Yia Yia's Sunday Sauce

There's nothing better than a simmering pot of tomato sauce on the stove all Sunday long. It seemed like my mom always had a pot of marinara on the stove every weekend, especially when she had fresh tomatoes from the garden. 

This week, Kim chose Chef Symon's Italian Braised Beef with Root Vegetables in Yia Yia's Sunday Sauce. I couldn't think of a vegetarian substitute for braised beef, so I just made Yia Yia's sauce. Chef Symon places beef bones in his to give off more flavor, but I decided to use some balsamic vinegar and vegetable stock. This sauce was delicious, very simple and perfect over a steaming bowl of pasta.

All of the Symon Sundays ladies made beef, so please check out their blogs and thanks to Kim for a great choice! 

Kim - Stirring the Pot

Joanne - Eats Well With Others

Natashya - Living in the Kitchen with Puppies

Symon Sundays: Braised Tofu and Pickled Green Tomatoes

When I made the decision to cook my way through Live to Cook, it was with the hopes that I would become more confident in cooking and trying meat and seafood. I had honestly, wholeheartedly planned on making short ribs and pork belly, clams and red snapper... but eventually I just couldn't do it. I'm sure Chef Symon wouldn't appreciate my braised tofu in place of his beefy short ribs, but that's what cooking it all about, taking recipes and changing them to suit your personal tastes. I'm sorry, Chef Symon, but I'm not. 

I'm not sorry because this dish was delicious! I had no idea what I was going to do for this week's selection by Joanne because obviously short ribs were out. I was going to just make the pickled green tomatoes, but then I read her description of the delicious sauce and I knew I couldn't skip it. I have to say that while this book hasn't expanded my meat horizons, it has definitely taught me how to pickle just about anything, and for that I'm grateful! I just wish I had known about this recipe earlier in the summer when my dogs knocked millions of green tomatoes off the vines. I just threw them in the compost pile! 

Lucky for me, the temperatures in Florida are still supporting garden growth, and I have 3 tomato plants growing strong! I picked a few green tomatoes off the vines, and got to work on the pickle recipe. Instead of the short ribs, I used savory baked tofu, which is injected with a bit of flavor, and has a much firmer texture. I served this over parmesan polenta and with roasted root vegetables, two ideas I borrow from Joanne! Polenta is like the quick, easy version of mashed potatoes, great as a base for stew-y like dishes.

Thank you so much to my fellow Symon Sunday girls for keeping up with the group while I've been on a blogging hiatus! Please visit Joanne's blog for the recipes, and check out Natashya and Kim's for their take on this dish! 

Chef Symon's Ohio Creamed Corn

It seems like it's been a lifetime since I blogged a recipe! I am so happy to have things somewhat back to normal. Thankfully, I was able to have Molly taken by a rescue on Friday evening. She'll be living with a foster family until she's adopted! All of the money raised was used on her vet expenses, plus I scheduled a dental cleaning for her that her foster family will bring her to, and I was able to purchase 6 months of heart worm and flea/tick medication for her. I can't thank you all enough, those who baked, those who bidded on items, it means the world to me!  To say "Thank you!!!" there will be a few giveaways coming soon!

Now, to play catch up! This was my selection for Symon Sundays 2 weeks ago. I knew corn was going out of season, and I wanted to make sure we hit this one before it was long gone. Now I'm from Ohio, but I've never had creamed corn with bacon, cilantro and lime before! It was definitely interesting and different, but really, really good. It wasn't overly creamy and actually had tons of flavor. The lime and cilantro brought out the natural sweet flavor in the corn, and it tasted so fresh!

Ohio Creamed Corn 

adapted from Live to Cook by Michael Symon

5 ears of corn

1 tsp. EVOO

1 small yellow onion, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tsp. salt

1/2 recipe corn stock or vegetable stock

1/2 c. creme fraiche

1/4 c. minced cilantro

Zest and juice of 1 lime

Heat a pot over medium heat, add EVOO, onions and garlic.

Season with salt and pepper.

Add corn, continue to saute' for 2 minutes.

Add stock, bring to a simmer, cook until liquid reduces to 1 cup.

Add creme fraiche and simmer until mixture is thick.

Remove from heat, add cilantro and lime zest and juice.

Serve.

Chef Symon's Mom's Lasagna

I'd like to think that if I ever met Chef Symon, we would have so much in common and we'd be best foodie friends. As I got to 'know' him more through reading his cookbook, it seemed more and more likely. I found out he loves dogs, as their photos are peppered throughout his cookbook (um, mine too)! It's also clear he loves pickles and pickled things (give me a pickle and call it dinner)! And finally, he is from Ohio, and has a deep love for Cleveland (ok, I'm a Cincinnati girl, but my sister lives in Cleveland and I love the city)! 

Then I read his prologue to this recipe. His mom's lasagna, a Sunday specialty, slow cooking sauce, pasta baked with creamy cheeses, the scent lingering from the oven all day long... he's describing my childhood! My dad's favorite food for as long as I can remember was my mom's lasagna. Since it's labor intensive, she made it from scratch every few weekends, always an all day affair. She would only use Polly-O brand ricotta and mozzarella and grated Parm from the Italian specialty store. The sauce would cook all day, bubbling away, and we'd all fight over the crunchy corners at dinner time.

My mom would add ground beef to the sauce sometimes, but not always. However, Chef Symon's mom doesn't mess around. She uses veal neck bones, beef, sausage and pork. And three pounds of cheese. Though I do love to indulge and have one splurge-type meal each week, I don't eat meat and couldn't use 3 lbs. of cheese. Instead, I added mushrooms for some body and texture, cut the mozzarella, made my 2% ricotta from scratch, and picked up these beautiful lasagna noodles!

While this lasagna isn't exactly the same as Michael Symon's, it still evokes the feeling of Mom's homemade, Sunday specialty. The scent reminds me of being a kid, waiting for Mom to yell, "Dinner time!" And the feeling that perhaps one day, I'll have kids hoping that every Sunday I'll be in the kitchen constructing a lasagna for dinner.

Thank you to Kim of Stirring the Pot for choosing this week's Symon Sundays recipe. This completes Round 5, our selections are up for the next round, check the schedule in the right column!

Tips and Trades:
-I made my ricotta from scratch, which is very simple to do, and it tastes amazing! A 1 lb. tub of organic ricotta is around $5, but I purchased a 1/2 gallon of organic 2% milk for $3 and made 1 lb., almost half price!
-The fresh basil in this dish really brings a nice, fresh burst of flavor. Because the recipe has so much cheese (and meat, if you go with the original), I recommend not skimping on the basil.
-I prefer to make my lasagna with uncooked noodles, make my sauce a little more watery, and bake the lasagna off and have the noodles cook while absorbing the liquid. It keep the lasagna from being wet, and saves the annoying process of cooking the noodles. The noodles will grow though, so make sure there is a bit of space in the pan for them to expand!

Mom's Sunday Lasagna

1/2 lb. lasagna noodles

1 lb. ricotta cheese

1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese

1 yellow onion

3 garlic cloves

8 oz. cremini mushrooms

Kosher salt and pepper

1/4 c. tomato paste

1/2 c. red wine

1 28 oz. can San Marzano tomatoes (whole)

1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning blend

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1 c. vegetable stock or tomato juice

1 c. fresh basil, roughly chopped or torn

Heat a pot over medium heat.

Add 1 tbsp. EVOO.

Add onions and garlic to a food processor, pulse until very finely minced, add to the pot.

Add mushrooms to the food processor, pulse to a fine mince, add to the pot.

Season veggies with salt and pepper, sauté for 10 minutes, until liquids are cooked out.

Add tomato paste and red wine, reduce liquid by half.

Add tomatoes, break up with a wooden spoon, add dried seasoning, crushed red pepper flakes and stock.

Stir well, cover, turn to low and simmer for 1 hour. 

Preheat oven to 350*

Turn heat off from sauce, add basil and fold in.

Spoon sauce to cover the bottom of a casserole dish.

Layer the noodles, spoonful of ricotta, sprinkle of Parmesan, and another ladle of sauce. 

Cover with another noodle, and repeat until noodles and cheese are gone.

Ladle the remaining sauce over top noodle layer, cover with foil and place in the oven.

Cook lasagna for 45 minutes, uncover, sprinkle with a layer of Parmesan and place back in the oven.

Bake for 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven, rest for 10 minutes, then slice and serve.

Please visit the other Symon Sundays Participant's blogs listed here. For the authentic recipe from the book, be sure to check out Kim's blog, Stirrting the Pot!

Joanne at Eats Well with Others (Project Food Blog Star Contender!)

Natashya of Living in the Kitchen with Puppies

Fettuccine with Heirloom Tomatoes and Capers

I've become the master of cooking for one. I understand the lack of motivation to cook a meal from scratch when you're single, but since I so frequently am faced with this scenario, I've grown to realize that there is no reason to not make a great meal for myself. In fact, I take the opportunity make the meals I know my husband won't be crazy about when he's gone, in this situation it's anything pickled! 

When I looked over this recipe, I knew the only change I would have to make was eliminate the anchovies. Because their salty bite was out, I doubled the capers and added another garlic clove. What made me most excited for this recipe was the thin slices of garlic cloves. I'm the girl who seeks out chunks of sautéed, roasted, or even raw garlic when I'm eating! 

I love making fresh pasta, mixing the egg in with my fingers, kneading the dough, running it through the roller and then cutter, it's so relaxing to see a few simple ingredients come together as perfect pasta strands. I have a basic $20 pasta roller with two cutting options, fettuccine or spaghetti. Because the capers, tomato and garlic had some chunk to them, I chose to make fettuccine because it's thicker and holds up to chunky sauces better. 

This pasta bowl was so delicious: well balanced in flavors, light but still hearty and filling, fresh and summery. Thanks to Joanne for this selection from Live to Cook for our Symon Sundays group.

Tips and Trades:

-Because this dish has so few ingredients, use the best quality available, such as fresh organic, free range eggs and plump, juicy, vine-grown tomatoes, it will make a big difference in flavor. 

-If you're not opposed to using anchovies, but don't want to use whole fish, try using anchovy paste, available on the Italian foods aisle of the grocery store.

Fettuccine with Heirloom Tomatoes and Capers

adapted from Chef Symon's Live to Cook

Serves 1

pasta:

1/2 c. unbleached all purpose flour

pinch of salt

1 egg yolk

1-3 tbsp. water, as needed

1 tbsp. EVOO

3 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced very thin

1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1 large Heirloom tomato, diced

2 tbsp. capers

5 basil leaves, torn

Salt and pepper

1 tbsp. coarse breadcrumbs (I smashed up a crouton!)

Place flour on a clean counter top, make a well in the center.

Add egg yolk and salt, whisk with fingers and incorporate flour into egg.

Add water as needed to make dough come together, it should be slightly sticky.

Knead for 5 minutes, set aside to rest for 10 minutes.

Using a pasta roller, roll into a flat sheet (I rolled on setting 3).

Use semolina flour, for dusting, if sticky.

Rest dough sheet for 5 minutes.

Run through the fettuccine cutter, set pasta aside.

Bring a pot of water to a boil.

Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat.

Add EVOO, garlic and crushed red pepper flakes.

Sauté for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.

Add tomatoes and capers, season with salt and pepper.

Drop pasta in salted, boiling water.

Cook pasta for 3-5 minutes, use tongs or a pasta spoon to transfer directly to skillet with sauce.

Add basil and toss pasta and sauce.

Plate, top with breadcrumbs.

Thank you to Joanne for selecting this week's recipe. You can see all of the Symon Sundays participant's pasta at their blogs.

Joanne: Eats Well with Others
Natashya: Living in the Kitchen with Puppies
Kim: Stirring the Pot

Caprese Fried Egg Sandwich with Shasha Sauce

There aren't many sandwiches I'm willing to put on a pedestal. Chef Symon really hit the nail on the head with this one. The balance of flavor is perfect, and it really is appropriate for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It can be difficult to find wholesome proteins for vegetarian sandwiches, I rarely think to use egg! 

The flavor combination is not uncommon, I did leave off the soppressata and opted to use tomatoes, completing the caprese trio. The fresh mozzarella melts perfectly and is so smooth and stretchy. However, what really makes this sandwich come to life is his Shasha Sauce.

When I was growing up, we moved into a newly constructed house on a culdesac in the quaint town of St. James, NY. Our address was 2 Tusa Court... so simple! I don't understand why houses have to have so many digits these days... but I digress.

The second family to move in (yes, at 4 Tusa Court) and had a daughter and son who were a bit older than my older sister and me. Our families got along really well, and we spent many nights playing together. Kristine (my sister) looked up to Kelly, and would do whatever she told her to. She also had a little crush on Matt, who was her age. The three of them would often leave me out, or give me the bad jobs when we were playing. For example, when they played hospital, Kelly would be doctor, Matt would be patient, Kristine would be nurse, and I was the toilet bowl cleaner. And my mom wonders why it's my least favorite chore... I've been doing it since I was 5! 

One of our favorite things (which I'm sure our parents loved) was a game called "mix random condiments in a glass and make Ashlee drink it." It would always start with pickles or pickle juice, and then go as far as toothpaste or paper towel bits.... but I drank it! 

As I was making the Shasha Sauce, I was reminded of those drinks I was forced to drink. Banana peppers, vinegar, sugar, garlic, mustard.... what?! It's definitely something I would never, ever think to create. It's essentially a tangy, sweet, spicy banana pepper spread, but the layers of flavor are so much deeper than a smear of mustard and a few picked peppers. 

He says it has a month long shelf life in the fridge, so mine is in a jar in there. And every time I see it, I can't help but laugh and remember my poor, 6 year old self drinking toothpaste and pickle shakes...

Caprese Fried Egg Sandwich with Shasha Sauce

from Live to Cook by Michael Symon

2 slices sourdough bread (I used Kalamata Olive Sourdough from Whole Foods Bakery)

2 eggs

2 slices fresh mozzarella

1 slice of paper thin red onion

2 small tomatoes, sliced

10 basil leaves

Shasha Sauce:

1 1/2 c. banana pepper rings in vinegar

2 garlic cloves, smashed

1/2 c. yellow mustard

1/4 c. pure cane sugar

1/4 c. AP flour

1/2 c. water

First, make Shasha Sauce.

Add banana peppers, garlic and mustard to a blender, puree.

Add to a small stock pot, heat over high.

Add sugar, stir to dissolve.

Whisk flour and water in a small dish, pour into sauce pot, stir to combine.

Turn heat to low, cook for 15 minutes, stirring every few minutes.

Cool, pour into a jar and keep in the refrigerator for up to a month.

Heat a frying pan over medium heat, butter and crack in eggs.

Fry to desired doneness, flip, top with mozzarella, cover and turn heat off.

Toast bread, slather with Shasha sauce, eggs, tomatoes, basil and onions.

Serve warm.

Thank you to my fellow Symon Sundays participants:

Joanne: Soppressata Pizza with Fried Egg and Shasha and Heirloom Tomato Salad with Feta, Dill

Natashya: Soppressata Sandwich with Fried Egg and Shasha and Tomato Salad with Feta and Dill

Kim: Soppressata Sandwich with Fried Egg and Shasha

Tomato Salad with Red Onion, Dill and Feta

This recipe comes from Chef Symon's cookbook, Live to Cook, and is my selection for next week's round up. When I was at the Farmer's Market, I found these adorable heirloom tomatoes, which the recipe calls for. I love the colors, odd shapes and charm each tomato has.

On Sunday afternoon, I had some down time and decided to read through Live to Cook. I finally learned why almost every Symon recipe has dill - it's his favorite soft herb. He also is a big coriander fan, his favorite spice. Well, I like dill, but in this Greek style salad, the mint and parsley combo seemed to suit me better. For the vinaigrette Symon calls for, I invert the olive oil to vinegar ratio because I don't like oily dressings, and love the light pink hue of the vinaigrette.

VBS Trades and Tips: 

-Heirloom varieties of produce are beneficial to the environment for many reasons, most notably preservation of the crops natural diversity. 

-Heirloom tomato seeds are widely available, try growing your own if you can't find them at the market! 

-Store tomatoes on the counter at room temperature, and eat within a day or two. Refrigerating them will make them grainy and less sweet.

Tomato Salad with Red Onion, Dill and Feta

slightly adapted from Chef Symon's Live to Cook

1 garlic clove, minced

Kosher salt

Fresh black pepper

1/2 c. red wine vinegar

1/4 c. EVOO

1/4 red onion, shaved thin

1/3 medium English cucumber, sliced thinly

10 olives, halved

2 tbsp. fresh torn mint

2 tbsp. fresh torn parsley

1 lb. heirloom tomatoes, cut into slices and chunks

1/2 c. crumbled feta

Combine garlic, a pinch of salt, black pepper and vinegar in a dish, whisk to combine.

Stream in EVOO, whisk to combine well.

Arrange salad ingredients on a plate, top with fresh torn herbs, drizzle with vinaigrette.

Serve.

Symon Sundays: Zucchini Fritters with Feta and Dill

This week's Symon Sunday's recipe was chosen by Natashya of Living in the Kitchen with Puppies. The fritters were outstanding, full of flavor! I had these at Lolita last May, and still think about them sometimes! Thanks to Natashya for the perfect summery selection.

The fritters are meant to be fried, but I elected to make them pancake style on a griddle. Though they're in the appetizer section, I decided to construct them into a meal. I had the last of my soyrizo from Trader Joe's in the freezer, and decided to include that in the meal. I also have had many green tomatoes in my garden this year that end up being eaten by the caterpillars before they ever have a chance to ripen. And of course, my summer love, fresh, sweet corn paired with red peppers for an easy relish.

In the end, I came up with a layered stack of miscellaneous things that were amazing when married! I don't think this is why Chef Symon had in mind with his fritters, but they make an excellent pancake base for this dish.

My Fritters are the base of this stack! I promise, they're in there...

Natashya's Fritters (visit her blog for the recipe!)

Joanne's stacked Fritters and Cous Cous

Symon Sundays: Confit Duck with Pickled Cherry Sauce

This week's Symon Sundays selection was from Joanne at Eats Well with Others. 

There is a whole chapter in the book devoted to pickling, which makes me so happy. I love pickles and all things vinegary! The idea of a sweet cherry with the vinegar and spices was genius! I am so glad Joanne chose this now, when cherries are at their peak of flavor and availability (and lowest prices).

I made my cherries about two weeks ago, and left them in a jar in the fridge. I knew I wasn't going to make duck, so I had to try to figure out how to modify this week's selection. As I read Chef Symon's explanation of the cherries, he mentioned they pair well with blue cheese. I instantly thought some toasted bruchetta with a crumble of Maytag blue cheese, some chopped pickled cherries and fresh rosemary would be the perfect appetizer!

Both Joanne and Natashya chose to pair their cherries with Five-Spice Chinese Chicken, which also is a phenomenal idea. Please check out Joanne's blog for the recipe and her interpretation of the dish!

Joanne's Blog

Natashya's Chicken

Symon Sundays: Sweet Corn and Wild Mushroom Soup & Roasted Rack of Pork with Grilled Peaches and Chestnut Honey Vinaigrette

This Sunday began Round 3 of choices for Symon Sundays! Our little group is moving right along, and this rounds selections are all perfect for summer! 

I've had my eye on this corn soup for a very long time, I envisioned slurping it on a chilly fall evening. However, as I've mentioned sweet, fresh Florida corn is dirt cheap right now, and I've been buying loads of it each week. Since I'm all for seasonal cooking and using produce at it's peak, it seemed only fitting to select this soup.
What I loved most about this soup (besides the corn itself) was the fact that Chef Symon uses the corn cobs to make a stock for the soup. The stock is sweet, starchy, and full of flavor. I got a little lazy in the end and should have really pureed my soup completely, but it was pretty hot in my kitchen and we were ready to eat! I am definitely going to make this again and again, as long as the corn is plentiful!

Sweet Corn and Wild Mushroom Soup

Corn Cob Stock:

6 ears of corn

1 red onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1 tbsp. coriander seeds, toasted

2 quarts chicken stock or water

1 tsp. kosher salt

Soup:

2 tbsp. corn oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves

1 c. heavy cream

1 c. seared wild mushrooms (mushrooms caramelized with thyme and butter)

1/2 c. crumbled bacon, cooked

Make stock: Cut kernels from the cob, reserve.

Toss cobs in a large pot with onion, garlic, thyme, coriander, stock and salt.

Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 45 minutes.

Strain through a fine mesh sieve, discard the solids, you should have 4 c.

To make soup: Heat the oil in a 4 qu. saucepan over medium.

Add garlic, sweat for 2 minutes. 

Add corn kernels and continue to sweat the mixture, stirring for 3 minutes.

Add thyme, corn stock and cream, simmer 45 minutes.

Remove half the corn and puree with enough liquid to get it moving.

Whisk back in the soup and simmer.

Divide among 6-8 bowls, top with mushrooms and bacon

My other selection for this week was Roasted Rack of Pork with Grilled Peaches and a Chestnut Honey Vinaigrette. I had fully intended on buying pork chops for my husband, but he told me he didn't want so much meat. I decided to turn it into a salad, since there was a vinaigrette involved. 

Grilled Peach Salad with Chestnut Honey Vinaigrette

1 tbsp. minced garlic

3 tbsp. minced shallot

2 tbsp. chestnut honey

1/3 c. balsamic vinegar

1/2 c. EVOO

1 tbsp. crushed coriander seeds

1/4 c. sliced cilantro leaves

1 orange, zested and juiced

4 peaches, halved and pitted

1 head of romaine, chopped

1 lb. beets, trimmed and roasted

2 tbsp. sliced almonds

2 tbsp. crumbled goat cheese

To make the vinaigrette, in a small bowl, combine garlic with shallots and 1 tsp. salt. Add the honey and vinegar, then whisk in the EVOO. Add the coriander, zest and juice. Set aside.

Drop the peach halves in the dressing, place on a grill over high heat and grill for 2 minutes.

Arrange salad and top with remaining dressing.

Check out all of the other Symon Sundays participants below. Link to their blogs and the schedule are on the right column of the blog! 

Natashya's pork and peaches

Natashya's Corn Soup

Joanne's Soup

Joanne's Pork and Peaches

Tasha's Pork and Peaches

Symon Sundays - Crispy Gnocci with Morels and Spring Peas & Spicy Stuffed Peppers

This week's Symon Sundays recipes were chosen by Gia. It's hard to believe this is the final recipe in round 2! We're really moving through the book, and the dishes just keep getting better! This round we especially hit the pasta and appetizer sections hard.

The first recipe Gia chose was the Crispy Gnocci with Morels and Spring Peas. I knew we were going to make this for close to 3 months, so I had my morel radar on every time I was out. I found them at Whole Foods for $17.99/1 oz. package dried, and decided to hold out for fresh or bulk. Right before we left for Memorial Day vacation, I found them fresh for $49.99/lb, and I was thrilled. Of course $50/lb is expensive, but I needed an ounce, so that was only going to be about $3-4. I knew I'd go back as soon as we got back from vacation to buy the morels. Can you see where this story is headed? Of course, just my luck, they were gone 5 days later! I couldn't bring myself to purchase $17 worth of morels, so I decided to use dried porcini mushrooms that I had on hand. 

For the gnocci, I have never made them with ricotta rather than potatoes, and fried rather than boiled. I have to say I really enjoyed these gnocci. Though they were fried, they seemed to be lighter than traditional potato gnocci. They also were much easier to make than the potato version. I did cut back on the butter and used a little porcini stock.

Gia's other selection were these sausage stuffed peppers. I used Anaheim peppers, which were spicy but also sweet when roasted. I used a homemade sauce I had on hand, and spicy Italian chicken sausage from Whole Foods. These were simple to make, and delicious! I would definitely make these in mini peppers and serve them as an appetizer in the future! 

Tasha's Gnocci (check out Tasha's blog for the complete recipe!)

Joanne's Gnocci

Joanne's Peppers

Natashya's Gnocci and Peppers

Symon Sundays: Sheep's Milk Ravioli with Brown Butter and Almonds & Roasted Dates with Pancetta, Almonds and Chile

This week's Symon Sundays recipes were chosen by Tasha at The Brick Kitchen. Please visit her site and the other Symon Sundays participants to read about their opinions on the dishes! You can find links to their blogs and the Symon Sundays schedule on the right blog column.

The first dish chosen is from the appetizers section of Live to Cook. I had been eying it for months, and even considered making it for a dinner party, but it slipped my mind. Because it was paired with a pasta dish, I decided to turn it into a salad. There were few ingredients in this dish, but they all are packed with flavor and had something to add to the final product. I would definitely make this as an appetizer in the future, or use the combination of a spin off a warm bacon-dressed spinach salad, just chop the dates so the sweet punch of flavor is in each bite. 

Please visit Tasha's blog for the recipe! 

Roasted Dates with Pancetta, Almond and Chile

The second choice of Tasha's was Sheep's Milk Ravioli with Brown Butter and Almonds. I searched for Sheep's Milk Ricotta, but it wasn't available. Since the recipe called for really thick ricotta, and because I couldn't find sheep's milk, I decided to make my own ricotta. While the ricotta came out extremely thick and delicious tasting, it wasn't really a money saver as I had hoped. A half gallon of organic milk is around $4, and a tub of organic ricotta is around $4.50, so by the time I factor in my time to make it, the price is the same. However, it was fun to know I literally made this entire dish from scratch!

For the ravioli, the dough is made from only egg yolks and white flour, but I substituted a whole egg and a white, and used half whole wheat flour and half unbleached all purpose flour to make it healthier. For the sauce, I couldn't bring myself to use 12 tbsp. butter, so I used 1 tbsp., the juice of the orange, and some vegetable stock. The recipe called for parsley, but I don't like parsley, and love rosemary paired with orange, so opted for that combination. I also served the ravioli with steamed broccoli for a little extra veg in the meal. 

While I varied a great deal from the original recipe, and I'm sure a pool of brown butter would be amazing, my substitutions made this dish quite tasty! 

Sheep's Milk Ravioli with Brown Butter and Almonds

Making the ricotta:

Bring 1/2 gallon milk, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. citric acid to 195*, rest for 5 minutes

Strain in cheesecloth for 5 minutes

Tie up and hang to strain in the fridge for a few hours, very thick ricotta!

Tasha's dates look fantastic! 

Joanne had the same idea and served hers over a salad, but used figs and added goat cheese and cranberries

Joanne also reduced her butter, and added some zucchini to her ravioli

Natashya added dill to her pasta, adding a nice punch of flavour!