Sabbatical OVAH. Cheers!
I'm back! I have no explanation for the hiatus except that maybe I've been busy but "busy" has come to mean something wildly unimpressive for me these days. I miss you. I really do. Some really exciting stuff has been going on, food wise, in my otherwise pretty boring existence. Today I will share with you all two homemade pasta dishes.
No recipes, just oogling and vague ingredients listing because I'm really back on my Italian kick. My pasta maker is my new best friend and pasta flour is the new black. My purpose today is to convince everyone that making pasta from scratch is not that hard or time consuming. Well, not if you are spoiled like me and have a contraption to thin out the dough for you. STILL! If you do not have an awesome grandmother to give you special kitchen Christmas presents, you could still do this with a rolling pin, 2 hours, and some very simple ingredients. To make it even easier, when I make pasta dough I double or triple the recipe and freeze the rest for easy access fresh pasta for months to come! Plus after all the effort you will feel even better than you do after you make homemade seitan or after you watch Friday Night Lights. Actually, scratch that last one because all that show does is whip me into an emotional frenzy that usually culminates with swollen eyes and unspoken dreams.
So here is one my new favorite things in the world. Cappelletti in brodo "Little Hats" in broth! If you know me, you also know that I love making Christmas and holiday treats all year round. That's what is happening here. This is traditionally made for Chrismas or New Years in Emilia Romagna as an app, or primo. Seems like a helluva lot of work for just an appetizer, and how could I let something so vegan-friendly not take the main stage of my daily intake?
While there is usually like a million different types of meat in the stuffed pastas and in the broth, whenever there is dough and stuffing involved it is pretty much an invitation to veganize it. This is funny because I don't actually remember what I put in these little hats because it was so long ago but it was something like this.
Carrots, onion, garlic, TVP, nutmeg, parsley, maybe liquid smoke, olive oil...then my memory trails off. But I feel like I would also put something like a flax egg in there as well. Obviously use homemade broth but feel free to add a little bit of that No-Beef Bouillon. Top with fresh parsley and some red pepper flakes! Constructing the little hats is extremely difficult. Next time I make this I will include step by step photos! But basically you make little circles or squares out of the dough, fold them in half, seal them closed and wrap the "legs" around to form a tiny bishop's hat, pinch again. Yummmmmm!!! Boil as you would fresh pasta.
Next we have a Butternut Squash and Cashew "Marscarpone" Ravioli with Braised Brussels Sprouts, Black Mission Figs, and Toasted Walnuts
The sauce was very buttery, slightly brothy and paired well with the sweetness of the figs. My reasoning here was based on a certain familiarity with my Jewish Vegan Cookbook that showed me how well dried fruit and cabbage like veggies go together, along with starches. Right? Amazing. I made these raviolis again with a creamy lemon dill sauce with sun dried tomatoes and it was amazing!! I actually served that to my little cousins and they actually ate it! These are people who are pretty picky and though I love them dearly, not very hip to vegan food. Winner!!
Okay many more backlog foods to blog about! BRB.
Love,
jp
No recipes, just oogling and vague ingredients listing because I'm really back on my Italian kick. My pasta maker is my new best friend and pasta flour is the new black. My purpose today is to convince everyone that making pasta from scratch is not that hard or time consuming. Well, not if you are spoiled like me and have a contraption to thin out the dough for you. STILL! If you do not have an awesome grandmother to give you special kitchen Christmas presents, you could still do this with a rolling pin, 2 hours, and some very simple ingredients. To make it even easier, when I make pasta dough I double or triple the recipe and freeze the rest for easy access fresh pasta for months to come! Plus after all the effort you will feel even better than you do after you make homemade seitan or after you watch Friday Night Lights. Actually, scratch that last one because all that show does is whip me into an emotional frenzy that usually culminates with swollen eyes and unspoken dreams.
So here is one my new favorite things in the world. Cappelletti in brodo "Little Hats" in broth! If you know me, you also know that I love making Christmas and holiday treats all year round. That's what is happening here. This is traditionally made for Chrismas or New Years in Emilia Romagna as an app, or primo. Seems like a helluva lot of work for just an appetizer, and how could I let something so vegan-friendly not take the main stage of my daily intake?
While there is usually like a million different types of meat in the stuffed pastas and in the broth, whenever there is dough and stuffing involved it is pretty much an invitation to veganize it. This is funny because I don't actually remember what I put in these little hats because it was so long ago but it was something like this.
Carrots, onion, garlic, TVP, nutmeg, parsley, maybe liquid smoke, olive oil...then my memory trails off. But I feel like I would also put something like a flax egg in there as well. Obviously use homemade broth but feel free to add a little bit of that No-Beef Bouillon. Top with fresh parsley and some red pepper flakes! Constructing the little hats is extremely difficult. Next time I make this I will include step by step photos! But basically you make little circles or squares out of the dough, fold them in half, seal them closed and wrap the "legs" around to form a tiny bishop's hat, pinch again. Yummmmmm!!! Boil as you would fresh pasta.
Next we have a Butternut Squash and Cashew "Marscarpone" Ravioli with Braised Brussels Sprouts, Black Mission Figs, and Toasted Walnuts
The sauce was very buttery, slightly brothy and paired well with the sweetness of the figs. My reasoning here was based on a certain familiarity with my Jewish Vegan Cookbook that showed me how well dried fruit and cabbage like veggies go together, along with starches. Right? Amazing. I made these raviolis again with a creamy lemon dill sauce with sun dried tomatoes and it was amazing!! I actually served that to my little cousins and they actually ate it! These are people who are pretty picky and though I love them dearly, not very hip to vegan food. Winner!!
Okay many more backlog foods to blog about! BRB.
Love,
jp
mmm that second one is like my dream meal. looks delicious!
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