maitake mushroom ravioli

dlb said to me this morning that he felt like we've been eating gourmet this weekend. and yes indeed, I feel that way too. it's so easy to feel gourmet with just a little time and the right recipes. and the freshest food of course. the Portland Farmers Market opened for the season yesterday and I can't begin to express how much I love being able to buy food that's locally grown and produced. we came home with a bundle of food ready to be whipped in to delightful meals.
ravioli always seemed like something that was too difficult to make and waaaaay too time comsuming. and it probably could be if I had my own pasta maker and really got in to making dough... which I hope to do one day. but for now all it took was a quick trip to the pasta market in town for some sheets of fresh pasta and we were set to make our own ravioli.

Maitake Mushroom Ravioli
makes 2 large servings

:: for filling ::
2 tbsp butter
1 small shallot, diced
1 lb of fresh maitake mushrooms, chopped
1 tbsp fresh thyme
1 tbsp vegetable stock
1/4 cup grated gruyere cheese

• heat butter on a large skillet over medium heat. add shallots and saute until almost translucent.
• add mushrooms and toss to coat. cook until juices have been released, about 8 minutes.
• add thyme and vegetable stock and cook for 1 more minute.
• transfer mushroom mixture to a food processor. mix in gruyere cheese and blend until a consistency of a thick hummus. set aside.

:: for ravioli ::
2 sheets of pasta, about 12" x 8" wide.
1 egg

• coat both sheets of pasta with egg.
• spoon mushroom mixture into little balls on sheets, making 16 evenly spaced ravioli.
• brush egg along "trim lines" before applying the second sheet to the top. once the second sheet has been put onto the top of the first sheet, run your fingers along the seams to seal the two and form ravioli. if you have a ravioli cutter, use this to trim the squares. if not, simply a knife will work too. {I used a pizza cutter} if seams have split open, use your fingers to seal them shut.

• heat water to boiling in a large pot.
• ravioli only take about a minute or so to cook, so when they begin to float to the top, they are probably done. remove from water with a slotted spoon.

:: for olive oil sauce ::
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp fresh ground green pepper
finishing salt like fleur de sel or truffel salt.

• heat oil in a small sauce pan with pepper flakes, oregano and pepper over medium low heat.
• after ravioli is cooked, toss to coat, adding finishing salt to taste.
• grate a small bit of gruyere cheese on top per taste.

eggplant creme...

these are definitely going on my "things I want to cook" list.
babe, I'll wait till you get home, but I can't promise I won't bake more biscuits.
{from veganyumyum}

grown-up veggie fajitas

when I was in college, just starting off being on my own, the first thing I learned to cook was fajitas. I had a tiny shared kitchen across the hall from my dorm room with two tiny burners and a tiny bit of counter space. I invited my friends to come over for a feast of fajitas - easy fajitas - with a package of spices, sliced up chicken breasts, and veggies galore. I even taught one of my good friends how to cook fajitas and she remembers that to this day. as I grew up, my love for fajitas or Mexican food for that matter, has never stopped. and of course it progressed into quesadilla and enchilada making too, but that's for another day.
once cooking developed into a real passion of mine, I sought out to create the best tasting fajitas. since I don't eat meat, this recipe is only with veggies, but feel free to add whatever meat of your choice. you can also substitute some meaty portabello mushrooms or tofu. whatever sounds good! this is an easy, but delicious tasting meal that is perfect for gatherings or quick dinners with the family.
Grown-Up Veggie Fajitas

:: for fajita spice ::
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cumin
1/4 tsp all spice
pinch of salt

• mix all ingredients together in a small bowl.

:: for veggies ::
2 large green peppers, sliced
1 large onion, sliced
2 large cloves of garlic
1 small yellow chili
1 tbsp olive oil
fajita spices
1/8 cup water
sour cream
6 flour tortillas - warmed up
monterey jack cheese

• heat oil on a large skillet at medium heat. {if adding meat, you can cook it in the pan with oil before you add veggies. just make sure to drain the fat off before adding veggies.}
• add veggies all at once, tossing to coat in olive oil. cook until onions are almost translucent and peppers are soft.
• add fajita spice and water. coat evenly with spices. reduce heat and cover for 5-10 minutes.
• prepare tortillas with sour cream and evenly distribute veggies in a line down the middle of the tortilla. top with cheese and roll up.

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monterey jack asparagus pizza

what better way to start off Milk + Eggs + Chocolate than with one of my favorite things ever... pizza. I often tell my boyfriend, dlb, that if I were to do one more thing with my life, that I'd open a pizza shop/bakery. I love being experimental with pizza and throwing all sorts of unexpected things on top of it. I enjoy using all different types of cheese, rather than limiting myself to simply mozzarella. I also prefer to make my own dough and let it rise, though many pizza places will let you buy a round ball of dough. you can also find many perfectly good organic pre-made pizza crusts or doughs at the supermarket.
for this pizza, most of my inspiration was during my trip to the Farmer's Market last weekend. to be quite honest, pizza has become sort of a "fall back" dinner in our house. if nothing else, we usually have cheese, flour, yeast, and some sort of topping. so while browsing the food and flowers at the Farmer's Market, I asked dlb what he wanted for dinner. immediately, he replied pizza. so as soon as we bumped in to a massive pile of asparagus at one of the vendors, I instantly began thinking of a white pizza with long bright green stems of asparagus neatly arranged on top. that night, the Monterey Jack Asparagus Pizza was born.
and it was so good, I baked it the next night too.

Monterey Jack Asparagus Pizza
makes one 14" round pizza

pre-heat oven to 425˚

:: for dough ::
3/4 cup unbleached white flour
1 package rapid rise yeast
1/2 tsp fine grain sea salt
1/2 cup very hot water
1 tbsp honey
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
extra white flour for dusting
1/8 cup semolina flour for bottom of crust

• whisk together white flour, yeast, and sea salt in a large bowl.
• mix honey and hot water together in a heat proof cup and pour into flour mixture. mix water with flour until smooth. pour wheat flour into mixture and mix until just blended.
• place dough onto a floured surface and knead until blended and soft, about 15-20 times. I tend to knead my dough until it "feels right", so after a few times creating this pizza dough, you'll know what I mean.
• form dough into a ball and cover with bowl. allow dough to rise at least 30 minutes.

:: for topping ::
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium sized shallot, about a 1/4 cup chopped
about 15 stems of asparagus
1 cup spinach
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup Monterey jack cheese

• heat olive oil on medium heat in a heavy skillet. add shallots to skillet and cook for 3 minutes.
• snap the hard ends off of the asparagus by holding one side in your hand and gently pushing down on the other side until the stem naturally snaps. add to skillet and mix with shallots. cook for about 10 minutes, or until shallots are browned. separate asparagus and shallots in skillet so that adding them to the pizza is easiest.

• meanwhile, after dough has had enough time to rise, gently pick it up to make sure that none of the dough has stuck to your surface. spread out semolina onto your surface, then place the dough back in the center. carefully roll out the dough until it's about 1/4" thick.
• spread ricotta cheese evenly in center of dough, leaving about a 1" border on the outside.
• arrange spinach on top of ricotta.
• place asparagus stems artfully around pizza, concentrating on covering. sprinkle shallots on top.
• lastly, generously top pizza with Monterey jack cheese, making sure to cover all open spots.

Al's note: I find that when I bake pizzas that have heavier or larger toppings they are often difficult to transfer from the prep surface to the stone. for this pizza I used a baking sheet and prepared my pizza on the baking sheet for easy transfer.

• if using a pizza stone, place pizza directly onto the stone and bake for 10 minutes.
• if using a baking sheet, line with a sheet of parchment paper and cook for 15 minutes or until crust is golden.

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