This one is for all my gluten free and vegetarian friends…an easy and very flavorful side dish, or even as a main meal.

Spaghetti squash (also called vegetable spaghetti, noodle squash, vegetable marrow, spaghetti marrow, and squaghetti) is a group of cultivars of Cucurbita pepo subsp. pepo.[1] The fruit can range either from ivory to yellow or orange in color. The orange varieties have a higher carotene content. Its center contains many large seeds. Its flesh is bright yellow or orange. When raw, the flesh is solid and similar to other raw squash; when cooked, the flesh falls away from the fruit in ribbons or strands like spaghetti.

Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti Squash

You will need:

1 2lb. spaghetti squash
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus additional oil for drizzling over squash
½ onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt & freshly ground black pepper
red pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
¼ cup parmesan cheese
1 14.5 ounce can petite diced tomatoes, strained & rinsed
2 tablespoons Panko Breadcrumbs

Using a sharp knife, cut the squash in half, lengthwise, scoop out and discard the seeds from center of the squash.  Place squash cut side down in a microwavable pan.  Add 1 inch of water to the pan.  Cover the squash with plastic wrap, microwave for 10 minutes.DSC_0045

Meanwhile, in a small skillet over medium heat, add olive oil.  When oil is hot add chopped onion, garlic, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes (to taste), cook over medium low heat until onion is soft, about 5 minutes.  DSC_0050

When cooked, remove squash from microwave.  Place squash on a cutting board; use a fork to remove the strands of the “spaghetti” squash, place in a mixing bowl.DSC_0051 DSC_0055

Add chopped parsley, basil, parmesan cheese, tomatoes, salt and freshly ground black pepper to spaghetti squash.  Mix until combined.  Fill each squash skin with mixture, divided evenly.

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Top each half with 1 tablespoon Panko bread crumbs.  Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil (if desired).  Place squash in a preheated 350° oven, bake for 15-20 minutes or until squash is golden brown.  DSC_0065 Buon Appetito!!!

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Baked Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

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Season’s 52 Goat Cheese Ravioli Copycat

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I just LOVE Season’s 52 Restaurant…the food is aways fresh, healthy, and of course, seasonal.  Last month Bob took me there for my birthday and I had this wonderful appetizer, goat cheese ravioli….YUM!!!!  Last week I had a dinner party and thought that would be the perfect first course for my party.  So I searched the internet and found a couple of copycat recipes…then the fun began…making it my own.  I was very surprised that the ravioli is actually made with egg roll wrappers, thus making it very very easy for any home cook to prepare.

First off, know that this probably isn’t something you would make during the week after working all day, but for a fun Saturday or Sunday cooking experience, it really is very easy, just a little time consuming.

Preparing the filling is what you will do first.  One thing I LOVE about this ravioli is you can make them up way in advance and they will be fine in the refrigerator until ready to use.  You will need 1 11 or 12 ounce log of goat cheese, mozzarella, ricotta, parmesan, one egg, white pepper, fresh basil and whatever other shredded cheese you would like (I also used some shredded provolone.  Place all of the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth and creamy.

Thinly sliced fresh basil

Thinly sliced fresh basil

On a clean work surface, place 1 egg roll wrapper and brush with an egg wash (1 egg plus 1 teaspoon water).

Eggwash

In center of wrapper, place one scoop of cheese mixture and lay another egg roll wrapper over cheese.  Press and seal the edges, pushing out all the air pockets.Press edgesUsing a knife or a ravioli cutter, trim ravioli.  If desired, place a small bowl over ravioli and trace bowl for a perfect circle.DSC_0006Perfect circle

Repeat until all wrappers are used or filling.  My recipes makes 9 ravioli, or one full package of egg roll wrappers.  Place raviolis on a sheet pan, cover and refrigerate until ready to poach.Prepared raviolis

Ingredients for Sauce

To prepare the sauce, in a large sauté pan add 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter, cook over medium heat until butter is melted.  Add 1-2 small shallots or ½ onion, finely chopped, garlic and white pepper.  (I had a package of baby portobello mushrooms in the frig, so I thinly sliced them and added them with the shallots and garlic).  Cook until shallots are soft, about 3-5 minutes.  Deglaze pan with white wine (of drinkable quality) and simmer until wine has reduced by half.  Add tomatoes, chicken stock, and a couple sprigs of fresh thyme, simmer 10 minutes.
Portobellos and ThymeAt this point you can either turn off the heat until ready to prepare the raviolis or cook them (yes it really is that easy…you know the saying, “less is best”)!  When ready to cook the ravioli, remove from the frig, bring sauce up to a boil, place 2-3 ravioli in sauce (depending on your pan) and poach 1 minute.  Poached RavioliRemove ravioli with a slotted spoon and place in bowl or plate.  Repeat until all ravioli’s are cooked.  Ladle remaining sauce over ravioli.  Top with a drop of lemon infused olive oil (not necessary but very yummy) and top with freshly grated cheese.

DSC_0028In a bowl

Season’s 52 Sonoma Goat Cheese Ravioli Copycat

Yield: 8-9 Servings
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes

Ravioli:
1 one pound package egg roll wraps
11 or 12 ounce log of goat cheese
4 ounces ricotta cheese
¼ cup shredded mozzarella
¼ cup shredded provolone
1 tablespoon parmesan cheese
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
Egg wash (1 egg slightly beaten with 1 teaspoon of water)

Sauce:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 shallot, sliced thinly
1 glove garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon white pepper
½ cup dry white wine, of drinkable quality
1 14.5 ounce cans petite diced tomatoes
3 cups chicken stock
few springs of fresh thyme
¼ cup fresh spinach, cut into thin strips
Parmesan cheese, for garnish
Lemon oil, for a gourmet touch

Ravioli:
In the bowl of a food processor, add cheese, egg, pepper and basil, process until combined.

Place one egg roll wrappers on work area, brush with egg wash. Place 2 heaping tablespoons cheese filling in center of each roll. Lay another egg roll wrap over cheese. Press and seal the edges, pushing out all air pockets. Trim ravioli with a round cutter and place on a baking sheet. Repeat until until filling is all used (should make 8 or 9). Place raviolis in refrigerator until ready to cook.

Sauce:
In a 5 quart stock pot over medium heat, add butter and oil, cook until butter is melted. Add shallots, garlic, and white pepper. Cook until shallots are soft, about 3-5 minutes.

Add wine and simmer until wine has reduced in half. Add tomatoes and chicken stock. Simmer 5 minutes. Keep sauce over medium low heat until ready to cook ravioli.

To cook ravioli:
Place ravioli on slotted spoon and into the simmering stock to poach for one minute. Remove from stock, place in bowl. Continue cooking remaining ravioli. Add spinach to stock, simmer 1-2 minutes (remove thyme sprigs). Ladle sauce over ravioli, sprinkle with grated cheese and a drop of lemon oil.

Buon Appetito!

Baked Stuffed Lobsters

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I just love traditions!  Our annual New Year’s Eve tradition is a wonderful lobster meal.  This year I stuffed the lobsters, purchased some shrimp fried rice at a local Chinese restaurant and some cole slaw from Germantown Commissary.  Yum!  What  a meal!

First purchase a couple of lobsters from your local grocery store.  Bob is the “killer of the lobster” person in our house.  I suppose I could do it, but I really like getting him involved in cooking.  Never had a lobster before we started dating back in 1971.  Bob’s family had a home on Long Island Sound and Bob grew up tending lobster pots with his dad.  I can remember the first time I had a lobster at his parents house,  his dad showed me how to open the little guy…but by the time I had it opened the meat was cold….hehehe.  Good memories.

Place lobster on his back

Place lobster on a cutting board.  Cut open the lobster by inserting your knife just underneath the head and the cutting down, splitting the belly (body and tail). Remove the “inners” (heart, guts, etc., but not meat).  Remove the black vein and rinse under cold running water.  Place lobster on baking sheet.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Remove the black vein

Remove the black vein

In a medium size skillet over medium high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of clarified butter.  Add shallot, celery, red pepper and lemon seasoning.  Saute until soft, about 10 minutes.  Deglaze vegetables with wine, sherry (I just love Harvey’s Bristol Cream in lobster recipes) and lemon juice.  Cook an additional 5 minutes over low heat.  Remove pan from stove.  Add 4 ounces of salad shrimp,  pankos, parmesan cheese and chopped fresh parsley, mix until well combined.

Chopped shallots, celery and red pepper

Chopped shallots, celery and red pepper

Place lobsters on baking sheet, stuff inside with stuffing and drizzle lobsters with 2 tablespoons of remaining clarified butter.

Stuff lobster

Stuff lobster

Place in preheated oven and bake 15-20 minutes, or until the tail reaches an internal temperature of 140° on an instant-read thermometer.  This meal would be very expensive in a restaurant, but you can make this at home for a fraction of that cost.  It’s really pretty easy, and not that time consuming.  I hope you try this wonderful lobster recipe at home and feel free to leave me your comments.  Bon Appetite!

Baked Stuffed Lobsters

2 live 1 1/2 pound lobsters
salt and pepper to taste
6 tablespoons clarified butter, divided
1 small shallot, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, diced
1/4 red pepper, diced
1/4 teaspoon Weber® Zesty Lemon & Seafood Seasoning
2 tablespoons white wine, drinkable quality
1 tablespoon Harvey’s Bristol Cream
juice of 1/2 lemon
4 ounces cooked and peeled salad shrimp, rinsed (can be found in the frozen seafood section of your grocery store)
1/2 cup Pankos
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Prepare lobsters for stuffing.  Cut open the lobster by inserting your knife just underneath the head and the cutting down, splitting the belly (body and tail). Remove the “inners” (heart, guts, etc., but not meat).  Rinse lobster under cold water.  Lightly season inside of lobsters with salt and pepper.

In a medium size skillet over medium high heat, melt clarified butter.  Add shallot, celery red pepper and lemon seasoning.  Saute until soft, about 10 minutes.  Deglaze vegetables with wine, sherry and lemon juice.  Cook and additional 5 minutes over low heat.  Remove pan from stove.  Add remaining ingredients and mix until well combined.

Place lobsters on baking sheet and stuff inside with stuffing.  Drizzle each lobster with 2 tablespoons of remaining clarified butter.  Place in preheated oven and bake 15-20 minutes, or until the tail reaches an internal temperature of 140° on an instant-read thermometer.