Fresh Herb and Cheese Ravoili

I have a pretty intense herb garden growing on my roof right now. After making mountains of pesto, I have been looking for other ways to use herbs in bulk. Personally, I find plain cheese ravioli to be pretty boring. It can be creamy and delicious, but after a few bites, I get it and want to move on. This recipe takes plain cheese ravioli to a new place and helps it stand up to sauces better than the standard variety. For expediencies sake, I made this batch of ravioli with pre-made wonton wrappers that I had in my fridge. The flavor is a little different than a typical pasta dough, but they are thin, perfectly cut and allow for the making of fresh pasta without making a mess of the kitchen. It also worked out fabulously with last nights Olympics matches, I set up a little ravioli making station on my coffee table and produced a freezer's worth of ravioli while watching the games.

     



















Ingredients
1 package of pre-made wonton wrappers
1/2 log of goat cheese at room temperature (about 2 ounces)
3/4 cup of ricotta cheese
1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh chopped herbs (basil, thyme, oregano, chives)
1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
juice of 1/2 lemon

1. Combine the cheese, herbs and seasoning in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Taste and re-season accordingly.

2. Put a heaping teaspoon into the center of each wrapper. Dip your finger in water and wet the edge of the wrapper all the way around. Place the top wrapper on and push the edges down to seal. Try to get as much air out of the center as possible.

3. Place ravioli in a large boiling pot of water. They should cook in 2-3 minutes and will float when done.

4. Top with pesto and a little fresh cracked pepper.

Italian Inspired Grilled Vegetable Summer Rolls

Heat advisory disclaimer- not a fresh pasta recipe. Its just too hot to eat nearly anything in New York this summer. We are living in a 100 degree world and I am an Alaskan girl. I want to melt. One positive of this weather is I am inspired to make summer rolls, or anything that can be serve cold and doesn't involve heavy meat. I love Asian food and the refreshing nature of a nice crunchy summer roll. One of my best friends is allergic to shell fish, so the tofu in this dish replaces the typical shrimp and also makes this a very healthy summer meal. It is basically a grilled vegetable salad wrapped up in rice paper and topped with a mint balsamic dressing. It is fun for guests, and fast and easy to make.

     Ingredients

1 Japanese eggplant, trimmed and cut into 1/2" slices

1 zucchini, trimmed and cut into 1/2" slices

2 portabello mushrooms cut into 1/2" slices

1 red pepper cut into strips

1 head radicchio 

1 package firm tofu cut into 1/2" slices

mint leaves

basil leaves

2 cloves garlic finely chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 package rice paper sheets

1. Brush all the vegetables with olive oil, salt and pepper and grill until cooked but not soggy. The eggplant will take about 8 minutes, the other vegetables may be a little faster. For this dish I didn't grill the pepper at all to have an added crunch in the finished roll which I would recommend. The radicchio also need not be grilled.


2. While the vegetables are grilling (this can all be done on a grill pan by the way), make the dressing. Combine the vinegar, 3 chopped mint leaves and 3 chopped basil leaves, the garlic and salt and pepper. Drizzle the olive oil in while whisking. Marinate the tofu in the dressing, about 15 second per side and transfer to a plate. Save the remaining dressing for the finished rolls. When the veggies are done grilling, grill the tofu about 3 minutres per side.


























3. When everything is grilled, slice the finished vegetables and tofu into 1/2" x 1/2" strips. Cook the rice paper according to the package, typically this involves simmering water in a large saute pan and dunking the rice paper sheets for 30 seconds so they soften. Assemble the rolls by putting a slice of each vegetable, tofu, and mint and basil leaves with a drizzle of dressing. Wrap, slice in half and enjoy.

Panzanella

Panzanella is a Tuscan salad made with bread and tomatoes that is popular in Central Italy during the summer.  The idea of bread in salad may sound a little strange, the bread does get a bit soggy but it is actually a very delicious type of soggy within the first few hours after dressing.  Typical Italian Panzanella does not grill the bread, they also use typical unsalted Italian bread which very dense.  You're choice on the matter of authenticity, but I like to use a crusty salted bread that has a good hard crust and a soft chewy interior. Any combination of fresh vegetables can be used in this salad, tomatoes with onion and basil are very traditional but peppers, cucumber and asparagus are very nice additions.

     Salad Ingredients
1 loaf of crusty Italian bread 
2 tomatoes seeded and chopped into 1" chunks
1 red onion sliced into rounds
1/2 cucumber sliced into half rounds
handful of basil leaves 


     Dressing Ingredients
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar 
1 garlic clove finely chopped
fresh cracked pepper
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup olive oil


1. Cut the loaf of bread in half, olive oil both sides and grill on a grill pan for 5 min each side. If you don't have a grill pan (get one) you can use the broiler in the oven to get a nice toast on both sides. Slice the grilled bread into 1" cubes.

2. Grill the onion rounds on the grill pan for 5 min each side. Roughly chop.

3. Combine the tomatoes, cucumber, onion, basil and bread in a bowl. Toss with dressing and let sit for 15 minutes before serving.