"When the stars make you drool just like a pasta fazool" croons Dean Martin and I am liable to join in, corny as it may seem, for the sheer love of Pasta. It is without doubt a contingency in our household, be it spaghetti with marinara sauce or Farfalle with olive oil and Parmesan, under any guise pasta always wins if we are casting votes. Today we start with a much anticipated Caprese Salad (kids love it) and finish with a (from scratch)spinach ravioli for our entree.
For the Caprese, Beefsteak tomatoes were sliced thickly. Fresh Mozarella was sliced and stacked alternately with the tomato slices. Extra virgin olive oil was drizzled liberally over this, along with a few drops of Balsamic glaze. A glaze is multi - faceted in comparison to a vinegar I believe, and helps transform this salad with its rich syrupy/spicy mouth feel.This was my first crack at making pasta from scratch, not taking in to account the culinary school efforts in what seems like another lifetime. It was not the most pliable version I confess, but the stuffing and the sun dried tomato sauce worked like a charm. The stuffing made with spinach, ricotta, egg, salt and pepper was creamy and delicious. The sundried tomato sauce was made with rehydrated tomatoes, pureed and sauteed with garlic and basil. Drizzled over with olive oil and grated parmesan, it was wiped out within minutes...... and not without good reason.
Next destination : Poland.....
No comments:
Post a Comment