Showing posts with label Sage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sage. Show all posts

Pumpkin Ravioli with Sour Cream Sauce 

Tuesday, November 29, 2011 -
Pumpkin never goes out of season. I know this isn't just my opinion. Others clearly think the same. Examples include:
  • The sheer cry of "OMG, pumpkin spiced lattes are back!" as people enter the stores. Let's be honest though...real fans know the release date...it shouldn't surprise anyone.
  • Getting upset and vocally saying to a server at Cheesecake Factory "what do you mean you don't have pumpkin cheesecake yet? It is September after all!"  Settling for red velvet should never be a crime, but sometimes...
  • Getting concerned that a pumpkin shortage may strike again.
  • Having your husband say, "you talk like pumpkins have feelings." when you express how sad you are that some pumpkin don't get to leave the patch.
Clearly, I'm not saying these are prime examples of my behavior, but this gal does love her squash.

Surprising, being November 28, we still have fresh sage in the herb pot on our porch. Yes, we are the ones who haven't dug up the plants, or dried them for future use. We just let the parsley and sage be fall rock stars to say the least. I've utilized the sage on a weekly basis, not wanting to waste anything. But this projected snow may change all of that. It may be time to let go.Until then, I'll continue with the winter sage.

A classic preparation of pumpkin is pasta. Ravioli to be more specific. Normally, I make a brown butter and sage sauce for the rich ravioli, but this time around I tried something a bit different. We had sour cream in the fridge and I thought, "why not?"

Instructions and Ingredients
  1. Grab a pack of wontons or make your own pasta - whatever you are in the mood for. This time around, I grabbed wontons simply because I had them.
  2. Make or buy pumpkin puree. Take about a cup, add some spices (really, this is up to - think a bit of red pepper flakes, a dash of pepper, etc.) and a few fresh sage leaves chopped up. Simple.
  3. Make the ravioli by spooning about a teaspoon of the filling into a wonton wrapper and folding nicely (or messy - really up to you).
  4. Add ravioli to a boiling pot of salted water and cook until done - a few minutes will be perfect.
  5. While the ravioli are cooking, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and add 1/2 a cup of sour cream. Add some garlic powder, pepper and a chopped sage leaf and let it all come together to form a sauce. Serve over pasta, and sprinkle with some Parmesan and fried sage leaves if you'd like.
The pasta filling made around 3 dozen for me. We had some that night, freezed the rest (without the sauce) and had them a different night with leftovers for the next day.  The sauce above is enough for two servings - about a dozen raviolis. Make to your liking and tweak as you feel is appropriate by all means.

And then raise your fist and say "live on pumpkin. Live on."

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Sage Chicken Pasta 

Thursday, September 22, 2011 -
'Tis the end of the summer season, and all the herbs are gone. 

Well, almost.  All but sage. 

I'm not complaining.  I mean, you don't buy and plant a herb that you don't like.  And I like sage.  But it is one of the herbs that a little goes a long way.  When you have a lot, expect a long way to be, well, much longer.

Good thing autumn is just about here.  Officially, tomorrow!  I can't wait.  Because sage goes so well with pumpkin.  And other things, like this chicken sage pasta I threw together. 

This is one of the infamous pantry cooking nights.  Scrounging the pantry and fridge, looking for something insanely simple for din din.  This is what we came up with after staring at the monstrous sage plant.

I guess I should have taken a photo of this sage plant.

 
Back to the recipe.  Super simple, trust me!
  1. Cook some noodles - whatever you have in your pantry
  2. Saute up some chicken and season however you like (I believe I sauteed in garlic, added some all Greek type seasoning - stuff like that)
  3. Once the chicken is done, remove and add a tablespoon or so of oil to the pan drippings.  Add panko (maybe 1/4 of cup - really depends on how much pasta you make) and sage.  Cook together until fragrant and the panko is brown and crisp.
  4. Drain pasta, top with juicy chicken and sprinkle the top with your panko topping.
  5. Enjoy!
Then stop yourself as your eating and think to yourself "Didn't we make this about a month ago?"  Well, close, not the same - but I guess that is what happens when you clean out your pantry huh? Or maybe I wasn't craving cheese?  Um, that's weird...but we have been eating mounds of beer cheese dip leftover from BrewMile - I'll post that soon and recap that event.  Be patient my friends.

Super simple.  Plus, comfort food - perfect for autumn.  I know I'm a fan of cleaning out the pantry (but really, it never gets messy...so I'm not sure how that works) and so are a few of you.  Make anything fun lately?

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When Life Hands You Lemons, Bake Some Pasta 

Wednesday, August 10, 2011 -
Someone stole hub's car yesterday.  Yup, you heard me correctly.  From our driveway.  Woke up in the morning only to discover it was gone.

That is some sort of lemon throwing.

Nothing valuable was taken, a few odds and ends in the car.  A garage opener being one of them - so of course, we changed all the codes. We just did what we had to do to move forward.  Of course, this little hiccup makes us a one car household for now, but we have some really great friends and neighbors all offering to help us out (thank you everyone!) 

After a day of filing a police report and all the other jazz that comes along with car theft, one may wonder what one has for dinner on a day like this. At least this hungry girls does.

Well, when life throws you lemons, bake some pasta.  That is, only if you are craving baked pasta.  And this girl definitely was.

I looked outside to the porch (which is over where the now empty car spot is) to see our pot of fresh herbs that is growing like a mad man (what does that phrase mean?)  With all of the sage that we have, I opted to make something that was sage focused.  Of course, chicken goes great with sage, so why not create a chicken sage pasta bake?  I assessed the pantry (found some panko), the fridge (cheese and chicken), the freezer (peas) for basics and then add-ins.  Done and done - hubs made some fantastic garlic breadsticks to go with it (honestly, my husband is a fantastic baker) while I began the pasta dish. 

It turned out quite good - I even put peas in it (my dear friend Rachel over at Fall Creek Eclectic is surely clamping her hands with enthusiasm) and it still turned out good.  Here is a breakdown:

Chicken and Sage Pasta Bake
Ingredients (I'd like to note that I actually put measurements despite me not measuring anything - I'm all about approximating but I know some people want more 'exact' measurements. )
  • Bacon, 5-6 Slices
  • Large chicken breast, cubed into bite sized pieces
  • Green Onions, 6, roughly chopped
  • Flour, 1 and 1/2 tablespoons
  • Milk, 2 cups
  • Cheese, 2 cups shredded (I shredded a combo of Monterey Jack and Mozzarella)
  • Butter, 2 tablespoons divided
  • Peas, frozen, 1 cup
  • Sage, 6 fresh leaves
  • Breadcrumbs, 3/4 cup
  • Pasta, 6 ounces
  • Salt & pepper to taste.  
  • I also threw in some garlic powder last minute for more flavor - maybe 1 tablespoon
  1. Cook pasta al dente while prepping the sauce
  2. In a large pan, fry bacon until crisp.  Remove, crumble and set aside.  Keep bacon drippings.
  3. Add to bacon drippings, 1 tablespoon butter and the cubed chicken.  Cook until no longer pink, about 5-6 minutes (pending size)
  4. Add onions and cook for one minute.  Add flour and stir until incorporated into the dish.
  5. Add milk, slowly, and cook/soft boil until thickened.  
  6. Add cheese and stir to incorporate
  7. Add crumbled bacon, chopped sage and peas.  Stir to incorporate, add drained pasta.  Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder (if using).
  8. Once everything is combined, pour the pasta mixture into a greased 9x9 pan.  Top with breadcrumbs (I use panko) and drizzle with remaining tablespoon of butter, melted.
  9. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until you have a nice brown topping
Yes, if it isn't brown after 30 minutes, I wouldn't frown on putting on the broiler to get that brown topping you crave.

And if you'd like, make some lemonade (though a glass of wine worked really well for us!)

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