Fresh Nettle-Morel Ravioli with Charred Asparagus and Miso Soup - May 21, 2012

Local farmers' markets are starting up here in Minnesota and Nick and I visited one in our neighborhood on Saturday.  While we get more than enough vegetables from our CSA share, farmers' markets are a great excuse for us to purchase some delectable pastries, food truck lunches, and other locally produced goods.  We splurged on this nettle and morel ravioli from the Broder's stand at Fulton Farmers' Market, thinking it sounded delicious.  It was pricey, $18 for a small package, but due to the exorbitant cost of morels, not out of line for fresh, handmade pasta.  I don't think I could have made it myself for much cheaper.

The woman at the booth recommended a simple butter sauce that wouldn't overwhelm the delicate flavors of the pasta.  I looked up a butter-Parmesan sauce in our copy of How to Cook Everything and followed it, adding in pine nuts, finely chopped potato onion, and chopped fresh parsley.  Since the ravioli servings were small, we supplemented dinner with some left-over Miso Soup with Nettles and Sorrel, and some charred asparagus spears with olive oil and salt.  We grated fresh lemon zest over everything.

The pasta was amazing.  Stuffed full of morels and ricotta, every bite was delicious.  The nettles in the soup complimented the nettle pasta, and the charred asparagus was perfectly crispy.  We thoroughly enjoyed this dinner.

Morel and Ramp Pasta - May 1, 2012

I saw the basket of morel mushrooms at the co-op last week and could not resist purchasing a small quantity for a special dinner.  At the co-op, morels are $50 a pound, so when I say "special" and "small quantity," I'm not kidding around.  Learning how to find these things in the wild has just risen to the top of my to-do list.    



The occasion was Nick's return home from a week-long trip to Hong Kong and the Philippines for work.  Such a homecoming called for a fancier than average weeknight meal.  To prepare the pasta, I cleaned and sliced the morels in half length-wise.  I plan to always slice the morels this way in the future because I found about 25 small ants living inside each of two of the hollow mushrooms and a little slug inside a third, none of which I would have known about if I'd decided to cook the mushrooms whole.  Easily removed and a clear sign of organic, foraged fungi, I didn't let the bugs bother me too much after my first initial gasp of surprise. 

I diced the bulbs and stems of a small bunch of ramps I'd been keeping in the refrigerator, reserving the green leaves to add later.  I sauteed the ramp bulbs in a generous pat of butter over medium heat for about five minutes and then added my morels with a pinch of salt.  This mix cooked happily for another five minutes or so, and then I added a splash of cream and some freshly ground pepper.  While this simmered gently, I grated in some fresh Pecorino-Romano and then added my partially cooked pasta right into the pan, along with some of the pasta water to help make a light sauce.  Right at the end I added the chopped ramp greens.

The end result was light and creamy, with balanced flavors of rich and earthy morels and bright, acidic ramps.  A reflexion of time and place, this meal is one way to define home. 

Cacio e Pepe - Feb 23, 2012

This recipe is from the May 2011 issue of Bon Appetit 'Pasta Perfect' spread. Nick and I needed a fast dinner last week and this fit the bill, as pasta so often does. Like most Italian food, this recipe is quite simple with minimal ingredients, most of which can be found in any pantry. I made one substitution and used additional Pecorino cheese for the Grana Padano the recipe called for, which I'm sure made for a less creamy sauce. I also made one addition, adding some fresh rosemary to season. This was amazingly flavorful considering the lack of ingredients, just pasta, butter, pepper, cheese, and, in our case, rosemary. The keys to a successful bowl of pasta are laid out in the magazine article, and they really do make a difference. The two that I find make the biggest improvement in quality include generously salting the pasta water, and significantly under cooking the pasta (I cut my boiling time in half compared to the directions on the package to allow for the additional cooking time in the pan) to make sure the end result is al dente.