GOAT CHEESE RAVIOLI WITH BELL PEPPERS AND BROWN BUTTER

Part of the plan for 2014 is to have more meatless entrees.  The diners haven't been entirely onboard (witness the black and wild rice salad), so I'm easing them into it with dishes that include cheese.  This recipe, from Bon Apetit September 2007, has been hanging around in my recipe box since then. It seems fairly straightforward when you read the recipe, but there were significant challenges in the execution at the end.  In the end it looked okay and tasted great.

Goat Cheese Ravioli with Bell Peppers and Brown Butter

Bell Peppers:

2 small red bell peppers
2 small yellow bell peppers
1 small green pepper
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion (omitted here)
1/2 cup diced seeded tomatoes
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper

Ravioli:

Cornmeal for sprinkling
8 ounces soft fresh goat cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for sprinkling
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
2 Tablespoons chopped assorted fresh herbs (such as basil, chives, mint, and tarragon)
18 won ton wrappers

4 Tablespoons (2 oz) unsalted butter
Toasted pine nuts
Thinly sliced pitted nicoise olives

For bell peppers:

Char all peppers over gas flame or in broiler until blackened on all sides.

Place in paper bag; seal and let stand at room temperature 15 minutes.

 Peel and seed peppers; chop.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and tomatoes and cook until onion begins to brown, about 4 minutes.  Reduce heat to low; cook until vegetables are very soft and onion is brown, stirring often, about 15 minutes.  Add chopped peppers and vinegar.  Season with salt and pepper.

DO AHEAD:  Can be made 1 day ahead.  Cover; chill.

For ravioli:

Lightly sprinkle rimmed baking sheet with cornmeal.  Mix 8 ounces goat cheese, 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, mascarpone and herbs in medium bowl.  Arrange 6 wonton wrappers on work surface.  Place 1 Tablespoon cheese filling in center of each wrapper.

Using a wetted fingertip, dampen edges of wrappers with water.  Fold all 4 corners up to meet in center, forming a pyramid shape; seal all 4 edges tightly.  Pinch top to seal.

Place on prepared baking sheet.  Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.

Here's where things got dicey.  I think they were too soft, and that in future I would actually freeze them for about an hour before cooking.  I did chill them for an hour in the refrigerator, and the first batch did okay, but then they got all soggy and difficult to work with.  I think they'll hold their shape better frozen.

DO AHEAD:  Can be made 8 hours ahead.  Cover and chill (really, freeze them).

Cook butter in large skillet over medium heat until beginning to brown, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes.  (Note:  I got tremendous splatter doing this, which only got worse when I put the slightly wet ravioli in...which necessitated getting out the Swiffer wet after dinner).

Cook ravioli in pot of gently boiling salted water until tender, about 4 minutes (or even  less).  Transfer ravioli to skillet with browned butter.  Toss over medium heat.  (At this point mine looked more like wonton soup dumplings than the pointy things you see above.)

Meanwhile, rewarm bell pepper mixture; divide among 6 plates.  Using slotted spoon, top peppers on each plate with 3 ravioli.  Drizzle with any remaining brown butter.  Sprinkle with Parmesan, toasted pine nuts and olives.

Serves 6.

CHOCOLATE-PISTACHIO SABLES

This recipe was in Bon Appetit last month.  It sounded a bit like the World Peace Cookies (see 3/12/13 post on this blog), but with pistachios.  That was sort of true, but the technique and the feel of the dough was different.  This is a much softer, fluffier dough, which makes handling it a little messier, but the result was quite nice.

CHOCOLATE-PISTACHIO SABLES

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Scharffenberger)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups (10 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg white
5 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped (I again used Scharffenberger, bittersweet)
1 cup unsalted, shelled raw pistachios, coarsely chopped
Flaky sea salt (such as Maldon)

Now, when they talk about chopping chocolate and nuts, I think it is helpful to have an idea what that should look like:

You want chunks, not powder.

Whisk flour, cocoa powder, kosher salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl.  Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat butter, brown sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.

Reduce speed to low and gradually add dry ingredients; mix just to combine, then mix in egg white.

Fold in chocolate and pistachios.

Divide dough into 4 pieces.

Roll each piece into an 8-inch long log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter, pushing dough together if it feels crumbly.  (Note:  my dough was mushy, not dry so not sure why the difference.)  Wrap tightly in parchment paper

and chill until firm, at least 4 hours.  (The colder the dough, the easier it will be to slice.)

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Working with 1 log of dough at a time and using a sharp or serrated knife, cut logs into 3/8-inch thick rounds and transfer to parchment-lined bakings sheets, spacing 1-inch apart.

The recipe said 1/2-inch separation, but I got some conjoined cookies that way, so give them more breathing room.

Sprinkle cookies with sea salt and bake, rotating baking sheets halfway through, until set around edges and centers look dry, 10-12 minutes.

Transfer parchment to counter and let cool.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

What We're Eating Jan 8-14

Last week I posted the meals I had planned for the week.  There were a number of dishes that I was trying for the first time.  The Pork Tenderloin stir-fry was a success, so I posted that recipe.  The Hot pepper noodles recipe still needs work, so that will come at a later date.  Here's the lineup for this week:

Wednesday:  (Leftover) Moroccan beef over noodles (tagliatelle) with roasted broccoli and chopped peanuts

Thursday:  Goat cheese ravioli, Chocolate Pistachio Sables

Friday:  Slow roasted salmon

Saturday:  Eggplant and beef stir-fry

Sunday:  Adobo chicken with bacon and bay leaves, ginger rice

Monday:  Cheesemongers Mac and Cheese

Tuesday:  Lebanese lamb chops with lemony lettuce

So we'll see how the next week goes.

PORK TENDERLOIN STIR-FRY WITH CLEMENTINES AND BABY BOK CHOY

Here's a simple stir-fry that has been languishing in my recipe files since 2009.  I don't know why I haven't tried it before, but it's super easy, tasty, and pretty much a complete meal.  I do want to comment on the pan I cooked it in.

The brand is bialetti aeternum, and the 12-inch sauté runs around $45 at Amazon.  Susan, a house guest a couple of years ago gave it to me, and I have been enjoying it since.  It's extremely light, but its real virtues are that it heats evenly, gives an incredible sear, and cleans up amazingly easily.  Plus it's a cool color.

Pork Tenderloin Stir-fry with Clementines and Baby Bok Choy

1 1/4 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch thick rounds, then cut into 1/2-inch wide strips
salt
freshly ground pepper
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
2 Tablespoons dark sesame oil, divided
1 Tablespoon minced, peeled fresh ginger
4 small unpeeled tangerines or clementines, cut (with peel) into 3/4-inch pieces
1/4 cut Asian sweet chili sauce
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
6 baby bok choy, cut crosswise into 1-inch thick ribbons, tough bases discarded
5 green onions, thinly sliced on diagonal, divided

Place pork tenderloin strips in medium bowl; sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper and toss with cornstarch to coat.  Heat 1 Tablespoon sesame oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add minced ginger; stir 30 seconds.  Add pork tenderloin strips; stir-fry until pork is beginning to brown and is almost cooked through, about 3 minutes.

Add tangerine pieces; toss 30 seconds.

Add sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, and Chinese five-spice powder;

boil until sauce in skillet thickens slightly, tossing to blend, about 1 minutes.

Stir in remaining 1 Tablespoon sesame oil, bok choy, and half of sliced green onions.  Stir fry just until bok choy is wilted, 1 to 2 minutes.

Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.  Transfer to bowl; sprinkle with remaining sliced green onions and serve.

Serves 4.

TART APPLE CAKE

I found this recipe in Saveur magazine a few months ago and finally got around to trying it yesterday.  It comes from a food blogger named Molly Wizenberg, whom I had read in Gourmet before that magazine bit the dust.  If you're interested, her blog is called Orangette, at this website,http://orangette.blogspot.com

This is a very interesting "cake" because it essentially has a crust on the bottom and an egg and sugar topping poured over the apples late in the baking.  We all agreed that we loved the flavor, and the chewiness of the "crust" edges.  Also, very easy to make.  When I looked it up on her blog today, she calls it an Apple Tart Cake, which is a better description of it.  If anything, it tasted even better today after sitting for a day.  But, alas, now it's gone...

Tart Apple Cake

5 Tbsp unsalted butter, cubed and chilled, plus more for the pan
1 cup AP flour, plus more for pan
1 cup Superfine sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg, room temperature
3 large tart apples, such as Granny Smith, peeled, and thinly sliced

6 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup Superfine sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon (I used Penzey's Vietnamese)

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter and flour a 9-inch springform pan; set aside.

I've learned to tap out the flour over the trash can rather than the sink...eliminates cleanup.

In a food processor, pulse 5 Tbsp butter, flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt into pea-size crumbles.  Add vanilla and 1 egg; 

mix until a soft, sticky dough forms.

Add to prepared pan,

dip your fingers in flour, and press dough evenly into bottom and halfway up the sides of the pan.

Arrange the apple slices in a tight circular pattern, overlapping, and pressing slightly into dough.

Bake until apples are tender and dough is almost cooked through, 35-40 minutes.  I found that I needed 40 minutes for the dough to cook in the middle.

Meanwhile, melt remaining 6 Tbsp butter in a bowl; whisk in 1/3 cups sugar and 2 eggs, plus cinnamon.

Remove cake from oven and pour butter mixture evenly over apples.

 Bake until top is browned and set 12-15 minutes more.

Transfer to a wire rack until cool; remove from pan, cut into slices and serve with vanilla ice cream, if you like.  We had some salted caramel gelato in the freezer, so used that.

MOROCCAN BEEF SHORT RIBS

This is the second time I have made this dish, and we enjoyed it just as much as the first time.  My friend, Heidi has made it as well, and had the same success.  It is a very easy dish to prepare, but with intense flavor, although you could decrease the spice if you want a milder version.  I found it in Bon Appetit and it comes from a restaurant in San Francisco named "Stars."  Beef short ribs are one of the cuts of meat that require long slow cooking, in this case about 2 hours.  But in addition, they are marinated in a red wine mixture that also adds to the tenderization of this otherwise chewy piece of beef.  I started at around 9am, mixing the marinade and putting the whole thing in the refrigerator until about two hours before we wanted to eat dinner.  So plan accordingly.

Moroccan Beef Short Ribs

1 cup plus 1 Tablespoon olive oil
3/4 cup dry red wine
2 Tbsp ground ginger
2 Tbsp turmeric
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp ground black pepper
1 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp grated lemon peel
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
12 beef short ribs (about 4 1/2 lb), I used boneless
1 1/2 cups low salt chicken broth
1 1/2 cups low salt beef broth
1/2 lemon, sliced
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp honey
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Whisk 1 cup olive oil and next 11 ingredients in large bowl to blend (I like to use a 4 cup pyrex cup since I know I'll be pouring it soon).  Place ribs in 15x10/2-inch glass baking dish.  Pour marinade over; turn to coat.  Cover, chill.

About 2 1/4 hours before you want to eat, heat 2 Tbsp oil in heavy large pot over medium high heat.  Remove ribs from marinade; reserve marinade.  Working in batches, add ribs to pot and cook until brown on both sides, about 8 minutes.

Transfer ribs to bowl.

Pour off drippings.  Return meat to pot.  Add reserved marinade, chicken broth, beef broth, and sliced lemon.

Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until meat is fork tender, about 1 hour 45 minutes.

Using slotted spoon, transfer ribs to serving plate (I used a large pasta bowl to hold the sauce); tent with foil to keep warm.

Stir in lemon juice and honey into cooking liquid.  Bring to simmer.  Turn off the heat and add the cilantro, then spoon sauce over short ribs.  Serve over couscous.

What we're eating now Jan 1-8

I've decided to do something a little different this year.  I'll let you know the dinner menus for the week, which will include a mix of old favorites and new recipes I'm trying for the first time.  When something turns out well, I'll post the recipe, when it doesn't, I'll let you know why we didn't like it.

Jan 1:  Spicy shrimp with cashews, served with rice
Jan 2:  Black and wild rice salad with roasted squash
Jan 3:  Beef with pea pods and shiitakes, served with rice
Jan 4:  Citrus steamed sea bass, chile cheese bread, roasted broccoli
Jan 5:  Moroccan beef short ribs, couscous with pine nuts, tart apple cake
Jan 6:  Hot pepper noodles, fruit salad
Jan 7:  Pork tenderloin stir fry with clementines and Shanghai bok choy, rice

Since it's already the 5th, I don't have photos of the dishes from the past few days.  The successful ones will show up again (spicy shrimp with cashews, beef with pea pods and shiitakes, and citrus steamed sea bass), so I'll give you the complete recipes in the future when I make them again.

The black and wild rice salad with roasted squash was from Bon Appetit, and while it was tasty (it was garnished with pomegranate seeds and pistachios), nobody was clamoring to see it on the menu again.  We all agreed that we liked the roasted butternut squash, and the garnishes, but there was a split on the black and wild rice.  It may have been too exotic for some of the diners.  If you're interested, here is a link:

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/black-and-wild-rice-salad-with-roasted-squash

Which takes us to today, Sunday the 5th, and I've just put the beef short ribs in the refrigerator to marinate.  I've made this dish once before, and we all loved it.  So stay tuned for the recipes.