Food and Crafts for All Occasions

Lamb Ragout with Ricotta and Arugula

Here's my take on the popular Italian Bolognese sauce. I make it quite nontraditional so I just refer to it as 'meat ragout' in order not to tease authenticity advocates. (Who knows how pissed I would be if someone served me borsch with sweet potatoes instead of regular ones…)

Instead of beef I take lamb as it has more robust and pronounced flavor that is not easily overpowered by tomatoes. I also add ricotta, which softens the acidity of the sauce and gives it a nice creamy texture, and arugula to balance out the richness with its fresh peppery bite.

Nokedli or Spaetzle, Super Simple Homemade Pasta

Nokedli (Hungarian) or Spaetzle (German) is a free-form pasta made from a thick batter that is grated into boiling water through a special nokedli/spaetzle maker or pressed through a colander.

Langoustine, Ricotta and Spinach Ravioli with Lemon Brown Butter

I was raiding my bottomless freezer yesterday and came across an open package of cooked langoustines from Trader Joe’s. I remember they tasted quite unremarkable and that’s why were exiled to the freezer in the first place.

Spicy Miso Soup with Chicken, Mushrooms and Soba Noodles

I’m introducing a new category into my blog: quick fix. I already have one called  “easy peasy”, but easy peasy doesn’t always equal to quick. Some simple things can take quite a while to cook. Like, for instance, a majority of braised meats, which, as a rule, take no more than a half hour of prep work, but up to 5-6 hours of actual braising time. Quick fixes, on the other hand, are really fast, but not necessarily super easy to make.

Dungeness Crab Season: Crab Ravioli with Lemon Asparagus Sauce

I hope my lengthy “pasta saga” didn’t discourage you in making crab ravioli, the recipe of which I promised a couple of days ago. Here they are and right on time - even though local whole cooked crabs are still in stores, they are getting more expensive, which means that their season is coming to an end. So, if you live in Seattle, hurry up to catch the last chance.

How to Make Ravioli: Several Techniques

 

Here's how I make raviloi.

How to Make Colored Pasta

 

Here's some ideas how to make your pasta look more festive and taste more complex.

Two Basic Pasta Doughs: Egg and Eggless

Today I was planning to post crab ravioli (yep, local crabs are still in season), but then – oops! - I remembered that I hadn’t posted pasta dough recipe yet. First things first:  I’ll give you several varieties of my pasta dough and then proceed to ravioli and other pasta formats.

Perfect Winter Dish: Coconut Curry Laksa

Laksa, the specialty of Malaysian and Singaporean cuisine, is a fragrant and spicy noodle soup that is a perfect warming and cheering-up dish for a regular sunny and pleasant rainy and gray Seattle’s winter.