Chicken Ravioli with Coconut-Cilantro Sauce

We love making our own pasta from scratch, when we have the time and energy.  It is actually a lot easier than most people think, and there are endless ways to make it a little different each time.  This recipe was Sean's inspiration to try and infuse some Asian flavors into a typically Italian dish.  So, we made a chicken filling with garlic, ginger, onion, and spices.  When we made the pasta dough, we added tumeric and coriander to give it a brighter color.  We also put some coconut milk in the dough along with the egg.  For the sauce, we used coconut milk, cilantro, lime, and a jalapeno pepper.  It was a cool green color, slightly sweet and tangy to go on top of our rich and savory chicken ravioli.  Our only complaint was that we didn't make more to have for leftovers!

Ingredients:

For the dough-

200 g (about 2 cups) of flour.  We used half semolina and half all-purpose, but you could do all regular flour if you don't have semolina.  The dough is all about texture, so you may need a bit more or less flour than this amount depending on how your dough feels.

1 egg

3 T coconut milk (or one additional egg)

1 t tumeric

1/2 t coriander

1/2 t cumin

For the filling:

1 cup shredded chicken

1/2 onion, finely diced

2 t ginger garlic paste (or one t each of minced ginger and garlic)

1/2 t salt

1/2 t cumin

1 t fish sauce

For the sauce:

1 1/2 cups coconut milk

1 jalapeno pepper, roughly chopped

1 cup cilantro leaves

Juice of half a lime

Directions:

Begin with the pasta dough because it needs time to rest.  On a flat working surface, heap your flour in a mound and create a well in the center.  In the well, add the egg and coconut milk and whisk to combine.  Begin incorporating the dough from the inside of the well slowly, until you have a ball of sticky dough.  Add the tumeric, coriander, and cumin and continue mixing with your hands.

Start kneading the dough, adding more flour a little at a time.  You want to keep adding flour until the dough no longer sticks to your hands when you are kneading.  Knead for about 5 minutes until you have a soft smooth ball of dough.  Cover with a kitchen towel and let it rest for at least 30 minutes.

Next, prepare your ravioli filling.  In a medium skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat and saute the onion for about 5 minutes with 1/2 t of salt. Add the ginger-garlic paste and cook for one minute longer.  Remove from heat.  In a small food processor, combine the chicken, onion mixture, cumin, and fish sauce.  Blend until well combined, but not completely smooth.

When the dough has finished resting, divide it into two parts, and start rolling out the one part on a lightly floured surface, with more flour on the side to add when it gets sticky.  Continue rolling, flipping the dough over every so often to make sure it isn't sticking to your surface.  You want it to be pretty thin, about 1/8 inch.  Try to roll the dough into the shape of a long rectangle.

Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut the edges of the dough to form a rectangle, about 4-5 inches wide.  Place about a tablespoon of filling one one side of the dough, about two inches a part.  Place a small bowl of water nearby to wet your finger and dab the edges of the dough before you fold it over to form the ravioli.  When you fold it over, start at the creased edge and press the air out before sealing the opposite edge.  Using a pasta cutter, (which also seals the edges completely) cut the outside of the raviolis to form about 2 inch squares.  If you don't have a pasta cutter, use a pizza cutter or knife, and press the outsides with a fork.

Place your finished ravioli on a plate and cover it while you continue the process with the second half of dough.  We made a few more pieces with our dough scraps, totaling 11.   They are pretty large, so it was enough for the two of us. 

Prepare your sauce so it will be ready when it comes time to boil the ravioli.  In a blender, combine the coconut milk, jalapeno pepper, and cilantro.  Blend until smooth.  Pour into a small sauce pan and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes.  Taste for salt and pepper, and add the lime juice. 

 Heat a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Drop the ravioli into the pot, about 4 at a time.  They should only need to cook for about 2 minutes per batch.  You will see them rise to a float in the pot, and after 30 more seconds remove them with a strainer or slotted spoon and continue cooking the next batch.  Serve in a bowl and spoon a generous serving of the coconut cilantro sauce on top.  Garnish with chopped cilantro.  This was so delicious!  Definitely worth the effort.

Crispy Salmon Cakes with Broccoli Slaw

These crispy salmon cakes are a great way to transform salmon into something new without losing the great flavor.  The salmon is ground and mixed with veggies and seasonings, and then coated in panko bread crumbs before shallow fried in peanut oil.  The fresh ginger and garlic add some extra zest to the cakes, and they go great with the tangy and creamy broccoli dill slaw on the side.  This definitely struck me as more of a summer dish, and we can't wait to try it out with other types of fish later this year.  You could even use these as a cheaper but equally tasty substitute for crab cakes.

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs boneless skinless salmon filet (we got ours with the skin on and then I carefully cut it off before using the fish)

1/2 red or orange bell pepper, finely diced

1/4 large red onion, finely diced

2 T minced chives or green onion

1/2 lemon, juiced

3 Tcup mayonnaise

3 T cup non-fat yogurt

1 egg

1 T ginger garlic paste (recipe below)

1/2 t coriander

1/2 t cumin

1 t salt

dash (or more) cayenne pepper

1 t fish sauce

1 t soy sauce
2 cups (approx) panko bread crumbs
1 cup peanut oil

For the Slaw: (adapted from Aarti's recipe)

1 bag of broccoli slaw mix (in the produce section with the regular bags of slaw)

1 medium shallot, minced

2 T mayonnaise

1/4 cup non-fat yogurt

1 T fresh lemon juice

2 T fresh cilantro, chopped

1 T fresh dill, chopped

1 T ginger garlic paste (recipe below)

1/4 t salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 T sunflower seeds

handful of dried cranberries (optional)

Ginger Garlic Paste:
Combine 6 garlic cloves with a three inch piece of fresh ginger, sliced, into a small food processor.  Add 2 T olive oil and blend until a paste has formed.  Use for seasoning this recipe and save the remaining in the fridge for future recipes.

Directions:

Make the slaw first so the flavors have time to combine together.  You could even do it the day before if you have time.  In a bowl combine the mayo, lemon juice, cilantro, dill, ginger garlic paste, salt, and pepper.  Then mix it with the bag of slaw.  Before serving, add the sunflower seeds and cranberries, if using.

For the salmon cakes, cut your filet into a few smaller pieces and place them in a large food processor.  Pulse on and off for about 30 seconds, scraping down the sides as necessary.  The salmon should be well blended but not completely smooth.

In a bowl, combine the onion, chives, bell pepper, ginger garlic paste, and lemon juice, and mix in salmon.

In a small bowl, combine the egg, mayo, yogurt, spices, fish sauce and soy sauce.  Pour into the salmon mixture and blend until combined. 

Before forming the cakes, I recommend chilling in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.  The mixture will be pretty wet so it was a little hard to keep them together to get into the pan.   Form the patties with your hands, using about half a cup for each one.  Coat them in the panko bread crumbs.  Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat and add 1/4 cup peanut oil.  (You will need to add a bit more in between batches).  Fry the cakes for about 3-4 minutes on each side, until they are brown and crispy.  Drain on paper towels before serving.

We served the cakes over rice, with the slaw on the side.  I wasn't sure how these would turn out since I made the recipe up but they were seriously delicious.  Crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside with lots of flavor coming from all of the spices and aromatics.  We'll definitely be making them again!

Pear, Pistachio, & Goat Cheese Pizza

We love making homemade pizza.  You can make it so many different ways and you can really use whatever ingredients you have on hand.  Other than our Thanksgiving pizza, we usually stick with a tomato sauce base, different cheeses, and a variety of toppings like onion, bacon, or peppers.  Don't get me wrong- it's always delicious, just not necessarily outside the box.   As soon as I saw this pizza recipe featured on Savour the Senses, I had to try it.  It's totally unique from any pizza we've ever made, and the beautiful picture of sweet pear slices on the pizza won me over.  Paired with salty crunchy pistachios, tangy goat cheese, and creamy mozzarella, it is a definite winner.

Ingredients:

pizza dough (enough for one pizza)

2 T olive oil

2 t dried oregano

1 t garlic powder

1/2 t black pepper

1/2 t salt

1 large shallot, sliced thinly

1/2 cup pistachios

5 oz goat cheese, crumbled

1 pear, thinly sliced

6 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded or cut into small pieces

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.   Stretch out your dough to fit on a round pizza stone (or do a square or rectangle on a baking sheet).  Drizzle with the olive oil, and sprinkle on the oregano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.  Bake the crust for 5-7 minutes.  This will allow the final product to have crispier crust.  (note- we didn't do this here, but wished we did!)  We used whole wheat crust which is why it is so dark in the photos.  

Next, evenly place the shallots on the crust, followed by the pistachios and goat cheese.

Finally, place the pear slices on top of the crust.  I tried to do a spiral design, which sort of worked out.  Then sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top.  We used fresh mozzarella so we couldn't really shred it which is why we cut it into small pieces to try and spread it out as much as possible.  

Bake for 10-15 minutes longer, until the cheese is getting brown and bubbly on top.  Cut into slices and serve!  We sprinkled more crushed pistachios on top as a garnish.

Chicken Korma

This is an easy way to try making an Indian dish for the first time- and it's healthy and delicious! (no guarantee on how authentic it is though) We got the recipe from Food Network but altered it slightly to add more flavor.  The ground chicken is a lean protein, but the yogurt adds just the right amount of creaminess to the spicy mixture.  It's not a "hot" spicy dish but you can add heat to it if you wish with your favorite hot sauce or cayenne pepper.

Ingredients:

1 large red onion; 1/2 chopped, 1/2 sliced

1 two-inch piece ginger, peeled and thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, smashed

1 t ground coriander

2 t ground cumin

1/2 t crushed fenugreek seeds

dash of cayenne pepper

Kosher salt

1/4 cup vegetable oil, plus more for brushing

1 lb ground chicken or turkey

1/2 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt, plus more for garnish

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

4 large pitas (or 8 small)

Chopped cashews and/or hot sauce, for garnish (optional)

Directions:

In a food processor, combine the chopped onion, ginger, garlic, and spices with the 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 cup of water.  Blend until a thick paste has been formed.

In a skillet, heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat.  Add the sliced onion, and cook for about 5 minutes until golden.  Add the spice paste and cook until most of the moisture is gone, for about 8-10 minutes longer. 

Next, add the meat with one more teaspoon of salt, and break it up as it cooks .  When the chicken is cooked through, add the yogurt, mixed with 1/4 cup of water.  

 

Cook for about 3-4 minutes longer and then add peas and cilantro.  Taste for more salt, and add some freshly ground pepper.  You may choose to add hot sauce here, or wait to have it as a topping.

Meanwhile, brush your pitas with olive oil and toast in a separate skillet over high heat until the outside is warmed.  Serve the chicken in the pita like a taco, and garnish with yogurt and hot sauce.   This dish would also go great over rice!