Shrimp Ravioli - A Ravioli Without Cheese

I know what you are thinking--a true Italian ravioli must have cheese in it!  And in most instances I would have to agree with you since I used to live in Rome and know how they eat.  I also sensed some hesitance with this item on the Super Bowl menu as everyone preferred the beef to the pasta.  But whether you are an Italian, foodie, or like me, not really into cheese (sorry everyone), you should really really try this out.

What makes this dish awesome is the amount of fresh herbs used in both the filling and the sauce.  I haven't tried using dried herbs, so I couldn't tell you if that would be an appropriate substitute if you were attempting to do so.  If you can get your hands on fresh herbs, do it cause you will not regret it!

Another tip... if you have a pasta roller, use it!!!  If you are Italian and know how to freshly roll your own ravioli, do it!!!  If you are like me, and have tried and ultimately failed to roll pasta by hand, go to the grocery store and buy wanton wrappers--they work just as well.  And if you want to fool your guests (like Serge), you can buy a cheap ravioli cutter and cut the edges to make it look as though you hand rolled it yourself!

Again, this is a nice recipe to have in your arsenal of fancy, but not very hard, meals to make.  For a meal for two, you need about a half a pound of shrimp that's de-shelled and de-veined, fresh basil, fresh chives, and fresh cilantro.  Put your cleaned shrimp in the food processor.  Take a bunch of basil, chives, and cilantro and throw them in as well.  Then add a little bit of salt and pepper and a tablespoon or two of olive oil.  Pulse the stuff, but not puree, until is well combined.  At this point you can store the filling to fill your ravioli later, or you can make it now.  You want to put egg wash on one wanton, then place about a teaspoon of filling, before you put the other wanton on top.  Then trim the edges so your guests won't get mostly pasta.  And when filling, make sure you push out as much air as possible so that it doesn't explode in the boiling water.  This will be the most tedious process.

To make a nice rustic tomato sauce (which can be used for just about any pasta), take 2 pints of grape or cherry tomatoes (I like a lot of sauce) and put them on a baking sheet.  Generously sprinkle some olive oil, salt, and pepper and put under the broiler for 5 to 10 minutes.  You just want to heat them up until they burst.  Then take your fresh herbs (basil, chives, and cilantro), and chop them up really finely.  While you are at it, chop up two or three shallots (or you can use an onion).  In a big sauce pan on medium heat, put a dash of olive oil and the chopped shallots.  When they become soft, add your tomatoes and herbs and mix them well.  Add more salt and pepper if you think it needs more.  And that's it--you have your rustic sauce!

I think this dish surprised my Super Bowl guests a lot.  A few folks who ordered the steaks were able to try the the pasta and absolutely raved about it.  With Valentines Day a few days away, this is also a good dish to impress your significant other.  It may not look like much on paper, but it definitely packs a punch!  Enjoy!

Learning to Cook

The picture above isn't visually appealing but judging by the response I got from Serge, Morgan, Eileen, and Dan, my first time cooking for more than one other person was a success.

A few weeks ago, Serge cooked dinner for Morgan and Eileen at our apartment. They had begun cooking dinner for each other each Sunday. I was home and was invited to join the feast. Inside I was thinking I might have landed a pretty good gig. Dinners made by others every Sunday sounded pretty sweet. However, these thoughts were quickly dashed when I was informed that to continue being a free loader I would have to cook dinner at some point. I have some experience cooking but usually pretty basic things. Your typical Hamburger Helper, Chicken Helper, Tuna Helper, you get the idea. So it was pretty nerve-wracking thinking about having to cook for Serge, Morgan, Eileen, and now Dan.

I scoured the Internet looking for easy recipes, but didn't have much luck. It seemed like every recipe had something I had never heard of. I talked to my co-worker Stu, and he pointed me to a Baked Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta recipe, with a side of green beans and orzo on pbs.org. I looked it over and it seemed like something I was capable of. However, two of the ingredients were things I had never heard of. At first, I thought a scallion was a fish. I had no clue what the hell orzo was. But the rest of the recipe was just shrimp, feta, tomatoes, oregano, mint, and olive oil.

Honestly, because of my uncertainty about some of the ingredients, the trip to the grocery store was more intimidating than the actual thought of cooking. Fittingly, scallions and orzo ended up being the hardest things for me to find. I had forgot to look up an image of a scallion and had no idea what it was. I asked a Giant guy and he gave me some convoluted directions that I forgot in a second. Fortunately, a woman was also looking for scallions and said this out loud to her son. So I basically followed her and found my scallions. I had figured out that orzo was a pasta but it seemed Giant had none. I called Stu asking him for some help but he couldn't offer much assistance not being there. A fourth look in the pasta aisle revealed what seemed to be the last box of orzo they had!

I had decided to keep the menu a secret, mainly because I thought I might change my mind at the last minute and make the familiar chicken cutlets. This ended up backfiring as I later learned that Morgan is allergic to shrimp. Sorry Morgan! Probably my biggest challenge in cooking was making sure I had the right amount of portions. I am used to cooking for myself or one other person. I ended up with enough but there was barely any leftovers and that is something I will have to improve on for next time. I never was overwhelmed while cooking, as the timing of both the dinner and side, allowed me to fully focus on one or the other. I did end up burning my mouth pretty badly from taste tasting and making sure it was ready. Overall, I thought it came out quite well. The feta was excellent, and the tomato juice combined with the shrimp was delicious. The orzo and green beans were pretty good, but could have been better. Everyone said they enjoyed the food, and they ate it all, so it seems like it was a success.

I am not sure what I will cook next time but learning to cook is something I am really excited to do. Women love a man who can cook, right?