Growing up my family always spent X-mas at my Aunts. My Aunt always made a big batch of ravioli and it was to die for. Over X-mas I bought an attachment for my wife’s mixer that allowed us to make our own noodles. I got comfortable with making the noodles a few weeks ago and then last weekend I decided to venture into the land of ravioli.
I had a big wooden table to work on. I started making the ravioli dough. It took me a few tries to get the right consistency for the thickness. Next, I tried making the ravioli by hand but that didn’t work out too well so I used a mold. Voila! My wife and I spent the afternoon drinking red wine and making cheese and spinach ravioli, meat ravioli, and cheese, meat and spinach ravioli.
The results were outstanding! We had ravioli 2 nights in row. My kids loved it and now I feel like I honored my Aunt and all the hard work and love she put into her cooking.
So what about you? What have you created that you would like to share? What’s your favorite meal to cook?
All you have to do is put Xmas in your post and Pedallizard won’t comment? XmasXmasXmasXmasXmasXmas
Homemade pizza parties with nontraditional toppings. Even better cooked on the grill. This weekend, spicy garlic chicken pizza with hot sauce and blue cheese. Olive oil, garlic, sundried tomato, artichoke with goat cheese also.
Edit your post, to call the December 25th holiday what it is “Christmas” and then I will respond to your culinary query.
ROFL. Even a simple cooking post gets flamed but I can’t stop laughing.
CaptainCanada is a chef and gave me 2 great recipes for a vegetarian thanksgiving, squash soup and an apple/brussel sprout side dish. I’m sure he will chime in for more ideas.
I do the “whatever is in the fridge” soup. It is never the same. Leftover veggies, frozen veggies, beans, rice, veggie broth. I love it.
I am no “chef”, but I can do a good job of cooking. What I mean by that is that I can read a recipe, decide from the ingredients and instructions whether I think it’s any good and then do a reasonably good job of making it. My favorite thing to do is to scan my cookbooks to find a hidden gem that I’ve never tried before. I like experimenting with new flavors. My new favorite is Indian cooking - got a new cookbook for Christmas and I love it! I also have a really good cookbook on Chinese cooking. Everything I’ve made from there is great, but my favorite is Chicken with Black Beans and Asparagus. Yum!
CaptainCanada is a chef and gave me 2 great recipes for a vegetarian thanksgiving, squash soup and an apple/brussel sprout side dish. I’m sure he will chime in for more ideas.
I do the “whatever is in the fridge” soup. It is never the same. Leftover veggies, frozen veggies, beans, rice, veggie broth. I love it.
Jeez, if you have to eat vegetarian, eh, stuff at thanksgiving, what is there to be thankful for, lol.
I love to cook…just about any cuisine. Right now I tend to cook French, usually simple French country or farmhouse cooking, like beef daube (2" chunks of beef marinated and then cooked in red wine and served over broad egg noodles), which is to die for. I love the way the French can take 3-4 simple ingredients and create magic with them. I also really love baking bread…a total treat when it comes hot out of the oven (I know you’re supposed to let it rest but I just can’t resist).
I do like to experiment as well, and come up with my own recipes or variations on stuff I find in magazines or books. A while back I came up with ground pork/noodle Asian-inspired dish I call my “noodle dream” (in reference to a line in the movie “Kung Fu Panda”) which came out very nice. Coming up with a dish on my own that is good and is a “keeper” according to my wife is probably the most satisfying thing for me, since I really enjoy the creativity of combining flavors.
Making your own ravioli is very cool…I’m half Italian, and homemade ravioli is simply fantastic. I’ve done it once, but I want to do it again. If I do, I’m gonna go big so I have a lot to freeze!
Anyway, I could ramble on and on…cooking is a close second past-time to my triathlon habit. I get a huge kick out of watching people enjoy what I cook.
Anything Italian! The most fun really is pizza. Toying with the dough recipe is fun but I’m still years away from a decent crust. The most memorable was a fresh pesto (easiest thing to make) and ricotta with a little spinach.
Cooking with my girlfriend is really my favorite thing to do. We’ll pick a country or a region and make an event out of it. I’m talking everything from the music, to the wine, and the right ingredients. Are there any cookbooks out there like this? Maybe I should make one.
Oh, and tuna and goat cheese empanadillas, if you’re into tapas check this out one.
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1" piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
10-12 scallions, chopped
pinch red pepper flakes
4 small fresh, organic, carrots, peeled and shredded (a Cuisinart works great for this, but a regular cheese grater can also be used)
1 lb ground pork
3 eggs
1 1/2 tbsp red chile paste
1/2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sherry cooking wine
1/3 cup low salt chicken broth
3/4 lb fettucine or linquini
Cook noodles in salted water, drain, and rinse well
Heat 1/4 - 1/3 cup canola or peanut oil in a wok or large saute pan\
Add first 4 ingredients and saute for approx. 5 minutes
Add carrots, saute for 3-4 minutes
Add ground pork, break up with utensil, cook until most of pink is gone
Add 3 eggs, stire to combine and cook
Add next 4 ingredients, stir to combine
Add cooked noodles, pour in chicken broth if it seems too dry, and maybe a little extra canola oil
Stir well to combine sauce with noodles and to heat noodles through, approx. 5-10 minutes
Serve!
Spot
PS…If you meant the beef daube instead of this, do this (use a heavy dutch oven like a La Crueset for this)…
Cube 4-5 lbs chuck roast (2" cubes)
Put in large bowl, pour bottle of red wine over (I use a cheapish cab)…push beef down so its all covered
Add 5-6 fresh thyme sprigs, 4-5 bay leaves, and 2 3x1" orange peel sections (use a vegetable peeler to just get the orange peel and no white pith)
Marinate at room temp for approx. 6 hours
Drain the meat and reserve the marinade. Discard the thyme, bay leaves, and orange peel
At cooking time, chop 1/2 to 3/4 pound good quality bacon (I use Boar’s Head)
Saute until most of the fat is rendered…spoon out bacon, and pour off most of the fat…leave approx. 2-3 tbsp of fat in the bottom
Brown the meat in batches, making sure the cubes aren’t touching (otherwise instead of browning the meat will steam and be gray and gross). Salt and pepper the meat while its browning (once is fine).
After the meat is browned, saute 2 med to large chopped onions and 2-3 minced garlic cloves in the pot (without the meat) until nicely caramelized. Use a flat wooden utensil to scrape up the fond (the nice brown bits on the bottom of the pot).
If the onions are done and you still have a bit of fond on the bottom, use a bit of the reserved red wine marinade to deglaze the pan.
Put the beef and bacon back in the pan, pour in the reserved marinade, add fresh thyme, bay leaves, and orange peel (same amounts as before)
Bring to a boil, and then dial the heat back to a nice, low simmer. Cook for 2-3 hours or until beef is meltingly tender (you should be able to cut it with the side of your fork). Add some water if the meat is getting uncovered towards the end, but just enough.
Serve over the best quality egg noodles you can find, with a crusty french baguette and an excellent red wine.
You can also add carrot chunks (good organic carrots with the tops still on that are nice and sweet, and not those nasty bitter things found in plastic bags) during the final hour of cooking, and can also serve with some nice olives if you wish, for a variation.
Oh yeah, pesto pizza rocks. Pesto pizza with grilled chicken and roasted red peppers and shredded mozzarella…one of my favorites. I also do truly love doing grilled pizza margherita in the summer…fresh tomatoes, basil, fresh mozzarella, and drizzled olive oil…yum!
We just got this recipe from an Italian guy. I don’t have a name for it but you brown some chunks of pork, beef and chicken thighs, garlic and a lot of onions. You put them in pot of tomato sauce with only salt and pepper and simmer until the meat is tender. Serve over your favorite pasta. Sooo good. He said the “Italian” spice like oregano, basil etc are American ideas and are not added in traditional Italian cooking.
