Now that I feel like I have really knocked homemade pasta dough out of the park, it is pretty much all I think about.

When things are hectic at work, and I’m clicking rapidly from email to email trying to decide which one I should tackle first, I often find myself day dreaming about all the things I can do with pasta dough.

All the things I can drench it in.

All the things I can wrap up in it.

All the things I could stuff it with.

Lots of freaking pasta awesomeness.

So lately whenever I have time to really get dirty in the kitchen, some sort of homemade pastas is being produced.

And this has been one of my favorite pastas so far.

These were simultaneously delicate and hearty and absolutely scrumptious.

You will need…

3 tablespoons olive oil olive oil

1 carrot, roughly chopped

1 celery stalk roughly chopped

1 small onion, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1 cup mushrooms, sliced

1 pound ground veal

1 bay leaf

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 teaspoons fennel seeds

1/2 cup canned tomato sauce

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

Homemade pasta dough, rolled to a 6 or 7 on a pasta roller

Water

Start by adding the carrot, celery, onion, and garlic to a food processor and blend until the veggies are pretty finely chopped.

Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it is hot and then add in the veggies.

Season with salt and pepper and stir every so often. Cook until the carrots begin to soften, about 5 minutes.

Finely chop the mushrooms in a food processor and toss them in with the veggies.

Cook the veggies and mushrooms for and addition 3 to 5 minutes. Until the mushrooms start to brown and soften.

Add the ground veal and season it well with salt and pepper.

While the veal is browning, blend the pepper flakes, fennel seeds and the bay leaf in the food processor.

Toss the spices in with the veal and cook it through.

Add in the tomato sauce to the pan and cook, stirring often until almost all the liquid is evaporated. About 2 minutes.

Stir in the parsley, remove from the heat and allow it to cool completely.

Then, lay out your pasta dough and place about 1 tablespoon of filling about 2 inches apart all down the pasta dough.

Dip your fingers or a pasty brush into some water and wet the bottom piece of pasta dough and then cover with the top layer of pasta dough.

Cut your pasta shapes and bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Cook the pasta for about five minutes, just until they float to the top of the water.

Strain the water from the pasta and serve with slow roasted tomato sauce, shitake mushroom cream sauce, or your favorite sauce.

 

Love and Beer Floats

Angela

Spiced Veal Ravioli

 3 tablespoons olive oil olive oil

1 carrot, roughly chopped

1 celery stalk roughly chopped

1 small onion, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1 cup mushrooms, sliced

1 pound ground veal

1 bay leaf

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 teaspoons fennel seeds

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

1/2 cup canned tomato sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

Homemade pasta dough, rolled to a 6 or 7 on a pasta roller

Water

Start by adding the carrot, celery, onion, and garlic to a food processor and blend until the veggies are pretty finely chopped.

Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it is hot and then add in the veggies.

Season with salt and pepper and stir every so often. Cook until the carrots begin to soften, about 5 minutes.

Finely chop the mushrooms in a food processor and toss them in with the veggies.

Cook the veggies and mushrooms for and addition 3 to 5 minutes. Until the mushrooms start to brown and soften.

Add the ground veal and season it well with salt and pepper.

While the veal is browning, blend the pepper flakes, fennel seeds and the bay leaf in the food processor.

Toss the spices in with the veal and cook it through.

Add in the tomato sauce to the pan and cook, stirring often until almost all the liquid is evaporated. About 2 minutes.

Stir in the parsley, remove from the heat and allow it to cool completely.

Then, lay out your pasta dough and place about 1 tablespoon of filling about 2 inches apart all down the pasta dough.

Dip your fingers or a pasty brush into some water and wet the bottom piece of pasta dough and then cove with the top layer of pasta dough.

Cut into your shapes and bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Cook the pasta for about five minutes, just until they float to the top of the water.

Strain the water from the pasta and serve with slow roasted tomato sauce, shitake mushroom cream sauce, or your favorite sauce. 

In my home, there are multiple inhabitants who are pretty smitten over anything lemony.

Lemony dressing, lemony pasta, and most of all, lemony desserts.

So any time we somehow come into many lemons, I bust out the lemony pastries.

It is pretty much the only time my mom will NOT let me take a sweet treat out of the house and out of her reach.

You will need…

For the Dough:

1 cup all purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon finely grated Meyer lemon zest

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Pie Filing:

2 large eggs plus 3 large egg yolks

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

¼ teaspoon cornstarch

3 tablespoons finely grated Meyer lemon zest (you can use other lemons if Meyer is not available) plus 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons)

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

½ lemon thinly sliced for garnish

Start by whisking together the flour, sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt and the lemon zest in a large bowl. Using a pastry cutter or your hands, cut the butter into the flour mixture until the dough begins to hold together.

Stir together 1 tablespoon water and the vanilla and then mix it into the dough.

Shape the bowl into a large circle and wrap it in plastic wrap. Place it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Then, preheating your oven to 375 degrees.

Using your fingers, press the dough evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch tart pan or small oven safe dish and place it in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Bake the pie shell until it is golden, about 25 minutes.

Let the shell completely cool.

While the crust is cooling, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan.

Whisk in the lemon zest and juice.

Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. About 7 to 10 minutes.

Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter 1 tablespoon at a time.

Pour the filling into the tart shell and top the filling with some very thinly sliced extra lemon.

Bake until the filling is browned, slightly puffed and set. About 30 minutes.

Let cool completely and serve.

Love and Beer Floats 

Angela 

Rustic Meyer Lemon Pie

For the Dough:

1 cup all purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon finely grated Meyer lemon zest

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Pie Filing:

2 large eggs plus 3 large egg yolks

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

¼ teaspoon cornstarch

3 tablespoons finely grated Meyer lemon zest (you can use other lemons if Meyer is not available) plus 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons)

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

½ lemon thinly sliced for garnish

Start by whisking together the flour, sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt and the lemon zest in a large bowl. Using a pastry cutter or your hands, cut the butter into the flour mixture until the dough begins to hold together.

Stir together 1 tablespoon water and the vanilla and then mix it into the dough.

Shape the bowl into a large circle and wrap it in plastic wrap. Place it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Then, preheating your oven to 375 degrees.

Using your fingers, press the dough evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch tart pan or small oven safe dish and place it in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Bake the pie shell until it is golden, about 25 minutes.

Let the shell completely cool.

While the crust is cooling, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan.

Whisk in the lemon zest and juice.

Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. About 7 to 10 minutes.

Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter 1 tablespoon at a time.

Pour the filling into the tart shell and top the filling with some very thinly sliced extra lemon.

Bake until the filling is browned, slightly puffed and set. About 30 minutes.

Let cool completely and serve.