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Ricotta Parsley Gnudi with Sausage Mushroom Ragu

This is a great recipe to make either through the week or for a Sunday meal. A rich sausage mushroom ragu with soft, pillowy gnudi. Saw this being made on tv and modified it a bit to suit my taste. Try it… this is delicious!!

Gnudi

1 pound fresh ricotta, drained overnight to attain super dry ricotta
2 egg yolks
¼ cup Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
¼ cup all purpose flour
¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
Semolina for rolling and coating
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter

Transfer the ricotta and egg yolks to a stand mixer. Mix at medium speed for a minute or till incorporated. Add the cheese, flour, breadcrumbs, parsley and salt. The dough should moist but not sticky. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes while bringing a small saucepan of salted water to a boil. Roll a piece of dough into a 1 inch ball and cook in the boiling water for about 2 minutes. If the gnudi is too soft to hold it’s shape, add more flour to the dough. Refrigerate the dough for at least an hour if not more. Shape the dough into 1 inch balls and transfer to a semolina dusted pan so the gnudi does not stick. Refrigerate the gnudi balls, covered with plastic wrap till ready to cook.
Take out of fridge and cook gnudi in salted boiling water until cooked- about 3 to 4 minutes in batches. The gnudi will begin to rise to the surface once cooked. Drain the gnudi and place them into a wide frying pan with the olive oil and butter. Brown the gnudi on the outside for 2 to 3 minutes, moving them about constantly. If the pan gets dry, add some spare pasta water. Serve with the ragu.

Ragu

¼ cup dried porcini mushrooms, soaked 1 cup hot water
1 cup fresh shiitake mushrooms, chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 sausage links of choice, casing off and crumbled
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
½ cup strained tomatoes
1 cup chicken stock
Salt
½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
Parmigiano Reggiano, grated

Strain the mushrooms, reserve the liquid and chop the procini mushrooms and set aside.
Heat a sauté pan with olive oil. Add the crumbled sausage and sauté on medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and sauté on medium heat for another 4 to 5 minutes. Add the shiitake and procini mushrooms and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the spare mushroom water, tomatoes and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and let simmer, with the lid on for 10 minutes. Take the lid off, add salt and let cook for another 15 minutes. Check for seasonings and garnish with parsley. Serve with gnudi with a sprinkle of Parmigiano Reggiano.

Mexican Style Turkey Breast with Ancho Chili

Compound Butter

  • 4 tablespoons butter, melted
  • Zest of one orange
  • Zest of one lemon
  • 3 garlic cloves, grated
  • 2 teaspoons salt

Mix the butter with orange and lemon zest, garlic and salt.

 

 

Spice Rub

  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon acho chili powder

Mix all the spices together and set aside.

  • ½ cup chili barbecue sauce
  • 1 7 to 10 pound turkey breast
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • 1 orange, cut into eight pieces
  • 1 lemon, cut into eight pieces
  • 2 cups turkey or chicken broth
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Have your gravy ready either the day before or the morning of. Transfer it to a large saucepan and keep aside.

Preheat convection oven to 325 degreed F.

Place the turkey onto a rack in a roasting pan. Turn the turkey over and place the cut up orange and lemon inside the cavity. Sprinkle salt and pepper liberally and turn it breast side facing up. Loosen the skin and carefully spread half the compound butter. Spread the rest all over the skin. Sprinkle the spice rub all over the top. Pour the broth to the bottom of the roasting pan. Keep aside.

With a brush add the chili barbecue sauce (recipe below) all over the turkey. Roast the turkey glazing every 15 minutes. Roast till internal temperature reaches 158 to 160 degrees F. Take out of the oven and place onto a platter and cover with foil to rest for at least 20 minutes. While the turkey is resting, take the drippings from the bottom of the pan and pour them into a small glass bowl. Let the fat separate, remove from top and pour the liquid into the prepared gravy and bring to a boil. Check for seasonings and heat the gravy through. Serve with the turkey.

Chili Barbecue Sauce

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 shallot, minced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 dried ancho chilies, stems and seeds discarded and cut into ½ inch pieces
  • 1 14 ounces can diced tomatoes with chilies
  • ½ cup red wine vinegar
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
  • Juice and zest of 3 clementines
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons salt

Heat a medium saucepan with the olive oil. Add the shallot and garlic. Saute on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the ancho chilies, tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, zest, juice and salt. Bring to a boil and simmer on a low flame for about 20 minutes. Take off heat and transfer to a blender and blend till a smooth sauce is formed. Check for seasonings and take out into a small bowl.

 

 

Mango Fool

1 large ripe mango, peeled and pitted and cut into pieces

1 small lime

3 tablespoons honey

½ teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup fresh mango, chopped

 

Transfer the mango, 2 tablespoons honey and juice of a lime to a blender. Blend till a puree is formed. Keep aside.

In the meantime, whip the heavy cream with 1 tablespoon honey and vanilla extract till peaks form.

Take ½ of the cream out and fold in the mango puree into the remaining cream. Fold well and transfer into 4 glasses. Top with whipped cream and garnish with fresh mango.

Sauteed Shrimp with Indian Pickling Spices

1 pound medium shrimp, cleaned and deveined

2 tablespoons peanut oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 teaspoon onion seeds (nigella seeds)

¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds

1 medium onion, sliced

1 serrano chili, chopped

2 tablespoons tomato puree

Salt

½ cup cilantro, chopped

Juice of half a lime

 

Heat a wok like pan with the peanut oil. Add the cumin, fennel, mustard, onion and fenugreek seeds. Saute on medium heat for 30 seconds. Add the onion and serrano and sauté on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomato puree and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the shrimp and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes. Add salt and cilantro. Add lime juice. Serve warm.

Indian Style Fried Rice

3 cups basmati rice, cooked al dente

2 tablespoons peanut oil

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

10 to 12 curry leaves, chopped

1 medium onion, sliced

5 cups mixed greens (baby spinach, baby kale), chopped

2 to 3 tablespoons soy sauce

Salt

Juice of half a lemon

 

Heat a wok like pan and add the peanut oil. Add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves. Saute on medium heat for 30 seconds and add the onion. Saute on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cooked rice and sauté on high heat for 2 to 3 minutes and add the soy sauce and the greens. Saute till the greens are wilted. Add salt and lemon juice to fix the seasonings. Serve warm.

Asian Ground Beef and Orange Sauce

Continuing with the Asian theme this week… this one is inspired by a New York Times recipe… really, really yummy!

  • 1 tablespoon peanut oil
  • 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
  • 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
  • Juice and zest of 3 navel oranges, separated
  • 3 garlic cloves, grated
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup rice vinegar
  • ¼ soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 tablespoon corn starch mixed with 2 tablespoon water
  • 1 tablespoon peanut oil
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 4 green onions, white and green parts cut into inch long pieces

Heat a wok like pan with the peanut oil. Add the ginger, jalapeno and orange zest and sauté on a low heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for another 2 minutes. Add the orange juice, brown sugar, rice vinegar, soy sauce, fish sauce and cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the mixed corn starch and bring to a boil until the sauce is thickened. Take the sauce out and reheat the pan with 1 tablespoon peanut oil. Add the ground beef and sauté on medium high heat till the meat is golden brown. Take out an excess fat if desired. Add the sauce and bring to a boil. Mix well and check for seasonings. Garnish with green onions and serve with jasmine rice.

 

 

 

Portuguese Style Soup with Garlic Sausage and Kale

Great soup recipe I took from serious eats of course modified it to my taste… yummy!!

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 links chicken garlic sausage, casings removed, crumbled
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 large russet potato, peeled, quartered and cut into ¼ inch slices
  • 2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, quartered and cut into ¼ inch slices
  • 5 cups homemade or store bought chicken stock
  • 6 cups baby kale, chopped
  • Salt
  • ¼ cup fresh chives, chopped

Heat the butter and olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the crumbled sausage and sauté for about 5 minutes or till the sausage is golden brown. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for another 3 to 4 minutes. Add the potatoes and the stock, bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes a bit to thicken the soup. Add 1 teaspoons of salt. Cook for a about 20 to 25 minutes. Add the chopped kale and cook for another 5 to 6 minutes. Check for seasonings and garnish with chives.

 

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