Cook-venture: Ravioli with Butter and Sage Sauce

Even though I went on a huge hiatus from blogging last year I was still taking pictures of food I made in the hopes I'd get the chance to eventually post it. Well, the time has come (or my free time is finally here) so here's a catch up post from a meal Errol and I made last summer (gasp!) for Errol's final visit before school started.

First we made some pasta (see my How-To from Florence!). Then mixed some ricotta cheese, thawed frozen spinach, salt and pepper to taste, and an egg to bind it all. 

Place about a tablespoon of the mixture into the middle, place another layer of pasta and crimp the edges with a fork. 

Oh hey, there's Errol! This was his first time making pasta because he did not take the cooking class with me in Florence. He was enjoying his first lesson :) 

Once the ravioli are finished, place them into boiling water. I would recommend a larger pot to boil and/or cook in batches. The nice thing about handmade pasta is that it just takes a few minutes for it to be cooked compared to dried! 

In the meantime, make the sauce! Melt a few tablespoons of butter and then place some whole sage leaves into the hot butter until they are slightly wilted. 

Once the ravioli are done, put on a plate, pour the butter sage sauce over them, and place fresh shavings of parmesan cheese and enjoy! 

Our first adventure making pasta after Italy was a success. The small kitchen makes for a challenge to rolling out the pasta so I actually rolled out one batch of dough into 4 rounds to accomodate my cutting board. I can't wait to have granite countertops and a larger kitchen!

Summer travels: Blue Ridge Mountains, Asheville, NC

One of the many travels Errol and I did in the month of June was a final trip to Asheville, NC. This was my second trip since moving to North Carolina, and Errol's fourth(!).

The trip in the fall was to see the beautiful leaves changing colors and the Biltmore Estate with Christmas decorations. This time, it was to see the amazing greenery along the Blue Ridge Mountains.

It was a 3-hour drive, and the first time my car experienced true altitudes and angles. I may need to get my breaks checked after this trip...

We stayed overnight in a Best Western and first took a stroll around downtown. The streets are full of local restaurants, bars, and shops. Each one different from the next. It would take weeks to completely experience each one.

But I found the most amazing place... The Gourmet Chip! It was filled with so many fancy style potato chips, plantain chips, and more! 

"The Italiano"

On the second day, we drove up and down the Blue Ridge Parkway, up to the top of Mount Mitchell. The views were breathtaking, and the landscape just as amazing.

One of the short trails we walked along the mountains

Another view of the trails

Found a beautiful place to have lunch

Beautiful sites

The final walk up to the top

View from 6,684 feet!

Errol says he definitely wants to come again on one of his trips to visit North Carolina. Can't wait!

Cook-venture: Hearty Meat Lasagna

Here is the first recipe since embarking on the food blogging project with my mom: heart meat lasagna! This was the last dish that Errol and I made before moving down, and I am still eating it for meals trying to finish it! But I'm definitely still not sick of it yet :) 

There were a lot of ingredients in this one, and on any normal occasion I wouldn't make it because of that. Lots of ingredients for 1-2 people isn't that efficient. I've had many wasted bunches of parsley and cilantro because of this. One of the new ingredients I found at Harris Teeter that I didn't know existed was meat loaf mix (1/3 lb each ground pork, beef chuck, ground veal). I was stuck buying $3 basil that looked really old, but it's all they had. I can't wait to start my herb garden once I get back from home in August. 

But I digress... 

One of the ingredients was a whole onion, chopped. I thought it was too much, but it's definitely not! So face the tears and keep on choppin'. Also, the recipe calls for making this in a Dutch oven. But that's on the next shopping list, post-loan receipt. So is a cast iron skillet. And an iPad!!!

This was when we added some culinary improvisation: green pepper. We felt bad that it was purely meat, cheese, and pasta. This is only half of a pepper, but it could have probably had more. 

Meat added, nice and brown. 

An entire can of tomato puree and another can of diced tomatoes!

Combination of ricotta cheese, parmesan, basil, and an egg. Looks deliciously creamy. 

Time to assemble! With no-boil pasta! 

I thought it was strange that the recipe called for starting by spreading a 1/4 cup of sauce over the bottom of the pan. But then realized it was to prevent the bottom layer of pasta from sticking/burning. 

Layer after layer...

Had just enough sauce to top the last layer! But not enough mozzarella... I didn't measure shredded mozzarella, but I should probably get more next time. It calls for 1 and 1/2 cups sauce to be spread over each layer. I used a 1/4 measuring cup for exact measurement and easier spreading. I normally don't follow recipes so precisely, but this cookbook is very well calculated!

Voila! Just out of the oven. Smelled amazing. 

This recipe requires mis en place, the French term that refers to having everything in place. Things happen minutes after another, so there is no time to chop things once the sauteeing has begun. Be sure to chop your onions, mince your garlic, (chop the bell pepper), open your cans, etc.

My first lasagna was a success! And is still satisfying my stomach for at least 4 more meals.

Disclaimer: These pictures were taken with an iPhone camera. Left the D-SLR at the old apartment in the middle of moving.