Creamy Ravioli
When I was a young teen in the early '70s, I can remember coming to breakfast one morning and my father was sitting at the end of the table crabbing about his breakfast.
My father had eaten the same thing for breakfast for decades. Two poached eggs, 2 pieces of toast slathered with butter, and on many occasions, a couple of pieces of bacon.
Now he sat there staring at a bowl of cereal.
I guess he must have had a physical. His doctor told him to quit eating eggs and suggested that he have cereal instead. So my father was staring down at a bowl of Cornflakes. He was not excited.
My father never had a weight problem. Maybe his cholesterol was rising. That would explain the doctor of the day telling him to quit eating eggs. It was all over the news: Eating fat causes cholesterol to rise. So stop eating fat. Stop eating eggs.
If you are anywhere near my age, you are going to find this video link very interesting...
Read the full column at PlanZDiet.com
Creamy Ravioli
This whole dinner comes together in about 15 minutes. There are just days when you can’t make everything from scratch. You need something you can get on the dinner table quickly. This dish uses pre-made ravioli. Yeah, it’s a processed food but many of them now are fresh and even organic.
Servings: Serves 2-3
Ingredients:
10-12 oz of ravioli. Find it in the refrigerated section. The packages vary in size, so I gave you a range. Most flavors will work: sausage, mushroom, or even straight cheese.
1 Tbl of olive oil
1/4 cup of unsalted butter
2 Tbl of minced garlic
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/8 teaspoon of cayenne (optional)
2 cups of heavy cream
1 1/2 cups of grated parmesan
1/2 cup of white wine. I used chardonnay but most unsweet ones will work. If you don’t drink you can use vegetable broth.
2 cups of fresh baby spinach
6 ounces (~1/2 C) of sundried tomatoes. Buy the ones in oil that come in strips. Loosely chop them into little bits.
Instructions:
Get your water ready and put it on high. When it comes to a boil, you’ll be ready to put in your pasta. Add a drizzle of olive oil to the water and stir when you put in the pasta. Follow the directions on the package for cooking time.
While the ravioli is cooking you can make your sauce. You can even start your sauce before you put the ravioli in the boiling water. That will speed things up. In a large saute pan, add one tablespoon of olive oil and all the butter. Once the butter is melted, add the Italian seasoning and the cayenne. The cayenne just gives the sauce a little brightness. It does not make it spicy unless you add more. Add the garlic to the pan and cook for another minute. Don’t burn the garlic.
Add the wine/broth to the pan and simmer for two to three minutes, then stir in the cream. Bring it to a gentle bubble. You want it bubbling so it will reduce but you don’t want it to boil over. Whisk often. Cook another six to eight minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add the parmesan cheese and stir it in until it melts and makes the sauce all yummy gooey.
Add the spinach and sundried tomatoes. Gently stir the sauce and then carefully add the cooked and drained ravioli. Stir carefully so all of the ravioli gets plenty of sauce. Serve while it’s hot.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Zola
