Simple Supper: Toasted Walnut, Cranberry, Date & Pancetta Ravioli

My kitchen is completely packed up, save for a few half empty bottles of wine, a paring knife, the coffee pot & an old box of cereal. One skillet & a little Revereware pot lingered on a top shelf up until yesterday afternoon’s packing frenzy. Luckily a cross-town move doesn’t demand demolishing your entire pantry & refrigerator stock, but slimming down doesn’t hurt. With heavy lifting in mind, I decided to cook exclusively from the freezer, pantry or fridge all week. So, while still minimally armed I made this effortless ravioli.

Since concocting this recipe I'm made this dinner no less than three times. It could quite possibly be the perfect fall dinner. The colors are beautiful, the textures are varied, the majority of the ingredients are pantry staples, the sweet/salty play between dried fruit and pancetta is deeply satisfying, & best of all, it only takes a few minutes to make. Like I said, perfect fall meal.

Toasted Walnut, Cranberry, Date & Pancetta Ravioli, serves 2-3
1 package prepared ravioli of choice, spinach, mushroom & cheese all work well*
1/4 c. toasted walnuts
1/4 c. dried cranberries
1/4 c. pitted dates
3 - 4 slices pancetta, sliced thinly
2 tbsp. goat cheese, crumbled
1 tsp. chives, minced
2 small cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. olive oil
salt to taste
pepper to taste

Bring water to boil and prepare the ravioli according to package directions (about 5 minutes). Meanwhile, saute the garlic until fragrant in half of the olive oil and a pinch of salt (about 2 minutes). Toss in the cranberries, dates and pancetta.

When the ravioli is done, drain it and add it to the cranberries, dates & and pancetta. Add the goat cheese, walnuts and chives. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil, salt & and pepper. Eat up!

Kitchen to table time: 15 minutes

*As a rule of thumb I usually serve about 6 raviolis per person.
**This recipe was recently featured in The Kitchn's Week Night Meal Contest. Check it out here!

Fall Travels

I've been in Washington DC frantically installing Ray's show, bar hopping, hanging out with the boys & generally enjoying life this past week. The opening went off without a hitch but prepping for an entire show proved to be a bit more time consuming than either of us anticipated. We knew it would take a bit of time but not all of it. Despite our packed schedule we managed to squeeze in house-made noodles in Chinatown & a late lunch at the incomparable Hank's Oyster Bar.


Oysters can certainly be had on the Gold Coast, but nothing can beat a good Atlantic half-shell. Buttery potato rolls, crisp crab cakes & killer Bloody Marys with pals always wipe away the tension of a frantic week. The beautiful late summer afternoon didn't hurt either.

Now that we've gotten the show up & classes are back in full swing all we have left on our overloaded fall schedule is a cross town move. So, if I make it though this week alive, posting should resume as usual. Stick with me readers!

Chive Scramble

When I was home visiting family my mom made fresh eggs for breakfast ever morning. Compared to my rushed coffee & biscotti, scrambled eggs were a revelation. I'd forgotten how fantastic a simple egg can be, especially my mom's. She whips her eggs with such vigor they practically have peaks. Then, to really send it over the top, my dad brings in a handful of fresh garlic chives from the garden. Quickly minced with kitchen shears right into the eggs, the chives added just the right pop of color & subtle flavor. So, it may see silly to share a scramble egg recipe, this one's really dreamy. Add a smattering of gooey cheese & you'll be happy to wake up early to make breakfast.

Chive Scramble, for 2

4 large eggs

1 - 2 tsp. chives, minced

1 tbsp. half & half

1/4 c. oxacan cheese, grated*

1/2 tbsp. butter

salt to taste

pepper to taste

Whip eggs with a fork (or egg beater if you have it) until fluffy. Add salt, pepper & half & half. Fold to combine. Melt the butter over medium heat. Once warm & melted, add the eggs. Let sit until it begins to firm up, then scramble. Just before the eggs are set, add the cheese & chives. Serve with toast or an english muffin for a yummy breakfast or with tortillas, salsa & roasted potatoes for a hearty dinner.

*Oaxacan cheese is a semi-hard Mexican cheese not unlike Monterey Jack. It melts beautifully & has a nice subtle, creamy flavor. It can be found in most Mexican groceries, but if you like, you can easily substitute it for Monterey Jack, Mozzarella or even Cheddar.

Chipotle Salsa

$900? $900. $900! That's how much money it costs to ship approximately 15 paintings of various sizes ranging from the very large to very small in 3 days from Southern California to Washington D.C. But, before we packed up Ray's precious cargo for his impending solo show & kissed good bye to a little chunk of our savings, we had a bon voyage party for his work. A preview of sorts. Pitchers of margaritas were consumed leading to philosophical waxing about the nature of painting & Ray's paintings specifically. To keep this chatter afloat brain food was necessary & to me, brain food is chips & salsa. Not the peppermints my 5th grade teacher passed out under the guise of brain food. Think about it, if there's a bowl of chips & salsa at a table couldn't you just sit there talking & munching until the bottom of the bowl shines through? I know I could (& have). So along with our strong (so we were told) margaritas, I whipped up a batch of this spicy, fresh chipotle salsa. Armed with excessive chips, we plunked down in Ray's studio & munched until the bottom of the bowl showed up ... or at least peaked through.

Chipotle Salsa, makes about 2 cups

3 roma tomatoes, coarsely chopped

1/2 poblano peppers, coarsely chopped

1 - 1/2 (depending on how hot you like it) canned chipotle pepper*

6 - 8 stalks cilantro

3 - 4 cloves garlic

1/2 red onion

2 tbsp. tomato sauce

1 1/2 tsp. cumin**

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

pinch of oregano

Combine all ingredients in a food processor & pulse until desired texture. Serve with tortilla chips.

*Can be found in the Mexican/Ethnic section of most grocery stores or at Mexican markets

**My dad swears by freshly ground cumin seeds for this salsa. You can easily substitute pre-ground cumin, but he's right, that little extra work to grind up a small handful of cumin seeds is worth it. To grin them you can use a molcajete, mortar & pestle, or even a clean (very clean!) coffee grinder.

Simple Supper: Walnut, Zucchini & Squash Ravioli

I keep trying to write this post about quick, yummy ravioli & I keep finding myself drawn away by the squealing television. "Let your sooouuul glooooo!" Is it possible for a movie to get funnier each time you watch it? You just can't beat early Edie Murphy. So, before the killer outfits, amazing colors & ridiculous characters of Coming to America pull me further away, let me tell you about this nice little dinner I made last night. With a tight budget, absolutely minimal time & a bare bones pantry this pasta supper was born from the depths of the freezer. A lonely package of ravioli lurked beneath several bags of frozen peas & an empty popsicle box just begging to make an appearance on the dinner table. Left over zucchini & squash from the previous night's pizza sautéed until soft teamed up effortlessly with buttery ravioli. A quick smattering of walnuts, basil & parmesan added a nice fresh flair to an otherwise rich dish & made a lovely little bowl of pasta - warm, cheesy & bright - something I could dive right into. Okay, now I'm tuning back into Mistaa Raandy Waaatsssoon.

Walnut, Zucchini & Squash Ravioli, for 2 - 3

1 package prepared ravioli of choice (cheese, spinach & mushroom all work well)

1/4 c. toasted walnuts

1/2 zucchini, sliced in rounds

1/2 squash, sliced in rounds

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 - 6 basil leaves, chopped

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. goat cheese

1/4 c. parmesan cheese, grated

salt to taste

pepper to taste

Bring a salted pot of water to boil & prepare the ravioli according to package directions (about 5 minutes). Meanwhile, saute the garlic in half of the olive oil & a pinch of salt. Once fragrant (about 2 minutes) add the zucchini & squash & cook until soft (about 4 - 5 minutes). Add the drained ravioli, walnuts, basil, goat cheese & parmesan cheese. Toss to combine then salt & pepper to taste.

Kitchen to table time: about 15 minutes

Zucchini & Squash Goat Cheese Pizza

Every time a window popped open on my well-loved laptop this Smitten Kitchen recipe appeared; at least it felt that way. Friends emailed, facebooked, tweeted. I resisted. For a little while. But with its pretty yellow & green concentric circles, (or rows as the case may be) this pizza looked so fresh & fitting for a muggy summer night I finally caved. With a bottle of crisp wine & a green salad, quite the yummy little meal was made. So, if you didn't catch it on the first go round, here's another little reminder.

Zucchini & Squash Goat Cheese Pizza, for 4 - 6

adapted from Smitten Kitchen

1 prepared pizza crust

6 tbsp. goat cheese, softened

1/2 medium zucchini, sliced in thin rounds

1/2 medium squashed, sliced in thin rounds

1/2 tbsp. coarse sea salt

1 lemon, zested & juiced

6 - 8 basil leaves, coarsely chopped

drizzle of olive oil

flour for dusting

salt to taste

pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 450F. Roll your pizza dough into a thin rectangle & lay it on a tray or stone that has been dusted lightly with flour.

In a small bowl, stir together the goat cheese with the juice of half your lemon. Season it with salt and freshly ground pepper, and spread it over your pizza dough. Scatter fresh basil slivers over the cheese.

Arrange your squash & zucchini rounds over the goat cheese spread, overlapping them slightly & alternating colors if you like. Squeeze the juice of the second half of your lemon on top of you pizza, then drizzle with olive oil and finish with more salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until the edges of your pizza are golden brown. If you like, serve with a simple green salad & a crisp glass of white wine.

Commander's Palace Shrimp with Tasso, Five Pepper Jelly & Hot Sauce Beurre Blanc

Vacations were rather limited this summer. Quick trips back home & a weekend get away or two were about it. So, for now I'll have to live vicariously though my parents little vacation to New Orleans. Though I haven't heard much about their trip other than their meal at the infamous Commander's Palace. An institution since 1880, their menu zeros in on Creole & American favorites. Apparently this particular meal changed my dad's life. More times than I can count, my dad has proclaimed he's just eaten the "best meal of his life." He remembers them all. Homemade gnocchi & wood fired pizza in Little Italy. Street tacos in San Miguel. Chuck wagon style Sunday brunches of fried chicken & biscuits in Buffalo Gap, TX. Oysters on the half-shell & martinis on the Gulf. He means it too, so when he came back from New Orleans touting his latest "best meal of his life" I was sure it was good. Singularly the best meal of his life, who knows, but certainly among them. Something of a somber hush comes over him & his eyes get starry when discussing this dish. Without hyperbole he emphasizes that this, Commander's Palace Shrimp with Tasso, Five Pepper Jelly & Hot Sauce Beurre Blanc, was truly the best meal he'd ever had. And, after painstakingly recreating it at home, deveining shrimp, chopping tasso ham & mincing a mountain of pepper into tiny bits, to the tune of seriously pepper burned hands, I might ad, I believe him. I might even be the best meal I've ever had. Burns be damned.

Shrimp & Tasso, serves 6 - 8

recipe adapted from The Commander's Palace

36 jumbo shrimp, shelled & deveined

6 oz. spicy tasso, julienne into 1" strips (can be found in speciality meat markets)

1 1/2 c. flour

1/2 c. vegetable oil

salt to taste

pepper to taste

Make a 1/4" incision down the back of each shrimp & place one strip of tasso in each incision. Secure with a toothpick. Lightly dust each shrimp with seasoned flour & fry in oil until golden (about 1.5 - 2 minutes on each side).

Five Pepper Jelly

recipe adapted from The Commander's Palace
1 each red, yellow & green bell peppers, finely diced
1 jalapeño

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
6 oz. karo light syrup
6 oz. white vinegar

salt to taste

Put light syrup and vinegar in a pot and reduce until sticky (about 2 - 4 minutes). Add remaining ingredients and cook until the peppers are soft (about 5 minutes). Add salt to taste.

Crystal Hot Sauce Beurre Blanc

recipe adapted from The Commander's Palace
5 oz. Crystal hot sauce (or similar hot sauce, such as tabasco)

1 small clove garlic, minced
1/2 shallot, minced
2 oz. heavy cream
1 1/2 lb. butter
Saute garlic and shallots in a pan with a little butter until fragrant (about 2 minutes). Add crystal hot sauce and reduce by 75% (about 4 minutes). Add cream and reduce again by 50% (about 3 minutes). Slowly whip in softened butter a little at a time until all butter is mixed in (5 minutes more).

Placed cooked shrimp in a bowl with Crystal Hot Sauce Beurre Blanc sauce and toss until well coated. Serve over a bed of white rice (I prefer Basmati) & drizzle with Five Pepper Jelly.