookies to a paper towel covered flat surface. Allow to cool.
Glaze
Whisk together powdered sugar & cinnamon. Add vanilla, eggnog & spiced rum. Whisk until smooth.
Drizzle over cooled cookies & serve.
The foods that stay always stocked, the staples of anyone’s pantry, hold the secret to understanding what makes each individual household special in its own way.
One of the most telling is where someone keeps their Ritz crackers: stocked as the go-to snack for the family, among the chocolate chips as a home baker’s secret to pie, or with the tinned fish, destined to be the base of canapés for a party. Keeping a box of Ritz crackers on the shelves means always having a welcoming taste on hand— easy access to a versatile staple that goes with anything and requires no effort to prepare.
Ritz Crackers are a universal favorite. They’ve been a comforting fixture in grocery stores for over 80 years. Simply put, these scalloped golden discs have an ideal level of saltiness. They’re tender, but not to the point of crumbling as soon as you take a bite. They’re toasty, buttery, and seasoned throughout (instead of just on the top) but not in a way that would overpower whatever toppings or dips you’d enjoy with them.
Cracker breading is the perfect complement for fish, seafood, chicken or a vegetable casserole, mashed potatoes and of course, macaroni and cheese.
The combination of flavors in this simple casserole make it such a classic — just scallops, lemon, butter, vermouth, and Ritz crackers. Taking a bite of baked scallops with Ritz crackers is like going back in time, an old-school pleasure. It’s purely delicious, and incredibly easy to make.
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Baked Scallops w/ Ritz Cracker Topping
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Preheat oven to 325 F. Place rack on the second to top position.
Wash scallops & pat dry. Remove the side muscle if still attached.
Arrange scallops in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. In a small bowl, stir together the cracker crumbs, garlic salt & pepper. Sprinkle the scallops evenly with the cracker crumb mixture, then Parmesan. Pour the butter over all, then sprinkle evenly with the lemon juice & vermouth. Cover the dish with foil & bake for 20 minutes, then remove foil & bake an additional 10 minutes.
Turn the heat up to 'broil' & with the oven door ajar, brown the top for an additional 2 or 3 minutes.
Serve hot, garnished with a slice of lemon & fresh chopped chives or parsley.
The other day I came across a recipe for meatloaf that certainly seemed like something ‘special’. Years ago, every family had a meatloaf recipe that was so dearly loved, it achieved iconic status. Today, I’m not so sure that is the case anymore. Nevertheless, this recipe was called ‘1770 House Meatloaf’ which made me curious as to what the history was behind it. Most every review raved about it being pure comfort food and much more than just meatloaf.
From my research on this meatloaf I found that the 1770 House is an East Hampton Inn and Restaurant famous for this dish. East Hampton Village on Long Island, New York is a beautiful village. It’s been that way for years with a glorious pond right as you come into town where swans swim in summer and skaters take to the ice in winter.
The 1770 House has welcomed guests with hospitality and comfort, a tradition that continues to attract guests from around the world to the intimate Inn, steps from the heart of East Hampton Village. The venerable home, today a boutique hotel and restaurant, seamlessly integrates historic elegance with luxurious, modern amenities and first-class dining.
This glorious colonial house has two restaurants—a more formal fine dining room on the ground level and, down a flight of stairs, a cozy ‘tavern’ with its roaring fireplace and comfort food menu. And always, on this seasonally changing menu, there is Chef Kevin Penner’s remarkable meatloaf with its even more remarkable garlic sauce.
This familiar dish is simple enough that it can be prepared as a weekday meal, but that has been elevated by adding a few key ingredients. The celery and thyme infuse the mix with intense flavor, and the garlic sauce works perfectly. The outcome is a delicious dish with moist texture: not your average meatloaf.
So there you have it …. meatloaf with first-class dining status!
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1770 House Meatloaf w/ Garlic Sauce
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Instructions
Meatloaf
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Heat the olive oil in a large (12-inch) sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion & celery and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent but not browned. Set aside to cool slightly.
Place the beef, veal, pork, parsley, thyme, chives, eggs, milk, salt & pepper in a large mixing bowl. Put the panko in a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until the panko is finely ground.
Add the onion mixture & the panko to the meat mixture. With clean hands, gently toss the mixture together, making sure it's combined but not compacted.
Place a piece of parchment paper on a sheet pan. Pat the meat into a flat rectangle and then press the sides in until it forms a cylinder down the middle of the pan (this will ensure no air pockets). Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a thermometer inserted in the middle reads 155 F. to 160 F. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Slice and serve hot with the Garlic Sauce.
Garlic Sauce
Combine the oil & garlic in a small saucepan & bring to a boil. Lower the heat & simmer for 10 -15 minutes, until lightly browned. Be careful not to burn the garlic or it will be bitter. Remove the garlic from the oil and set aside.
Combine the chicken stock, butter & cooked garlic in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat & cook at a full boil for 35 - 40 minutes, until slightly thickened. Mash the garlic with a fork, whisk in 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper & taste for seasonings. Spoon the warm sauce over the meatloaf.
Recipe Notes
- Since there are just two of us, I made the full recipe then divided the mixture into 3 portions. I baked all 3 & used one for our supper meal today, froze the second one for a future meal & with the third, I sliced it for 'meatloaf' sandwiches. Doesn't get better than that!
There’s something fundamentally satisfying about the textural contrast of biting through a crisp savory shell into a juicy turkey burger. It’s not like burgers needed to be reinvented, but I’m all about trying new things to see if there’s something novel and delicious to be discovered.
Breakfast can be many things to many people. Hash browns come in many shapes and sizes. They can be prepared in various ways. Some consider it the ultimate breakfast food that needs to be served with eggs.
Brion has always enjoyed hashbrowns, not the diced, fried to a crisp in a deep fryer kind, but the nice shredded, golden kind. My inventions for new culinary techniques that revolutionize the way we eat usually happen in the middle of the night during a bout of insomnia. But all it takes is a quick Internet search to reveal that I’m far from the first person to have invented the cookery method, and hundreds of recipes already exist. Nevertheless, this idea for an interesting breakfast is a good example of that.
I crusted the turkey burgers with some shredded potatoes, so when they cook and get crispy, they act as a barrier that locks in all the juices. The roasted tomatoes add a nice little garnish to the burgers. I topped the burgers with poached eggs, because when you cut into it, the velvety, creamy yolk pours out onto the burger and acts as a sauce…and what goes better with potatoes than eggs, right? So, there you have it …. crispy, golden hashbrowns, meat, eggs & tomatoes …. what a breakfast!
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Breakfast Turkey Hashbrown Burgers
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Instructions
Hashbrowns
Thaw shredded hashbrowns on paper towel. In a bowl, place the flour, cheese, egg, onion, garlic, coriander, smoked paprika, salt & pepper. Add 'dried' shredded hashbrowns. Using a fork, mix everything until combined being careful not to break up the hashbrowns. Set aside until burgers are ready to be coated with the mixture.
Turkey Burgers
In a bowl, combine burger ingredients & divide into 4 equal portions. Form into burger patties. Coat burgers with hashbrown mixture, gently pressing coating down to make sure it adheres well.
Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
In a small bowl, place cherry tomatoes & add some Italian dressing to coat. Place on a foil lined baking dish.
Cooking
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In a skillet, heat 1 Tbsp EACH butter & olive oil. Carefully place hashbrown burgers in skillet & cook burgers on each side only until they are a golden brown. Remove to a baking pan & place in the oven to continue the cooking process until the meat is fully cooked. Roast the cherry tomatoes at the same time.
While the burgers are in the oven, prepare the poached eggs. Heat a small pot of water until it is almost at a boil. Add 1 Tbsp vinegar to help the eggs to congeal. Crack the eggs gently right above the surface of the water. Turn off the heat & cover the pot for about 3-4 minutes or until the whites of the eggs are fully cooked but the yolks are still runny. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon.
When the burgers & tomatoes are cooked, remove them from the oven. Place them on serving plates & top each burger with a poached egg. Garnish with sprigs of fresh thyme if you wish.
HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY!
St. Patrick’s Day is a funny thing here in Canada. It’s the one time each year that people seek out green food and drinks, everything from shamrock shakes, a green bagel, or green beer are part of our version of this holiday.
And what’s funnier, is that this holiday is a very different experience in Ireland. At least that is what I have been told by people who live there. They don’t do all the ‘crazy green stuff’ like we do, if they celebrate it at all.
Green food has been getting more and more ‘creative’ on this particular holiday. Clean eating, green foods like spinach, avocado and broccoli for example. A walk through the grocery store produce section will provide a variety of examples of just how many green foods are available to use in meals and snacks.
In the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day, I wanted to incorporate some green food in our supper meal. What better excuse could I have to make some broccoli pizzas!
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Zesty Broccoli & Smoked Cheddar Pizza
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Instructions
Herb Sauce
In a saucepan, combine butter, cream cheese, milk, garlic & onion powder, basil, oregano, salt & pepper. Heat & stir over medium heat until cream cheese is melted & sauce becomes thick & creamy.
Toppings
Slice grape tomatoes in half lengthwise & marinate in zesty Italian dressing.
Prepare broccoli florets. Steam in microwave dish for about 2 minutes. Drizzle with zesty Italian dressing.
Shred cooked chicken & grate cheese.
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Spread herb sauce over Naan breads & top with shredded chicken. Divide cheese evenly between the 4 Naan breads.
In the center of each pizza lay 6 marinated tomato halves. Place the florets in a circle surrounding them sprinkling veggies with black pepper.
Bake pizzas for 10-15 minutes or until veggies are nicely roasted & edges are crispy. Remove from oven & serve.
Crumble is not just a crispy dessert. Some variations on the original recipe have managed to transform the crumble into a mouth-watering savory dish. Almost Mediterranean at its heart, the roasted vegetable crumble introduces a whole new vegetarian culinary experience. A magnificent display of accessibility & balanced flavors, with rustic and crispy textures. While both sweet and savory versions have received international acclaim, at its root, crumble is a fruit-based dessert topped with a breadcrumb-like topping made with flour, butter, and sugar.
Crumbles became popular in Britain during World War II, when the topping was an economical alternative to pies due to shortages of pastry ingredients as the result of rationing.
This savory crumble with roasted vegetables is topped with buttery cracker crumbs, Parmesan, Panko crumbs, thyme and cracked black pepper to give it some added texture. It makes such a nice fall or winter casserole.
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Roasted Vegetable Crumble
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Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly butter a 9-inch deep pie dish; set aside.
In a medium bowl combine crackers, bread crumbs, cheese, pepper, thyme, and butter. Toss to coat everything in butter. Spoon just less than half of the mixture into the bottom of the pie dish and slightly up the sides. Place in the oven and bake for 12 minutes, until just golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool while you make the filling.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until softened and browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute more. Add the brussels sprouts, carrots, mushrooms and thyme. Increase heat to medium-high and let the vegetables sauté down until well softened, browned, and caramelized, about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper as the vegetables cook down.
The mushrooms will release a lot of their moisture and then the mixture will brown and cook down.
When vegetables are cooked down and softened, reduce heat to medium, sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir until the flour disappears. Slowly add the chicken stock and stir, scraping any brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Bring to a simmer to thicken. Finally, stir in the cream and remove from the heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper if needed.
Spoon mixture onto the browned crust. Sprinkle with gruyere. Top with the remaining crumble crust. Place in the oven to bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until top crust is golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving warm.
Homespun desserts such as crisps, cobblers, betties, slumps & pandowdy’s are all variations on the same theme. As much as we like to be definitive, these old fashioned desserts are ‘folk-food’ passed down orally from mother to child and like all folk culture slight variations arise from kitchen to kitchen.
My spice drawer gets a good workout in the fall. I want to add fall spices to as many things as possible. Warm fruit desserts are a perfect candidate for doing just that.
The filling for this cobbler is a combination of peaches, brown sugar, butter and some added spices. All of that is cooked briefly to give it a caramel-like flavor. The topping is a simple one but the combination of spices adds such amazing flavor and is the perfect complement to the peaches. I’ve added cardamom to both the filling and topping. If you follow the blog, you are probably aware of my obsession with cardamom. Definitely feel free to use your favorite combination and ratio of spices.
I think this Chai-Spiced Peach Cobbler is everything you could ever want in a fall dessert.
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Chai-Spiced Peach Cobbler w/ Pepita Oat Crumble
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Instructions
Topping
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, rolled oats, pistachios, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom & sugar.
Using a pastry blender, combine flour mixture with butter until it resembles a coarse meal. Store the mixture in the fridge until ready to use.
Filling
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Place a large saucepan over medium heat & add in butter. Once the butter is melted, add in the (thawed) peaches, brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, cardamom & black pepper. Bring the mixture to a simmer & cook for an additional 10 minutes.
Pour cooked peaches into a large casserole dish & evenly top with the pistachio-oat crumble.
Bake for 40 minutes, or until the top is golden-brown & the sauce bubbles around the edges.
Once finished baking, serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream if you wish.
