Capelli d’Angelo with Everything Sauce


I love these little pasta nests. After cooking the capelli d’angelo in salted water for about 4 minutes, I use a big slotted spoon to gently place them in a pan with melted butter/olive oil garlic and parsley. Here they are topped with my “everything” pasta sauce. It is ground beef and Italian sausage with fennel seeds, red and green bell peppers, garlic, onions, and puttanesca ingredients; capers, black olives, anchovies in a tomato sauce with herbs.

An elegant little nest with big flavor. I serve them with freshly grated parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes on the side.

Thanks once again to Simona of Briciole blog for introducing me to capelli d’angelo.

Schnitzel à la Holstein

Octoberfest Menu continues…

Schnitzel à la Holstein – Baron Friedrich von Holstein (1837–1909), primary German diplomat after Otto von Bismarck, serving Kaiser Wilhelm II. The gourmet Holstein liked to have a variety of foods on one plate, and the original dish consisted of a veal cutlet topped by a fried egg, anchovy, capers, and parsley, and surrounded by small piles of caviar, crawfish tails, smoked salmon, mushrooms, and truffles. Contemporary versions tend to be pared down to the cutlet, egg, anchovies and capers. (from Wikipedia)
Oh my, I like the Baron’s original version! Caviar? Truffles?

Keep the veal warm while making the caper sauce and cooking the sunnyside up egg.
Caper Sauce: Deglaze pan with white wine, then add capers, parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Butternut Squash Ravioli, Sage Browned Butter, Balsamic Reduction

Fresh pasta, butternut squash filling, fresh sage in browned butter, balsamic reduction, freshly grated parmesan cheese.



A delicious Autumn dish!

Post post 1/23/08: I had a request for the recipe here. This is store-bought, high quality, fresh ravioli filled with butternut squash. Cook to al dente in salted water. Meanwhile, melt butter then saute sage leaves in the browned butter, it takes about one minute per side, drain them on paper towels. Gently toss the drained pasta in the browned butter, salt if desired. Plate the ravioli then drizzle balsamic reduction (you can buy this or reduce your own balsamic vinegar to a syrup), top with the sage leaves, and freshly grated parmesan cheese. Very easy and very delicious!

Puff Pastry Again

HOT, GOOEY, FLAKEY!

Store bought Puff Pastry sheets are great! Especially if, like me, you don’t have the skills and patience of a baker.


Ingredient Still Life.
Three cheeses; mascarpone, fresh mozzarella, and parmesan, plus heirloom tomatoes with gray salt, and basil.
The original inspiration for the ingredients in this turnover came from Lisa’s Tomato Tartlet at Champaign Taste.


Etymology of “gooey” – it may be a derivitive of the word burgoo; a thick stew made with meats and vegetables, usually cooked outdoors in huge kettles for many hours. Apparently, people bring what they have on hand to add to the stew. Have you ever tried burgoo?