Gettin' Saucy

So I have been thinking a lot about ravioli lately and how I have a ravioli press and never use it. During this period of thinking, I came to the conclusion that chicken and olives would be a fab combo inside a little pasta pocket.. but what sauce to top it with?? So I pondered, googled, emailed my posse and came up with 3 very different yet interesting options. Then I shopped, chopped, simmered and taste-tested and here my friends are the results for any of you out there who also feel that the question of sauce is a pressing dilemma.

First of for the ravioli, I coated 2 chicken with the juice of 2 lemons and some pepper covered it in foil and baked it in the oven til tender and done. Then I carmelized 3 small onions and chopped 3/4 cup of green olives, chopped the chicken and combined the ingredients. For the pasta, I mixed 2 cups of flour, 5 egg yolks, 1 1/2 Tbl olive oil and 6 TBl of water into a nice little dough. Then rolled it out with my pasta maker. Unfortunatley my ravioli presser was too small to handle such a thick filling so I formed them by hand which was a little tricky. Then boiled them in salted water for 3-4 minutes.
Now for the sauce..

Lemon Caper SauceThis recipe was inspired by Hannah's Chicken Picatta Pasta posted a few months ago and all I can say is thank you Hannah for introducing me to the magic of capers.
Saute 3 cloves of garlic and 1 shallot in a Tbl of butter. Add 1 cup of white wine, juice of half a lemon, 1 Tbl capers. Simmer for 10 minutes or until reduced.

This was a very tasty and easy sauce to prepare, however with the ravioli it overwhelmed the flavor of the chicken and olive ravioli. Allison said it felt like the flavors were fighting in her mouth, battling to be noticed. We came to the decision that it would be really delicious over just regular pasta maybe with some shrimp or fish. It would also be delicious to just pour over fish to bake or cook.

Puttanesca Sauce
When I surveyed my cook friends about what sauce to make for these fab ravs, Allison promptly responded with Puttanesca which I never in a million years would have thought of but let me tell ya it was grand.
Cook 4 cloves of garlic in olive for a few minutes. Add some anchovies. I put in about 6 because I wanted to have that great flavor but I may have over done it.. so maybe less. Cook for 3 minutes. Add 1 and 1/2 large cans of whole tomatoes. I used the ones with garlic and basil for added flava flav. Add 2-3 Tbl of capers (cuz they're AMMAZING!!), 1 Tbl dried basil (fresh if you've got it), handful of fresh chopped parsley, and some pepper. Simmer for about 15 minutes. Add 1/2 cup chopped kalamata olives. Simmer some more.

Again this sauce was amazing but the flavors just overwhelmed and we felt this would be great with strictly pasta but it didn't compliment the ravioli the way we wanted it to.

Spiced Tomato-Date SauceThis sauce was also inspired by another hot dish favorite, Megan's Date Me a Chicken. Now I immediately thought of date when I thought Chicken and Olives because of this dish and because I'm obsessed with dates. . not as obsessed as I am with capers but close.. actually maybe the same but in different ways... and actually as I write this I realize I probably should have added bacon to the raviolis to make them pair better with dates... but that's another story and another day.

Start by simmering 2 shallots and 2 cloves of garlic in olive oil. Add 6 dates chopped up. Cook til dates are soften. Add half a can of chopped or crushed tomatoes. I put in a little chili de arbol because I had it but you could easily through in a pinch of cayenne for the spice to this sauce. Add 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp coriander, and 1 tsp cumin. Cook down until it has thickened a bit and smells like a dream.

What can I say, Winner winner chicken olive ravioli dinner! This sauce not only was more delcious than expected but it mingled and complimented the ravioli bringing out a myriad of flavors dancing on my tongue. Hands down when I went to top my last ravioli, I chose this for seconds.
So there you have it the sauce competition of a lifetime. Maybe I need a life or maybe I'm living everyone's dream life.

Spring Market Inspiration

Nothing inspires me more to get wild in the kitchen than a morning at the Rochester Public Market. After weeks away, I finally was able to get there last Saturday. Clad in my weekend jeans and flannel with my fabulous woven basket, I wove my way through the crowds of shoppers scooping out produce and bargains seeking cooking inspiration. I always attempt to create a list before heading out to avoid buying way more food than I can eat in a week, but all those delightful vegetables always manage to seduce me. Just as I was ready to return home with chilled hands and a basket of onions, asparagus, peppers, grapes and other goodies, I was reeled in by a leafy bunch of greens.. fresh spinach and next to it radishes. I have never made anything with radishes but recently in my obsessive food reading they have been springing up everywhere igniting a fond curiosity. So what other choice did I have then to have the woman throw in a bunch of radishes with my bundle of spinach.
Monday night in an energetic burst I set about cooking three meals at once: Chorizo Red Pepper Omelet (Monday Dinner), Sweet Potato-Black Bean Veggie burgers (intended for Tuesday dinner but Chinese food won.. gonna try for Thursday) and Radish-Inspired Salad (Tuesday lunch). Here follows a fabulous recipe for a really tasty, healthy, and filling salad perfect for lunch to sustain you through a pre-vacation healthy eating week.. until you get sucked in by Sesame Chicken and eggrolls but.. that's a story for another day.

Radish-Inspired Salad
Cook 1/2 cup of quinoa with 1 cup of water until water is absorbed. Chill.
Clean a few cups of spinach and chop into bite sized pieces (You can use any greens you want. I used spinach because I had it; it's delicious; it's healthy).
Thinly slice 2-3 radishes (This task made me put mandoline up towards the top of my list of Kitchen Tools I Really Want/Need)
Place quinoa atop spinach. Top with sliced radishes and chopped pecans.
Mix 2 Tbl real maple syrup, 3 Tbl balsamic vinegar, 2 Tbl olive oil to make a dressing. Drizzle atop.
This is so yummy you won't even realize how healthy it is and you will probably want to lick the left over dressing out of the bowl.. just sayin'

Confessions of Love

One surefire way to know you've hit the jackpot with a new recipe is when people taste it and all they can say to you is, "I love you." Any compliments or praise are always accepted when you have spent time creating tasty concocations, but when all anyone can utter from in the midst of their taste bud bliss is those three magic words, you know you have really done something right.
This happened to me last Saturday when I whipped up a batch of cupcakes with a recipe I had ripped out of Bon Appetit 4 months ago and have carrying in my calendar ever since. This cupcake batter is created with butter, sugar and lemons which is always a sign that you're onto something divine then it has you slip a little pocket of jam right in the center for a surprise that is sure to delight. The recipe calls for raspberry jam; however, despite the fact that there are cases of delicious jams created by lovely sister, there was no raspberry. I searched through jars of blueberry mint, strawberry with drambue, peach and finally decided that plum would be most complimentary to this delicious buttery confection. And I must say when people ask you, "What kind of cupcakes are those?" and you can respond with, "Why they're Lemon-Plum," you just sound like a classy cat. So without further ado...

Lemon-Plum Cupcakes
Beat together until fluffy
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
3 tsp lemon peel
Beat in 2 eggs, one at a time.
Mix in 3/4 cup of flour
1 tsp baking powder
Then add 1/4 cup buttermilk
2 Tbl lemon juice
Mix in another 1/2 cup flour

Drop 1 Tablespoon of batter into 12 muffin cups. Drop 1 teaspoon of jam on top (I used plum but get creative with whatever you have). Cover with remaining batter. Bake at 350 for about 23 minutes.
When cool, frost. I used jarred frosting due to time constraints but any will do. Below was the one listed in Bon Appetit.
Beat together
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbl lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp lemon peel... They recommend doing this on 6 cupcakes then adding 1 Tbl jam to the others. Pretty fancy and they sure look lovely..
However, in this case, the taste alone will make these a smashing success!