Pumpkin Ravioli with Gorgonzola Sauce

These ravioli are a little fiddly to make, but you get a lot and can freeze them for later use. You could even double the ravioli recipe easily as cans of pumpkin tend to be really big. I considered making fresh pumpkin mash, but didn't end up having the time and the canned worked just fine. It is also pretty easy to find this time of year. This is a good vegetarian recipe. tasty and low calorie. Its from the November edition of Cooking Light.

Pumpkin Ravioli with Gorgonzola Sauce
(Makes 6 serves)

1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin
2 tbs dry breadcrumbs
2 tbs fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp minced fresh sage
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
30 wonton wrappers
1 tbs cornstarch
cooking spray
1 cup fat free milk
1 tbs all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tbs butter
1/2 cup (2 oz) crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
3 tbs chopped hazelnuts

1. Spoon pumpkin into several layers of heavy-duty paper towels and spread to 1/2 inch thickness. Cover with additional paper towels; let stand for 5 minutes. Scrape into a medium bowl using a rubber spatula. Stir in breadcrumbs, Parmesan, salt, minced sage, pepper and nutmeg.

2. Working with 1 wonton wrapper at a time (cover remaining wrappers with a damp towel to keep from drying), spoon 2 teaspoons pumpkin mixture into the center of wrapper. Brush edges of wrapper with water and fold in half, pressing edges firmly with fingers to for a half moon (or triangle). Place on a large baking sheet sprinkled with cornstarch. Repeat process with remaining wonton wrappers and pumpkin mixture.

3. Fill a large dutch oven with water; bring to a simmer. Add half the ravioli to pan (cover remaining ravioli with a damp towel to keep from drying). Cook 4 minutes or until done (do not boil), stirring gently. Remove ravioli with a slotted spoon; lightly coat with cooking spray and keep warm. repeat with remaining ravioli.

4. Combine milk and flour in a saucepan, stirring with a whisk. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute or until thick, stirring constantly. remove from heat. Add butter, stirring until butter melts. gently stir in Gorgonzola.

5. Place 5 ravioli in each of 6 shallow bowls and drizzle each serving with 3 tbs of Gorgonzola mixture. Sprinkle each serving with 1 1/2 tsp hazelnuts. Serve immediately.

Fettuccine with Salami, Olives and Oven-Roasted Tomatoes

Tonight's dinner comes from the September 2007 edition of Bon Appetit and was very yummy. I saw the photo for this meal last week and new I just had to try it....and soon. Its in the quick menu section and was also served with a great salad. This meal didn't take a lot of time to prepare and was delicious. I just love salami, but don't eat it very often due to the high fat content. But I think its ok every once in a while to have a treat.

I apologize for not writing too much on my blog lately, but it was difficult to find the time whilst my parents were visiting. Unfortunately for me, they have gone home to Australia, but for my readers, it will free up my time to work a bit more on my blog. I hope you enjoy this recipe :)

Fettuccine with Salami, Olives and Oven-Roasted Tomatoes
(Serves 4)

2 12oz packages cherry tomatoes (or heirloom if you have them)
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil, divided
8oz spicy Italian salami
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup black pitted olives
1/3 cup drained capers
1/2 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
12oz fresh fettuccine

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Place tomatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle with 1tbs of olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast tomatoes until slightly wrinkled and starting to split, about 30 minutes. Remove tomatoes from oven and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 tbs oil in heavy skillet over medium heat. Add salami and minced garlic, saute 30 seconds. Transfer to a bowl. Add wine to same skillet and simmer until slightly reduced (about 3 minutes). Stir in roasted tomatoes, olives and capers, toss to coat. Bring mixture to simmer, remove from heat and stir in salami mixture and parsley. Set sauce aside.

3. Cook pasta in a pot of boiling, salted water until al dente. Drain, add sauce to pasta and toss to warm through. Serve with salad.

Mixed Greens with Goat Cheese and Toasted Walnuts
(serves 4)

1 1/2 tbs tarragon vinegar
2 1/2 tbs plus 3/4 cup goat cheese, crumbled
6 tbs olive oil
2 tbs water
2 tbs fresh tarragon, chopped
6 cups mixed greens
1 cup toasted walnuts

1. Whisk vinegar and 2 1/2 tbs goats cheese until smooth. Gradually whisk in oil, then 2 tbs water and fresh tarragon. Season with salt and pepper. Add greens to bowl and toss with dressing. Top with remaining goat cheese and walnuts.

Pasta With Pesto, Tomatoes and Goat's Cheese

Tonight I am home alone and I couldn't be bothered doing anything fancy, so I decided to toss together this really quick and easy pasta that I first had years ago at my friend Lisa's house. She used orzo, which I prefer, but I didn't have any so I used some rotini that I had in the pantry. She also didn't have the goat's cheese, but I think it makes a really nice, creamy addition to the dish.

Basically all you do is cook up the pasta, drain it (leaving a tbs or two of the pasta water behind), then stir in some fresh or store bought pesto (as much as you like, usually 1 or 2 tbs), some chopped cherry tomatoes and then crumble over some goats cheese.

I actually made some pesto the other day from basil I recieved from my CSA, but decided to freeze it for later use. The pesto I used tonight came direct from Italy. My friend Lindsey was lucky enough to get married in Italy last year and was kind enough to bring me back a gorgeous little jar of pesto and this is what I used tonight.

This is a super tasty meal that can literally be thrown together in 10 minutes. Perfect for me tonight as my parents come in from Australia tomorrow to visit for 3 weeks and I am madly trying to get the house (and kitchen renovation) under control!! Ok, back to the cleaning :)

Gnocchi with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

I have had a packet of tri-coloured gnocchi from Wholefoods sitting in my freezer for a couple of weeks now and I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with it until I saw this recipe on the Taste website. It was a bit of a twist on a classic and was very tasty. I love pesto and I love sun-dried tomatoes, so I was very happy to combine the two. This dish was absolutely super and even hubby approved.



Gnocchi with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto
(Serves 4)

1 red pepper
1 cup of fresh basil leaves
1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
2 tbs pine nuts, toasted
6 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
2 vine-ripened tomatoes, peeled, seeds removed, chopped
3 tbs tomato paste
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
150ml olive oil
1 packet of potato gnocchi

1. Place pepper, basil, garlic, pine nuts, tomatoes, tomato paste, chilli powder and half the parmesan in the bowl of a food processor. Process to combine, then slowly add the oil until a smooth sauce forms. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Pre-heat grill (broiler) to high. Cook gnocchi per manufacturer's directions, drain and toss with the pesto. Divide between 4 oven proof dishes, top with remaining cheese and grill for 2-3 minutes. Serve.

Chicken and Lemon Spaghetti Carbonara

Traditionally, I am not one for creamy based pasta sauces. In fact, I never order them. Not only do they usually contain loads of calories, but they are just too heavy and rich for me. However, when I saw this recipe for spaghetti carbonara in the vol4 , issue 5 of Delicious magazine, it looked like it was none of these things. Sure it has some cream and eggs, but it wasn't drowning in gross amounts white, claggy sauce. So I decided to take a punt and try it.

And I was pleasantly surprised. I don't think this is something that I would eat every week, but as a special treat, it was great. Hubby raved about it and said it was extremely tasty, and he is a very picky eater. The lemon in the recipe really gave it a kick and the pancetta was lovely and salty. I definitely recommend this recipe for Carbonara.



Chicken and Lemon Spaghetti Carbonara
(serves 4)

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 chicken breast fillets
450g dried spaghetti
175g smoked pancetta, cut into thin strips
4 sage leaves, chopped
2 large eggs plus 2 egg yolks
100ml thickened cream
finely grated zest of one lemon
50g unsalted butter
100g aged parmesan cheese, finely grated

1. Heat half of the oil in a small fry pan over medium heat. Season the chicken and then cook for 6 minutes on either side, or until cooked through. Transfer to a plate and cover loosely with foil.

2. Cook spaghetti according to packet instructions. Whilst the pasta is cooking, heat the remaining oil and cook the pancetta for 3-4 minutes until lightly golden. Stir in the sage, then remove from the heat.

3. Cut the chicken into small pieces. Lightly beat the eggs, egg yolks, cream and lemon zest in a small bowl. Drain the spaghetti, then return to the saucepan, off the heat. Immediately add the pancetta, egg mixture, chicken, butter and 2/3 of the parmesan cheese. Toss with some fresh ground black pepper...the residual heat from the spaghetti will produce a smooth, creamy sauce.

4. Serve immediately and sprinkle with remaining parmesan.

Linguine with Spicy Leek and Tomato Sauce

I found this recipe whilst looking for something to do with my CSA leeks.. It comes from the June edition of Bon Appetit and was perfect to utilize my leeks and also some locally grown tomatoes that I picked up at the market. I had originally thought I would end up doing a fritatta or a risotto with the leeks, but when I saw this recipe, I thought it was something a little different and really made great use of the fresh seasonal produce.

The result was a lovely, sweet and fresh pasta. A perfect spring/summer dish.

Linguine with Spicy Leek and Tomato Sauce
(Serves 4)

2 tbs olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 tsp dried crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
2 medium leeks, split lengthwise, sliced crosswise and rinsed to remove grit
1 1/4 tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tbs white wine vinegar
12oz linguine
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, red pepper and fennel seeds and saute for 1 minute. Add the leeks and cook until they begin to soften. Add diced tomatoes and cook for another minute. Add wine and vinegar, bring to a boil, then cover and cook until tomatoes break down, stirring often, about 5 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, cook pasta per package directions. Drain and add pasta to the sauce in the skillet. Toss to coat, then add cheese and salt and pepper to season. Serve and garnish with a little more grated parmesan.

Cannelloni and Salad

Whew!! What a weekend. We have officially started renovating our kitchen :) I am very happy about this as our kitchen drives me mad! However, this will be a really big project and may impact some of my cooking for the next 6 weeks or so. At the moment, all of my cooking appliances are still in tact, so I can still make some decent meals.

I was looking for a recipe this weekend that would utilize the rest of the tomato sauce I made the other week. I found a recipe for cannelloni in Bill Granger's Bills Food and this was our dinner tonight, served with a side salad.

First off, I think I have discovered that Australian and American lasagne sheets are distinctly different. I believe the Australian ones are thicker, allowing them to be rolled up along the long axis. American ones are quite thin, meant to be laid side by side, hence rolling them along the long axis is impossible. Therefore, my cannelloni rolls were somewhat different to Bill's, but still tasted great, I thought. As I mentioned above, I also used the tomato sauce I made from Jamie Oliver's recipe, rather than the one that came from Bill in this recipe.

The cannelloni turned out great. I rolled them into almost a "rollotini" and served 2 per person. I think the ruffled edges gave a nice touch as well. Then I threw together a tossed salad of arugula, tomatoes, onion, walnuts, red pepper and nectarines.

This was a lovely recipe from Bill's book. I loved the addition of the prosciutto to the cannelloni. Very tasty and hubby asked for seconds, so it got his thumbs up :)




Cannelloni with Fresh Tomato Sauce
(Serves 4)

1 lb of ricotta
1/4 cup grated parmesan
2 tbs chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp chopped fresh oregano
2 tbs chopped fresh basil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
salt and pepper
8 lasagne sheets
2 tbs olive oil
8 slices prosciutto
cooking spray
basil leaves to garnish

1. Pre-heat oven too 400F. Stir together the ricotta, parmesan, herbs, eggs, salt and pepper in a bowl.

2. Cook the lasagne sheets as directed then cool in a bowl of cold water and olive oil. Drain lasagne sheets on paper towel. Place a slice of prosciutto lengthwise on each slice, then spread 2 tbs of ricotta mix on top. Roll up lasagne sheet and place into a baking dish coated in cooking spray. Place remaining rolls in a single layer, then coat with cooking spray. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until puffed and slightly crispy.

3. Whilst the cannelloni is cooking, prepare your tomato sauce as desired and make salad.

4. To serve, place 2 cannelloni rolls on each plate, cover with tomato sauce. garnish with basil leaves and serve with salad.

Linguine with Tomato Sauce, Spinach and Goat's Cheese

This recipe is adapted from Jamie Oliver's Jamie's Dinners and is in the section I spoke about the other day called Family Tree. This section was based around Jamie's Basic Tomato sauce and was very yummy.

Jamie's Tomato Sauce is not that different than how I would usually make a tomato based pasta sauce, except that where I would normally use crushed canned tomatoes, he uses whole canned tomatoes. His reason being that he says the seeds should not be released from the tomato until near the end of cooking, as they impart a bitter flavor to the sauce. To be honest, I didn't find his sauce much sweeter, but it was still very tasty. He also adds a dash of red wine vinegar at the end of cooking, whereas I would usually use red wine if I have it. The vinegar gave the sauce a nice little kick.

The goat's cheese that is added at the end also imparted a lovely flavor to the overall dish. This is not an ingredient I have ever used in pasta, but it is one that I would definitely use again!



Jamie's recipe for the tomato sauce is quite simple. Finely chop 2-3 cloves of garlic and saute in some olive oil for a few minutes. Then add either some dried basil or oregano and a whole chilli (Jamie takes this out later, but I love spicy food, so I chopped mine and left it in). Then add 2 large cans of whole tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and simmer for about 30 minutes. Break up the tomatoes with a spoon, then cook the pasta. As the pasta cooks, add a handful of spinach and let it wilt. Drain pasta, toss with the sauce, then add some parmesan cheese and sprinkle with goat's cheese.

Easy peasy, as well as healthy and delicious. I had enough sauce left over that I could freeze it for later use as well...yum!

Pasta with Pureed Yellow Pepper Sauce

Tonight's dinner would have been perfect for a taste of yellow! It comes from Weight Watcher's Cook It Quick, which is actually a really good book for fast, healthy meals. Everything I have made from here so far has turned out very tasty and is pretty easy to make. Great for weeknight meals.

This recipe was also easy and only took about 15-20 minutes. It was creamy and tasty and nice and light for after the gym. The original recipe said to use Fusilli, but I only had cavatapi. I'm sure you could do whatever pasta you liked.




Cavatapi with Pureed Yellow Pepper Sauce
(Serves 4)

3/4 cup water
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 onion, chopped
1/2 tomato, chopped
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
cracked black pepper to taste
2 cups pasta
1/4 cup part-skim ricotta
2 tbs minced parsley
4 tsp grated parmesan cheese

1. Combine water, pepper, onion, tomato, oil, salt and pepper in a non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Cover and cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are tender and the liquid evaporates, 15-18 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, cook pasta and drain into serving bowl.

3. Transfer vegetables to a blender or food processor. Add ricotta and puree. Pour over pasta and toss to coat. Sprinkle with parsley and parmesan and serve.

Spaghetti With Lime and Arugula

On the face of it, this recipe sounds pretty bland, I know...but in reality, its really super. This one comes from Donna Hay Flavors and has all sorts of flavors going on. The prosciutto, feta and capers give a nice salty taste, which is offset by the heat of the chilli and the spice of the argugula. This was a great weeknight meal that is healthy and fast. It only took about 15 minutes to make. I used linguine, because that's what I had and I think if I made it again, I might add some oven roasted tomatoes or olives.



Spaghetti With Lime and Arugula
(Serves 4)

14oz Spaghetti
2 tbs fruity extra virgin olive oil
1 tbs shredded lime rind
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 red chilli, seeded and chopped
2 tbs salted capers, rinsed
8 slices prosciutto, chopped
5oz arugula, shredded
3 tbs lime juice
5oz soft marinated fetta in oil
cracked black pepper

Seared Tuna with Lime Crust

I always look forward to Friday night dinners, as I feel a sense of accomplishment. On Friday's I have managed to feed myself and my hubby for an entire week with pretty nice and healthy meals and my reward is usually to have dinner out on Saturday night...definitely something to look forward to. I love cooking, but who doesn't love to have someone else cook for them and wait on them...I sure as heck do!!

So anyway, down to tonight's "gourmet" offering. Its another dish from Donna Hay's Flavors....can you tell I am obsessed with this book yet?!! I decided to make the seared tuna with lime crust for two reasons. The first being that tuna is a fish I can usually get my picky hubby to eat and the second is that the pasta in the picture looked incredibly delicious and I happen to love love love pasta, as well as tuna, so it seemed like it would be a very yummy and healthy meal.

It certainly didn't disappoint. This was a fabulous dinner that was not too involved to make. It would have taken me even less time if I had have remembered to put the water on to boil for the pasta earlier than when I was ready to cook it. The marinade for the tuna is refreshing and delightful and the same marinade ends up in the pasta...very simple and tasty.




Seared Tuna with Lime Crust
(Serves 4)

12oz Tuna fillet
1 tbs grated lime rind
1/3 cup lime juice
1/4 cup finely chopped dill
2 tbs chopped flat leaf parsley
2 small red chillies, seeded and chopped
2 tbs olive oil
sea salt and cracked black pepper
14oz fettuccine
1 tbs olive oil, extra
3 1/2oz baby arugula leaves
extra lime juice and olive oil to serve

1. Place tuna in a shallow dish. Combine lime rind, lime juice, dill, parsley, chilli, olive oil, salt and pepper, then pour over the tuna to coat. Refrigerate for 20 minutes, turning once.

2. Cook the pasta until al dente and then drain. While the pasta is cooking, place the extra oil in a fry pan over high heat. Remove the tuna from the marinade and reserve the liquid. Cook the tuna for 1 minute on each side until well seared, then slice.

3. To serve, pile the pasta on serving plates and top with the arugula, sliced tuna and the reserved marinade. Drizzle with a little lime juice and olive oil before serving.

Ravioli Amatriciana

So this week may not have been the best time to start this blog! After making a ham and a lamb roast over the Easter weekend for Rich's family, I had loads of leftovers and have been trying to use them up before they go off. So far this week I have made lamb souvlaki's and last night I did a ham and asparagus risotto.

Tonight I decided to throw together an Amatriciana-esque sauce using the ham instead of bacon to go with some lovely goats cheese and basil ravioli I bought from Wholefoods on the weekend. I usually try not to eat too much pasta, as it is fairly high in calories....however, having said that, I must confess that it is one of my favourite foods!! When I stumbled upon this ravioli a few months ago, I was very happy as it only 190 calories per serving...fantastic!

This sauce recipe is something that changes every time I make it, depending on what I have on hand. Sometimes I add chicken, or veggies or olives etc. Here is the basic recipe I used tonight.








Ravioli Amatriciana
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 clove mince garlic
1tsp dried oregano
splash of red wine (if you have some, which I did tonight)
1tbs tomato paste
4-6oz of thinly chopped ham (or bacon)
1 14oz (425g) Can of crushed fireroasted tomatoes
1 tsp red pepper flakes (more or less depending on how spicy you like it)
Salt and Pepper to taste
1-2tbs chopped fresh basil
Shaved parmesan


1. Set pan to medium-high and spray with cooking spray. Saute onion for a couple of minutes until translucent. Add garlic and oregano and saute for a few minutes more. Add ham and continue to saute for 2-3 minutes.

2. Add in red wine, tomatoes, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Stir and then turn down heat to simmer for approx 10 minutes (this can be longer if you have time, the longer it simmers, the better it will taste).

3. In the meantime, cook the ravioli according to package instructions.

4. In the last minute, stir in basil, then serve ravioli with sauce. Garnish with shaved parmesan and sprig of basil.