Caprese Ravioli

I love delicious handmade food.  I love delicious food that takes hours to prepare.  But you know what?  I also love delicious food that only looks/tastes like it took hours to prepare.

I made a recipe from some awful talkshow the other day.  (The Chew, maybe?  I don't know, it has Mario Batali and Michael Symon.)  But anyway, it was delicious.  And they used wanton wrappers instead of making pasta from scratch for the ravioli and it worked out really well, except you have to be SUPER careful of them sticking to each other.

What I love best about this recipe is that you can go totally nuts and make everything from scratch, hell, even the pasta if you wanted to, or you can do what I did, and stop by Wegman's on your way home and pick it up already half made.

So, let's get started!

1 package of Wonton Wrappers (approx 1/2 lb, otherwise you'll need 2 packs)

Roasted Tomatoes with Garlic cut in half inch or smaller pieces (about 1/3 cup)

1/4 cup Basil Pesto

8 oz. Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese

1 Egg

1 Tbsp(ish) of Water

Mix Pesto and Ricotta until a uniform brilliant green,  Taste it, if the pesto flavor doesn't come through to your liking, add more.

Beat Egg and Water in a small dish or cup to make an Egg Wash for sealing your ravioli.

Working on wax paper or parchment so you don't make a giant mess, layout a single layer of Wonton Wrappers with a bit of space in between.  (I worked with 6 at a time.)  

Place roughly 1/2 tsp of Pesto Ricotta mixture on each Wonton Wrapper.  Top with a small piece of Roasted Tomato.  Brush Egg wash around outside edge of Wonton Wrapper and gently fold in half, pressing lightly on the edges to seal the delicious fillings in.  (I fold mine on a diagonal because I like the shape, you probably only need egg wash on two sides of the Wonton if you do it this way.)

Set finished raviolis to the side in single layers on more wax paper or parchment.

Boil gently in a large pot of water until the raviolis float.

While ravioli are boiling, heat olive oil or more pesto in a skillet.  As raviolis cook, transfer directly into warm oil/pesto and toss lightly to coat.

Garnish with pine nuts, fresh basil, more roasted tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, etc.  

If you're like me, and you went nuts and doubled the recipe, freeze them in single layers for later.

Enjoy!

Tzatziki Salad

So I got a basic Tzatziki recipe a couple of years ago, but instead of making it as a dip, I stirred in all kinds of delicious things and put it inside of mini pitas.  Awesome, absolutely fantastic.  Also delicious if you use cucumber slices as chips and scoop up piles of it.

If you don't know what Tzatziki is, it's a yogurt based sauce with dill and garlic and lemon that you might come across in a Greek Restaurant or pita place.  It's super flavorful and surprising and wonderful.

16 oz Plain Yogurt, Greek Yogurt or Goat's Milk Yogurt
4 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
4 -6 minced Garlic Cloves (trust me, fresh is worth the effort)
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
Fresh or Dried Dill to taste

1 medium Cucumber, chopped
1 handful Sun-Dried Tomatoes, cut in small pieces
6 oz crumbed Feta Cheese
1 cup sliced or chopped Assorted Olives (I like the Olive mix from Wegmans.)

Whole Wheat Mini Pitas, Sliced Cucumbers or other chips or crackers to serve with.

To Make Tzatziki:

Combine Yogurt and Olive oil in food processor or with whisk.  Stir in Lemon Juice and Garlic and mix thoroughly.  Add Salt, Pepper, and Dill and stir again.

To Make Salad

Once Tzatziki is well blended stir in Cucumber, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Feta and Olives and mix well.


Stuff in Pitas, spoon onto Cucumber slices or scoop up with chips or crackers.

Enjoy!


Notes:

• You can use Garlic Powder, but fresh tastes SOOOO much better.  Likewise, fresh Dill is better than dried for this.
• Tonight we tried this with Smoked Sun-Dried Tomatoes, and it was fastastic,  The earthy flavor of the smoke makes a lovely counterpoint to the brightness of the garlic and lemon.
• If you don't have a Wegman's (and you really should, everyone should), you can use an assortment of green, black and kalamata olives.

Sweet and Spicy Bulgar Wheat Salad

2 cups Bulgar Wheat
1 whole Cucumber
1 Red Bell Pepper
1 Fresno Hot Pepper
2 slices of Honeydew
Pomegrate White Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tbsp Butter
Salt, Pepper to taste

Prepare Bulgar Wheat - combine 2 cups Bulgar Wheat, 4 1/2 cups of water, salt, pepper, butter in a saucepot, cook over medium-high heat until water is absorbed and Bulgar Wheat is tender.

While Bulgar Wheat cooks, dice/chop the Veggies and Honeydew.  Finely chop the Hot Pepper.  Cut the Cucumber, Honeydew and Bell Pepper into roughly 3/8" chunks.

Once Bulgar Wheat is cooled at least partially, mix in Honeydew and Veggies, season with Vinegar to taste.  (We used a little over a 1/4 cup.)

Note:  I think you could effectively use any light, sweet vinegar, but believe it or not, Pomegranate is what we had laying around.  Rice Vinegar, Plain White Balsamic, other Fruit Infused Vinegar would work well.