Archive for November, 2012

Sweet Potato Ravioli with Turkey Bolognese

Thanksgiving may be over, but the holiday season is just getting started. For my latest installment for Made By Girl, I combined my favorite traditional flavors at this time of year into one delicious dish. Sweet potatoes meet savory sage, fresh cranberries mingle with ground turkey, and then there’s a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg. Making the ravioli and bolognese sauce takes a little extra effort, but believe me, your stomach will thank you.

Sweet Potato-Sage Ravioli

1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
5 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch rounds
1/3 cup (2-3 oz) of goat cheese
Pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground pepper
About 40 wonton wrappers (makes 20 ravioli)
2 egg whites, beaten

Turkey-Cranberry Bolognese

1 pound lean ground turkey (use 93%, as 99% gets too dry)
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 cans diced tomatoes, with their juice
1/4 cup water
Pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cups fresh cranberries
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons water
Fresh parsley to serve
Fresh Parmesan, grated to serve

Puncture each sweet potato round with a fork, then place slices in a large ceramic bowl. Microwave 15-20 minutes until softened, turning once halfway through. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Saute chopped onion and sage until browned. Set aside. Remove the potatoes from the microwave (using a towel as the bowl will be very hot). Using a potato hand masher, mash the sweet potatoes. Season generously with salt, pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg to taste. Stir in the goat cheese until fully blended, then add the onion-sage mixture.

Lay 10 wonton wrappers on a clean countertop. Dollop a teaspoon of sweet potato filling onto the middle of each square. Using a pastry brush, brush egg white along tops, bottoms and sides of first wonton, working around the filling. Lay a new wonton sheet over the filled one, gently sealing the edges with your fingers and carefully pushing out the air bubbles. Repeat with each wonton until all are covered. Using a cookie cutter placed directly in the center of each wonton, cut into ravioli rounds, gently pulling away the excess dough. Press the edges of each ravioli again to ensure a solid seal. Repeat entire process with another set of 10 wontons (doing all 20 at once will cause the dough to dry out). Cover all raviolis with a very lightly damp kitchen towel until ready to cook.

In a pan over medium-high heat, place cranberries, sugar and water. Cook down for 10-15 minutes, so the sugar dissolves and cranberries soften. Allow to bubble during this process, stirring occasionally. Cranberries should become very, very soft but will remain whole and a sticky sauce will develop. Season cranberry sauce with salt and pepper.

In another pan, heat olive oil over medium heat and add ground turkey. Cook until turkey is fully browned, about 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Add a little more oil, the onion and garlic. Cook until softened and browned. Add the turkey back into the pan, along with the two cans of diced tomatoes and their juice, and just a little water. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium-low heat, add the cranberry sauce and stir thoroughly to distribute. Cook, covered, about 10 minutes more.

In a small saucepan, bring salted water to a boil. Working in batches, add 3-4 ravioli at a time, cook for 3 minutes, then transfer with a slotted spoon to a kitchen towel. Gently blot dry and transfer to a bowl. Cover with a pot lid to keep warm. Cook remaining ravioli. To serve, layer ravioli on the bottom of each pasta bowl and top with bolognese sauce. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and parmesan.

Roasted Romanesco

You’ve heard me rave about romanesco and seen the pointy, neon-hued vegetable pop up in my weekend farmers’ market runs lately, so I thought I’d share my favorite way to cook it. Grown widely in Italy, romanesco is a hybrid of cauliflower and broccoli and has a mild, almost sweet flavor when cooked. While its season is very brief and coming to an end, you can easily substitute cauliflower in this recipe. Roasted until the edges golden, with a zing from red pepper flakes and crispy, salty capers, it’s really perfection. This is one delicious side dish that we make weekly when I can get my hands on romanesco in the fall.

Roasted Romanesco

One head of romanesco, broken into florets (cauliflower also substitutes perfectly)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons of capers, drained and rinsed
½ teaspoon coarse salt
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (go light if you like less heat)
Freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of garlic powder
Fresh parsley, chopped
Fresh Parmesan, grated

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread romanesco florets on the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil then season with salt, red pepper flakes, black pepper and garlic powder. Scatter the capers on top. Roast, turning halfway through, about 20-30 minutes, until romanesco edges golden and capers become crispy. Lifting the sides of the parchment paper, transfer to a bowl. Top with fresh parsley and Parmesan before serving.

Beet Hash with Eggs

Eggs have always been a go-to ingredient for quick meals in our house. In particular, we’ve become huge fans of topping dishes off with fried eggs—rice bowls, sandwiches, salads, hashes. John is the master hash maker and can pretty much turn anything into something delicious, whether the base for the hash is made of chopped potatoes, a can of chickpeas or sautéed greens. We whipped together this variation for lunch last Sunday using some old produce from the farmers’ market that was needing to be used. It was absolutely fantastic—always a pleasant surprise when you’re trying something for the first time—and it’s my new favorite way to use in-season root vegetables.

Beet Hash with Eggs

3 beets (we used golden), peeled and diced
4 carrots, thinly diced
2 cloves of garlic, diced
½ red onion, diced
Olive oil and butter
Salt and pepper
Chili powder (we used chipotle chili powder), to taste
Sriracha, to taste

Heat a tad of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onion and cook until golden and fragrant, just a few minutes. Add diced beets and carrots and drizzle with olive oil (just to keep everything from sticking to the bottom of the pan). Season with salt, pepper, chili powder and Sriracha. Cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. In a separate skillet, heat a drizzle of olive oil over medium-high heat. Carefully crack one egg into one side of the pan; repeat with a second egg on the other side. Cook until whites set but the yolks are still runny.