Pumpkin ravioli

Two Fridays ago, with no transition at all, fall began in New York City. By the next Monday, the autumn smell was undeniable. Hooray! 

Fall is my favorite time of the year (besides Christmas of course). I love the crisp, mild weather, the sweater and boot attire, and, most obviously, the food. Rich, warm flavors, often involving lots of butter. The kind of food that you just associate to good memories. Think Thanksgiving.

Anywho, when I began to sense autumn's presence, my thoughts naturally drifted to none other but pumpkin. I'm certainly not onto to something new, as evident with Starbucks pumpkin latte phenomenon. In fact, my friends just made delicious pumpkin whoopie pies this past weekend. I am, I suppose, a big cooking-with-pumpkin proponent. There are lots of recipes I have in mind for this fall season, but the one I decided to try first was pumpkin ravioli. I should clarify that I did not in fact handcraft the ravioli; the main ingredient was store bought. But hey, I am coming to grips with the fact that its often more sensible and enjoyable to save time with premade ingredients.

I took the recipe from Giada: ravioli with balsamic brown butter sauce. The recipe suggests cheese, mushroom or squash ravioli. I'm still confused as to whether pumpkin is considered a type of squash, but I decided regardless that it would be delicious. And I was right. The balsamic vinegar added some pizazz to the foamy butter. I'm not sure if it sounds a bit strange to some, but with such earthy flavors from the walnuts and the cheese, the tangy hint from the vinegar is actually quite nice.

The dish was not an immediate success. Lesson learned: taste test. I didn't use exact measurements, and I served myself before trying the sauce. Mistake. I had to add more cheese and more salt. While in most cases you have to be careful not to make a dish taste salty, salt is very important to enhance and highlight different flavors. Do not underestimate its power. (Example: every Food Network star will tell you to be generous in adding salt to cook pasta)

Giada knows her stuff. This recipe is as simple as melting butter and grating cheese, and is a perfect after-work meal. I enjoyed this dinner with a nice cold beer and the season premiere of Glee. It was a day when all I could think was my dad's favorite saying: life is good.

(Photo from Food Network website)

 Ravioli with Balsamic Brown Butter
Courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis

18 to 20 oz store-bought ravioli (cheese, mushroom, or squash)
6 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/3 c toasted, chopped walnuts *
1/4 c grated Parmesan

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the ravioli and cook 4 to 5 minutes, until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain ravioli onto a large serving platter.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan cook the butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally. When the foam subsides, and the butter begins to turn a golden brown, about 3 minutes, turn off the heat. Let cool for about 1 minute. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.

Transfer the ravioli to the saucepan with the balsamic brown butter. Sprinkle walnuts and Parmesan over the top. Serve immediately.

* To toast the walnuts, you can heat them in a skillet over medium-heat for 3-4 minutes. The walnuts have plenty of natural oils, so no need to add anything else. Stir often and heat until they become fragrant.

Truffled mushroom quesadilla

A little bit of truffle salt goes a long way. The black truffle salt from Dean and Deluca is amazing. If you ever wander into the store, you must try it. My sister Maria surprised me with a jar, and its one of my favorite gifts because its not something I would have splurged for myself.


Anywho.. I'll give myself a nice pat on the back for this quesadilla. On a very ordinary night, with no special occasion, I casually whipped together a dinner that me very content. I mentioned in my last post that the truffle salt was not meant for the pizza I made. It should really be used in something where you are able to notice the depth of flavor it adds. A quesadilla is one option! I had a similar quesadilla a few months ago at a Bier International in Harlem. The service was terrible, the fries nothing special, but the quesadilla was pretty yummy. So I decided to create my own version.

What made this whole dinner even better, is that it didn't cost anything extra for me to make. I made use of the ingredients I already had. Typical me had gotten too many mushrooms in preparation for the pizza. I heated some olive oil in a cast iron skillet and sautéed them with truffle salt. At this point, they already began to smell marvelous and I was becoming more hungry, excited, and proud of myself by the minute. In the same skillet, I heated the tortillas and layered it with MONTEREY JACK cheese and some left over manchego cheese (I am not a fan of yellow cheese in quesadillas). Unfortunately, I didn't have any fresh herbs on hand, but I sprinkled a pinch of dried oregano on top of the cheese.

The combination of the cheeses and the mushrooms with the truffle salt has a rich, earthy flavor, making this the ultimate comfort food.  The quesadillas soaked up some of the oil from cooking the mushrooms, giving the tortilla a nice outside crisp and even more flavor. Obviously this does not avoid extra calories, but the added flavor was well worth it.

Truffled mushroom quesadilla 

makes 1 large quesadilla (8 small slices)

1/2 c sliced baby bella mushrooms

pinch of black truffle salt, to taste

tbsp olive oil

2 flour tortillas

1/2 c monterey jack cheese

1/8 c manchego cheese (optional)

1/8 tsp dried oregano

Heat olive oil in large pan. Sauté mushrooms with truffle salt until golden brown and tender. Transfer to plate. Place tortilla on same skillet. Add cheese with even layer on top and add mushrooms. Sprinkle with oregano. Place second tortilla on top. Heat until cheese begins to melt and flip. Remove when cheese is fully melted and to desired crispiness for tortilla. 

Pizza with mushrooms, pizza with corn?

Pizza was on the menu last week for date night with Rob. After we came up with the plan, pizza was everywhere. It wouldn't leave me alone! It came up in conversation, in daydreams, and as specials on Cooking Channel. The universe was speaking to me. I simply had to make pizza.

Being the yo pro (young professional) I am, my time for relaxing at night is limited. Therefore, I figured that I'd save some time and humiliation by buying pre-made dough. I was, on the other hand, ambitious in making two different types of pies.

 

Pizza #1:

For whatever reason, when I decided to make pizza, I also decided that one of them had to have mushrooms. I don't eat them too often, but they give pizza a very earthy flavor which I was craving. I based my recipe search around them and found a  Bon Appétit recipe for a three cheese pizza with mushroom and pancetta, which I later discovered was written by Giada. This was an obvious plus for me, since along with every other person in the world, I adore her. 

Perhaps I am feeling more confident in my own skills because surprisingly, I used Giada's pizza as a springboard for my own creation. I followed the basic baking directions, as well as used the suggested fontina, parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. However, for another reason unknown to me, I wasn't feeling the pancetta so much, and decided to substitute it with italian sausage (my pizza intuition was obviously very strong this week). 

Rob's into food with a kick these days, so we picked spicy italian sausage. After sautéing the meat, we added the mushrooms to the same pan with some olive oil and a tinnnny bit of truffle salt. I was very nervous about over-salting the pizza after reading some of reviews. To be honest, I am not sure the mushrooms needed any salt at all considering the other salty ingredients. Although I am a fan of matching truffle salt and mushrooms, I will save the combo for something where the flavor of the combo can really shine. As a final touch, my smart boyfriend suggested adding chopped basil, which obviously turned out to be an excellent decision. It gave the very hearty, cheesy pizza a fresh punch. Next time I will add it in towards the latter portion of the baking, or even at the very end, to make the basil more prominent. 

Pizza #2 

When talking to my sister recently about things I have been cooking, she loudly exclaimed, "What's up with your recent obsession with corn." Rob loves corn. And if you are now concerned that I may have actually put corn on the pizza, your suspisions would be correct...

Rob swears by it, and I reluctantly agreed to try it out. Shockingly, I found recipes and restaurant menus online featuring this odd combo. I began to think that perhaps he wasnt so crazy after all. It should also be noted that I am always telling him to be open-minded when it came to food, so it was time for me to follow my own advice.

I decided to pan roast the corn in a cast iron skillet to char it, trying to bring out a smoky flavor. To accompany the corn, I sautéed chopped red onion with some olive oil and a pinch of salt. We had two mini doughs ready for pizza #2, due to a drawn out struggle with the rolling process. One corn pizza was three cheese and the other just had mozzarella.

Corn on pizza? Yes. It is downright delicious. The corn added a nice texture to each bite, along with a hint of sweetness (No worries though- this pizza still falls under the savory category). The deliciousness  of the caramelized onions only added to the overall success. 

I was very unconvinced when Rob initially told me that I would like corn on pizza. I couldn't be more wrong. The pizza tasted equally good as left overs the next day. Try it!

Three Cheese Pizza with mushroom and sausage

inspired by recipe from March 2007 Bon Appétit

Premade pizza  dough
1/2 cup marinara sauce

1 cup coarsely grated (or chopped) fontina 

1/3 cup finely grated parmesan

1/2 cup grated mozzarella 

2 oz crimini (baby bella) mushrooms, finely sliced

1 italian sausage, casing removed

Basil, finely chopped

Olive oil for sautéing

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. 

Heat about a tablespoon of oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and sauté until brown, breaking into small pieces with tongs while cooking. Transfer sausage to a plate covered with paper towel. Add mushrooms to skillet, with a small amount of oil if needed. Sprinkle with pepper and salt (if desired). Sauté until brown, about 5 minutes.

Roll out dough on lightly floured surface. Spread marinara sauce over pizza. Sprinkle cheeses over, then mushrooms and sausage. Sprinkle with basil (or wait until after pizza is cooked) Add salt and pep to taste if desired. 

Bake pizza until brown on bottom and cheese is melted, about 15 minutes.

Three cheese pizza with corn and red onion

Premade pizza dough
1/2 cup marinara sauce

1 cup coarsely grated (or chopped) fontina 

1/3 cup finely grated parmesan

1/2 cup grated mozzarella 

1 cup yellow corn (we used canned)

1/2 cup red onion, chopped

Basil, finely chopped

Olive oil for sautéing

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. 

Heat about a tablespoon of oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add corn and sauté until brown. Transfer corn to bowl. Add onions to skillet, with a small amount of oil if needed. Sprinkle with pepper and salt (if desired). Sauté until brown, about 5 minutes.

Roll out dough on lightly floured surface. Spread marinara sauce over pizza. Sprinkle cheeses over, then corn and onions. Sprinkle with basil (or wait until after pizza is cooked) Add salt and pep to taste if desired. 

Bake pizza until brown on bottom and cheese is melted, about 15 minutes. 

A Healthy Alternative: Quinoa

Baby spinach is my enemy right now. I usually love the leafy green, but after packing it everyday for lunch, it has become the opposite of appetizing. I'm sure that I will crave it again soon enough, but for the time being, I am seeking healthy lunch alternatives. Last week, I decided to make quinoa.

I love quinoa. (Pronounced keen-wah) If you've never tried it, you should. Its a nutritious grain, high in fiber, iron, and amino acids. Plus its gluten-free! I'm also going to say it tastes healthy, but not in a bad way. I promise. It has a very mild, almost nutty flavor, giving it wide potential for different flavor pairings. My favorite thing about the grain is the texture. It has a bit of a crunch and won't get soggy easily. I've made burnt quinoa before, but I've never overcooked it to the point of mush. 

Anywho. Hopefully at this point I've sold you on the cute little grain. This recipe is from Gourmet  and is definite keeper. Its filled with black beans and tomatoes, making it very filling and even more nutritious. Lime zest, lime juice, and a bit of cilantro brighten the flavor, making the dish very summery and very yummy. The only change I would make for next time would be to substitute olive oil for butter. I will also add more zest and juice. (Although I didn't measure my add-ins, so the recipe may actually be spot-on) Enjoy!

Black Bean and Tomato Quinoa
Gourmet, July 2007 

• 2 teaspoons grated lime zest
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 (14- to 15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 4 scallions, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Whisk together lime zest and juice, butter, oil, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl.

Rinse quinoa with cold water, draining in sieve. 

Cook quinoa in a medium pot of boiling salted water, uncovered, until almost tender, about 10 minutes. Drain in sieve, then set sieve in same pot with 1 inch of simmering water (water should not touch bottom of sieve). Cover quinoa with a folded kitchen towel, then cover sieve with a lid (don't worry if lid doesn't fit tightly) and steam over medium heat until tender, fluffy, and dry, about 10 minutes. Remove pot from heat and remove lid. Let stand, still covered with towel, 5 minutes. **

Add quinoa to dressing and toss until dressing is absorbed, then stir in remaining ingredients. Salt and pepper to taste. 

**This can be a bit time consuming. I have found it fine to follow the directions on the back of the quinoa package, usually requiring you to cook for 10-15 minutes straight 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel DTs

Last weekend I escaped to Canada Lake with my Fordham friends. We stayed in my friend Mary Grace's lake house and spent the weekend swimming, reminiscing, and pretending like we were still in college. It was fantastic. 


DT is a standard term among my friends. It stands for "delicious treats." Naturally, I thought DTs were in order for our big, highly-anticipated reunion. I knew that we were covered for pretty much everything. My concern was chocolate, and the combo of pretzels and peanut butter seemed to be a perfect pairing.


The night before leaving, I went to Mary Grace's apartment in the Upper East Side for some extra help to assemble the chocolate pb sandies. Because we anticipated upwards of 15 people for the weekend, we doubled the recipe. However, for a weekend filled with chips, burgers, and hot dogs, one batch would have been sufficient. (Don't underestimate how hearty these little DTs can be!) 


The recipe is very easy. It is a bit time consuming, so make them on a night where you don't have too much going on. The tastiness of these DTs, however, makes up for any of the hassle. 


I stole this recipe from one of my favorite blogs, Sunday Treats. Enjoy! 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel DTs
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 teaspoons butter, room temperature
2/3 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup tightly packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pretzels (the grid shaped ones, such as Snyder's Pretzel Snaps, work well)
1 teaspoon coconut oil (to thin chocolate)

1. In a small bowl, beat the peanut butter and butter together until smooth and creamy. Add the powdered sugar, light brown sugar, and vanilla extract and beat until well combined. If mixture is not stiff enough to hold its shape, add more powdered sugar and/or brown sugar.
2. Using a small offset spatula or butter knife, spoon approximately one teaspoon of the peanut butter mixture onto a pretzel. Top with another pretzel, and gently squish to form sandwich.  Place on a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper and repeat with rest of peanut butter mixture.
3. Freeze the pretzel sandwiches for half an hour.
4. Melt the chocolate chips in microwave, stirring every 30 seconds, or use a double boiler. Stir in the coconut oil (this thins the chocolate for easier dipping).
5. Dip half of each pretzel sandwich in chocolate. Place the cookie sheet in the fridge and chill until chocolate sets. Store in refrigerator until serving time.

Happy Birthday Mar Mar!!!

My little sister Maria turns 18 today!!! In honor of her birthday, I decided to make chocolate chip cookies. Maria makes the best chocolate chip cookies.

Growing up, we made the Nestlé Toll House recipe together often. It was our go-to activity during summers.  I love tradition and held the classic back-of-the-bag recipe dear to my heart. When Maria decided she had a new favorite recipe, I was appalled. Why mess with perfection?

I was wrong. In a side-by-side comparison, the recipes appear to be very similar. Standard choco chip cookie ingredients in both. However, the subtle measurement discrepancies such as a quarter cup more of flour or a twelfth cup less of both sugars create a completely new cookie.. and a delicious one too.

There is nothing fancy to these cookies. They're sweet, have a high chocolate to cookie ratio, and keep their fluff even after they cool. I even refrained from sprinkling sea salt on top because simply said, they are good on their own.

This recipe is taken from Baking for All Occasions: A Treasury of Recipes for Everyday Celebrations by Flo Braker. When Maria first got this book, she was obsessed. But I have to admit, she has created fabulous desserts because of it.

Happy birthday Maria.
I love you and can't wait to have you in New York. Get ready for our future kitchen extravaganzas in the hood.

Chocolate Chip Cookies 
**I made the dough the night before baking them. After reading a New York Times article claiming cookies to be better after the dough has had time to sit (up to 36 hours), I tested the theory in my college apartment. I drew the same conclusion as the Times. The taste becomes richer, with "notes of caramel and hints of toffee." Don't worry when you see the dough become drier on the second or third day. The cookies will not be dry! Quest for the Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie- NYTimes.com
***Sometimes baking the cookies immediately after putting together the dough is part of the magical baking experience, so by all means, go for it!

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional- I didn't use)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 large egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped walnuts, pecans, or hazelnuts, or a combination (optional- I didn't use)

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   Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350. 

With electronic mixer, combine the flour, sugars, salt, cinnamon (if using), and baking soda and mix on lowest speed just until blended. Add butter and continue to mix on low speed just until small, moist crumbs form (they are larger than crumbs that dont clump together) that look similar to streusel, about 1 min. Add the egg and vanilla and eat on low speed until a cohesive dough begins to form. Increase speed to medium just as you add the chips and nuts (optional) and beat until incorporated into the dough, 20 or 30 seconds. 

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and scoop 1 1/2 inch diameter balls of dough and space them about an inch apart. bake for 10 to 13 mins until undersides are golden. 

Eat at least one warm cookie with a glass of milk. 

(Thomas made a cookie fish)

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Skirt steak and roasted corn with manchego & lime

A couple months ago, my boyfriend Rob visited me in California. In preparation of his arrival, my dad started dinner planning early. He casually asked me what I had cooked for Rob so far. At Fordham, I baked many treats for all of my friends, but I had never cooked for just him. I decided it was about time, so last Wednesday was our first boyfriend-girlfriend, home-cooked meal.


And FINALLY... a kitchen victory.


Being my indecisive self, picking the menu was no easy task. I finally decided on an Alton Brown skirt steak recipe and roasted corn recipe from August's Bon Appetit. Both were delicious. I served them with refried beans and flour tortillas. Rob also brought over a bottle of Merlot, which paired quite nicely with the steak. (I guess his day in Napa really did turn him into a wine connoisseur)


The fresh lime juice flavored in the steak made for a great summer dinner, while the cumin and sugar gave the meat a touch of warmth. The marinade was very flavorful and did not require much marinating time. The recipe could've easily been halved, being that it was just the two of us. However, I made use of the leftovers by making a great salad the next day and steak quesadillas the day after that. Also, we did not have the luxury of a nice grill in my Harlem sixth floor walk up.  Rob heated olive oil in the grill pan instead, and he cooked the meat to perfection. 


The corn was my absolute favorite. While I have little experience making corn, Rob is an old pro, so he took over the husking responsibilities and enlightened me with his kernel cutting knowledge. Waiting for the corn to cool took a bit of time, so next time I will either make the corn more in advance or cheat with already prepared corn. Besides the time factor, this recipe is SO GOOD. The jalapeño adds a little kick, but its very subtle. (I have a low tolerance for heat) This was also my first taste of manchego cheese, and I liked it a lot. It melted in the warm corn and coated each kernel with its deliciousness. My favorite part though was the lime. Made the taste so fresh and light. It also paired nicely with the steak, if I do say so myself. I added this too into my salad for work the next day with the steak leftovers, baby spinach, and thinly sliced red onion, tossed in a simple balsamic vinaigrette. YUM. 


Here are the recipes I used. I highly recommend both. Enjoy! 

Skirt Steak 
(Adapted from Alton Brown's Food Network recipe)


1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup soy sauce
4 scallions, sliced thinly
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp ground cumin
3 tbsp dark brown sugar
2 lb skirt steak (I only used 1 and still had a lot of leftovers)


Whisk together marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Place skirt steak and pour marinade in a large zip loc bad. Seal and refrigerate for at least one hour. 


Remove steak from bag and pat dry with paper towels. Heat oil in pan. Cook steaks to desired doneness. (We like medium-rare, so only a couple minutes per side) When finished cooking, wrap meat in aluminum foil and allow to sit for 15 minutes. 


Remove meat from foil, reserving foil and juices. Slice thinly across the grain of the meat. Return to foil pouch and toss with juice. 

Roasted Corn with Manchego & Lime
(Adapted from August 2011 Bon Appétit) 


6 ears of sweet yellow corn, unhusked
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2tbs unsalted butter
Kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 jalapeño, seeded, finely dice
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 lime, cut in wedges
1 c finely grated Manchego cheese
1/4 c thinly sliced chives
2 tsp finely grated lime zest


Preheat oven to 250°.


Roast unhusked corn on  baking sheet, turning occasionally, until heated through and crisp-tender, about 15 minutes. Let cool. Shuck corn and cut kernels from cobs. Discard cobs.


Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add corn kernels and sauté until heated through and lightgolden in spots, 3-5 minutes. Add butter; stir until melted. Season to taste with salt and pep. Transfer corn to a large bowl. Sprinkle jalapeño and crushed red pepper flakes over. Squeeze lime wedges over. Sprinkle with cheese, chives, and lime zest. 

Rob's perfect bite

Rob's seconds. The perfect burrito