Creamy Italian Ravioli

 

What you need to make this easy Italian ravioli recipe:

• ravioli – I used store-bought refrigerated ravioli. You can pick whichever filling you like!
• fresh baby spinach
• sun-dried tomatoes – Mine were packed in olive oil. Do not add all that oil to the pan. If you do not like sun-dried tomatoes, you can substitute regular chopped tomatoes 
• heavy cream
• parmesan – finely grated.
• white wine – I used Sauvignon Blanc. You can also substitute chicken broth.
• unsalted butter
• minced garlic
• olive oil
• Italian seasoning
• cayenne pepper – optional

How to make Italian Cream Sauce

This rich garlic parmesan cream sauce is ridiculously delicious and so easy to make…

While you are making the Italian cream sauce, boil your ravioli according to the package instructions and drain when finished. Add salt and 1 tablespoon of olive oil to your pasta water so that it does not stick.

In a large sauté pan, add the olive oil then melt the butter into the oil over medium heat. Then add the Italian seasoning and cayenne pepper to the pan and swirl to combine. 

Next, add the minced garlic to the pan and cook for about 1 minute, or until the garlic is fragrant, not burnt. Add the wine to the pan and simmer for about 2 – 3 minutes.

Stir in the heavy cream and bring just to a boil, then keep at a simmer for 6 – 8 minutes, whisking occasionally.

Reduce the heat to low then add the finely grated parmesan cheese to the pan and quickly whisk to combine. Tip: If you would like to thicken the sauce more, whisk in an additional 1/4 cup of finely grated parmesan. If you need to thin the sauce, whisk in an additional 1/4 cup of heavy cream.

Finally, stir in the spinach and sundried tomatoes. Add the cooked ravioli to the sauce and gently stir and spoon the sauce over the ravioli to coat them. Serve hot and enjoy!

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Hats - “Saying you don’t look good in a hat is like saying you don’t look good in shoes!” —Unknown

 

Creamy Farfalle with Spinach, Mushrooms, and Caramelized Onions.

Ingredients

Caramelized onions

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 yellow onions , large, sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 
  

Creamy pasta sauce

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 10 oz mushrooms , sliced (I used button mushrooms)
• 6 oz spinach
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese , shredded
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 
  

Pasta

• 8 oz farfalle pasta
• 
  

Instructions

How to caramelize onions:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil on medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add sliced onions and cook on high heat for about 10 minutes, constantly stirring with the spatula.
2. The onions should start to brown, but without burning.
3. Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking onions for 10 more minutes, continuing to stir, as onions brown even more without burning. At this point add a pinch of salt over onions.
4. Continue cooking for 10 more minutes on medium or low heat, stirring occasionally to make sure onions don’t stick to the bottom of the pan or burn.
5. In total, you should have cooked onions for 30 minutes.
6. Remove the skillet from heat and sprinkle the onions with a small amount of balsamic vinegar to deglaze the pan.
7. Using a spatula, stir the onions, scraping the bottom of the pan and coating onions with a pinch of balsamic vinegar you just added. Remove caramelized onions to a plate.

How to cook mushrooms and spinach:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in the same skillet on medium heat. Add sliced mushrooms. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt.
2. Cook mushrooms for about 5 minutes, occasionally stirring, until mushrooms are soft.
3. Add fresh spinach to the skillet and stir on low heat just until spinach starts to wilt.

How to make creamy pasta sauce:

1. Add half-and-half to the mushroom and spinach mixture and bring to a quick boil. Immediately reduce to simmer.
2. Add 2/3 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Keep stirring while the sauce simmers until the cheese melts.
3. Add caramelized onions back to the skillet with the pasta sauce.

Cook pasta:

1. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain.
2. Add cooked and drained farfalle pasta to the creamy sauce. Stir on low heat for a couple of minutes to reheat.

3. If the sauce is too thick, add a small amount of half-and-half to thin it out. If it is too thin, add a small amount of shredded Parmesan cheese, and stir it in, while the sauce simmers.

4. Serve with more shredded parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

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Vintage Tea Time

Sophia Loren

"My philosophy is that it's better to explore life and make mistakes than to play it safe and not to explore at all."

 "After all these years, I am still involved in the process of self-discovery. It's better to explore life and make mistakes than to play it safe. Mistakes are part of the dues one pays for a full life." 

- Sophia Loren, 'Sophia, Living & Loving: Her Own Story'.

Wise Words - Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Rustic Decorating - There is virtue in country houses, in gardens and orchards, in fields, streams and groves, in rustic recreations and plain manners, that neither cities nor universities enjoy. Amos Bronson Alcott