Month: July 2013

Meat Ravioli

Well Dined | Homemade Meat Ravioli

A couple of weeks ago, I posted about some gorgeous beet and goat cheese raviolis that I made.  Jasper enjoyed those, but what he really wanted was meaty ravioli – so of course I made some for him!

Well Dined | Homemade Meat Ravioli

The process is exactly the same, just with a different filling.  And let me say, I REALLY like this filling.  My favorite mixture of beef, pork, and veal (sold as “meatloaf mix” in most stores) is browned with butter, olive oil, onion, and garlic.  Then prosciutto, Parmesan, nutmeg, and an egg are added, along with salt and pepper.  The filling is completely cooked (except for the egg) before it goes into the ravioli because fresh ravioli only cook for a minute or two.

Well Dined | Homemade Meat Ravioli

I served them with a creamy tomato sauce, yum! (more…)

Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese

Well Dined | Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese

Melissa of Smells Like Brownies has been doing a CSA this year, so for one of our weekly vegetarian lunches we decided to use up some of the beets and lettuce she had received.  This super delicious and filling salad involves sweet roasted beets, fragrant toasted walnuts, and creamy goat cheese.  Simple and fresh – this is a great way to enjoy beets!

Warm Beet and Chèvre Salad
from Smells Like Brownies
serves 2

Ingredients:
3/4 lb beets (about 3 medium)
6 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil, plus extra as needed
1 tbsp honey
salt and black pepper
1 wheat baguette, cut into 1/4″ slices
1 medium head lettuce, such as Bibb or Boston
1/3 cup walnuts, lightly toasted, chopped
1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
4–6 oz goat cheese

Preheat oven to 350°.  Wrap the beets tightly in foil and roast them for 1–1.5 hours, or until they are soft enough to pierce through the thickest part with a butter knife.  Unwrap the beets and let them cool 10–15 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, honey, and olive oil in a small bowl.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Set aside.

Lightly brush the baguette slices with olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt.  Set the slices on a cookie sheet and broil in the oven for 3 minutes.

Rinse and tear up the lettuce.  Sprinkle the toasted, chopped nuts and oregano over the greens.

When the beets are cool enough to handle, rub the skins off the flesh.  Cut the beets into slices or wedges and sprinkle over the salad.

Top the salad with crumbled goat cheese and a drizzle of the oil and vinegar dressing.

Homemade Veggie Burgers

Well Dined | Homemade Veggie Burgers

Oddly enough, Melissa (Smells Like Brownies) and I both ended up with no plans for the 4th of July this year.  So we decided to go about our weekly vegetarian lunch as usual and, in spirit of the typical holiday food, decided to try making veggie burgers.  Based on her memory of a particularly delicious restaurant version and a couple of online recipes, we came up with our ingredients.

Well Dined | Homemade Veggie Burgers

Mushrooms and lentils were to be the base; with the help of carrots, onion, garlic, and cheddar cheese.

Well Dined | Homemade Veggie Burgers

We seasoned with salt and pepper, thyme, and dry mustard, then bound it together with breadcrumbs and egg.  We saved the “fancy” breadcrumbs (panko) to form a bit of a crust on the outside of the patties.  We learned the hard way that you definitely want to let the mixture chill in the fridge for about 30 min before you form the patties, or you will have a hard time. (more…)

Fig, Mascarpone, and Goat Cheese Galette with Coconut

Well Dined | Fig, Mascarpone, and Goat Cheese Galette with Coconut

This rustic beauty came about by accident.  I had intended to make a cherry pie, but my plans for obtaining cherries fell through.  So I ended up with some pie dough and nothing else.  I went to the store to see what fruit was available and found some Turkish figs.  “This could definitely work,” I thought.  Then I thought of a creamy smear of mascarpone underneath, and oh!  What if I added in some goat cheese, too?

Well Dined | Fig, Mascarpone, and Goat Cheese Galette with Coconut

So I dumped a container each of goat cheese and mascarpone cheese into bowl with some honey and mixed them together.  Then I got to thinking, “What about some cardamom in here?”  So in it went.

Well Dined | Fig, Mascarpone, and Goat Cheese Galette with Coconut

I rolled out my pie dough and spread the cheese mixture over it.  I only ended up using half of it, but it made a great dip for crackers and fruit so that was fine.  I arranged the quartered figs over the spread and then had another thought.  “You know what goes great with cardamom?  Coconut!”  So I dug out some sweetened coconut flakes from the pantry to sprinkle over the top.  A brush of cold water and sprinkling of turbinado sugar later, and my masterpiece was ready to bake.

Well Dined | Fig, Mascarpone, and Goat Cheese Galette with Coconut

I threw a lot of ingredients into here, but they ended up blending perfectly.  The spread sort of merged with the flaky crust to make a creamy base for the figs; and the coconut came out perfectly toasted.  Bonus?  My husband was out of town and I got to eat the whole thing myself!  This recipe may have been an accident, but I will definitely be making it again. (more…)

Caprese Stuffed Burgers

Well Dined | Caprese Stuffed Burgers

Hello, Summer!  Juicy tomatoes, creamy mozzarella, and fresh basil, all stuffed inside a hearty burger – oh yeah, baby!

Well Dined | Caprese Stuffed Burgers

This is a fairly straightforward recipe, the key is in the setup – have all of your ingredients close by and ready to go.  Season your beef however you like (I put bacon in mine!) and form into thin patties; make an indentation in the center.

Well Dined | Caprese Stuffed Burgers

Load up with halved grape tomatoes, fresh mozzarella bits, and ribbons of basil.

Well Dined | Caprese Stuffed Burgers

Place another thin patty on top and seal the edges to encase the filling.

Well Dined | Caprese Stuffed Burgers

Then grill as you normally would!

Inspired by Menu Musings of a Modern American Mom

2941

I’ve written about 2941 before (here and here), but not since they revamped their restaurant to be a little more casual and less intimidating.  We had been checking their ever changing menu online, but nothing really caught our eye until recently.  Then, all of a sudden, the whole menu matched what we were craving and off we went!  Be aware that this menu is from a few months ago.

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Steak tartare with basil, Parmesan, toasted bread, and micro greens.  This is really a 1 per person size, and trust me – you won’t want to share.

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Zucchini fritters with a feta and mint dip; salmon carpaccio.

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Beet salad (sorry for the fuzzy photo – somebody was impatient to eat it).

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Tuna tartare with avocado, crispy shallots, and jalapeno.  I was actually I little disappointed because the avocado was more like guacamole, which wasn’t what I was looking for.  But by no means was it bad.

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Asparagus ravioli with white asparagus, mint, thyme, burrata, and Parmesan.

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Duck confit ravioli with tomato jam and fiddlehead ferns.

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Yummy steak fritte dish.

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Strawberry shortcake with coconut, shredded phyllo, and white tea ice cream.

Overall, everything was as fresh and beautiful as it’s always been and the more relaxed atmosphere was refreshing.  I don’t think the remarketing has done any damage to 2941 and I hope it helps to bring in more people.

Mexican Style Quinoa Salad

Well Dined | Mexican Style Quinoa Salad

This vegetarian/vegan meal that I made with Melissa of Smells Like Brownies is perfect for summer.  It is light and fresh (but still filling), takes advantage of summer produce, and is packed with protein.

Well Dined | Mexican Style Quinoa Salad

All you have to do is combine the ingredients – corn, tomato, avocado, bell pepper, scallions, jalapeno, black beans, cooked quinoa.

Well Dined | Mexican Style Quinoa Salad

Then toss with a dressing of lime, olive oil, honey, and cumin.

Well Dined | Mexican Style Quinoa Salad

Top with some fresh cilantro (or parsley if you, like me, are not a fan) and your perfect summer lunch awaits!  You can serve it warm, cold, or room temp – doesn’t matter.  The ingredient list is also totally flexible, go with whatever ratio of quinoa to veg you like, take out the stuff you don’t like, add in something you do, make it yours. (more…)

Red, White, and Blue Trifle

Well Dined | Red, White, and Blue Trifle

This is a classic desert that works really well for Independence Day (Anything with berries does, really).  It’s quick to put together and very pretty, so keep it in mind for next year!

All you need is sponge cake, pound cake, or lady fingers; canned custard or pudding mix; whipped cream; and fruit.  Then layer them up however you want and let it sit together in the fridge for a few hours to meld.

Well Dined | Red, White, and Blue Trifle

I used lady fingers (brushed with Cointreau), vanilla pudding, whipped cream, strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries.  The amounts depend on your serving dish and your preferential ratio of fruit to cream.  I used 2 packs of lady fingers, 2 boxes of pudding, 1 can of whipped cream, 1 medium container of strawberries, and 1 pint each of blue berries and raspberries.  My layers were lady fingers, pudding, strawberries, whipped cream, lady fingers, pudding, whipped cream, blueberries and raspberries.  I probably could have used more berries.

Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Ravioli

Well Dined | Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Ravioli

I recently bought a pasta roller and learned to start making my own pasta (you can read about my first adventure here).  One of the very first things that I made on my own was this gorgeous roasted beet and goat cheese ravioli.

Well Dined | Imperia Pasta Roller

Here is my lovely pasta roller!

Well Dined | Norpro Ravioli Press

This is my ravioli press – lay a sheet of pasta over it, and use a plastic mold to press down and form pockets.

Well Dined | Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Ravioli

Then place the filling into the pockets – check out the crazy fuschia color of the beet filling! (more…)

Garlic Scapes

Well Dined | Garlic Scapes

I saw these guys at the Farmers Market and though, “What the heck are those?”  So out came the phone and Google searching commenced.  Garlic Scapes, as it turns out, are a shoot that grows out of the top of the garlic plant.  They need to be removed so that the plant can focus on growing the bulb instead of flowering.  This is fortunate, because the also happen to be insanely delicious.  They taste like garlic, but without the bite, and can be used like scallions.

Well Dined | Garlic Scapes

I bought myself a big handful and set about looking up recipes.  The most common way to use them is in a pesto, so of course I did not make that… because I’m weird.

Well Dined | Garlic Scape Carbonara

Instead, I made carbonara – with guanciale (cuz I’m legit) and peas (which put an end to my legit-ness, but I don’t care cuz I love peas).  You are probably wondering what the heck I am talking about, I don’t blame you.  Here is a link to a great article about the do’s and dont’s of real carbonara.  TLDR (too long, didn’t read for all you non-techies) – while bacon and pancetta are acceptable, guanciale is the best; peas are a definite don’t.

Well Dined | Garlic Scape and Gruyere Biscuits with Goat Butter

I also made biscuits – with garlic scapes, Gruyere, and goat butter (another new obsession of mine). (more…)