Ravioli with Poached Egg

Posted: September 7, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: chard, eggs, pasta, ricotta | Leave a comment

I think my first  Ravioli with an egg was at Table Bistro down on 28th and Couch-ish here in Portland. It was definitely a neighborhood favorite when Rachel and I lived on 28th. Rachel ordered the ravioli every time we went and finally convinced me to give it a try, though I wasn’t a big fan of runny yolks at that point in my life. The ravioli may have converted me because it is just such a beautiful thing to poke into the noodle and have the egg gently ooze out with the ricotta and chard filling. We’ve also had a super rich and delicious version at Spring Hill up in West Seattle made with a quail egg. Cute.  I followed a recipe from Ethan Stowell’s New Italian Kitchen, also of Seattle.

Essentially just mix a tasty ricotta with some crushed garlic (if you like that sort of thing) and a bit of salt to taste with some blanched chard or whatever tasty green looks delicious at the time. I made some egg pasta, recommended in the book, recipes for pasta are everywhere I reckon. A rolling pasta machine is even surprisingly easy to use – especially compared to the KitchenAid mixer attachment I have used in the past. You can also roll the dough out several times by hand until flat enough if you don’t have a pasta machine.

Lay the pasta out in sheets and pile on the ricotta mixture. Flatten out a divot with a spoon and drop in an egg yolk. I have since seen a recipe that calls for covering the top of the egg with more ricotta, which might help more evenly cook the egg and give it a chance to set a wee bit more without overdoing the pasta. Then cover the top with another strip of the pasta after wetting where the edges will be and seal each ravioli around the ricotta and egg. Cut into the individual pieces and cook for just a few minutes (maybe 3-5).

Also lovely – zucchini blossoms!

Corn on the Cob

Posted: September 2, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

We don’t buy corn too often. I think its a psychological complex that developed since pretty much every processed food now has corn and soy in it, so it just seems wrong to go and buy even more corn. But the CSA has delivered corn on the cob for a few weeks, and of course, some good fresh sweet corn is delicious.

Tossing it straight onto the grill has proven super easy, delicious and surprisingly forgiving. I honestly don’t know how long I’ve been throwing them on there – maybe twenty minutes or so. The outside chars prettyily and the inside gets nice and hot without getting soggy and takes on a nice smoky flavor. We have been eating them without anything on them because they are so sweet and tasty grilled. I also threw some on the fire while camping, which worked out okay too, but the husks burned through and started flaking off a wee bit before the corn was fully cooked.