That Redheaded Sister

Hello!  Today is March 1st and in my book it is springtime!

Last week I was ambitious.  I am not much of a cooker.  I never learned and never really cared to learn.  Well, when I was younger I wanted to learn, but no one really had the time to show me.  But, when I DO cook I tend to go above and beyond.  I blame it on Food Network.  They make cooking look so easy.

I was feeling frisky on Wednesday and decided I was going to make my own pasta and bake a loaf of bread.  Insane I know.  I usually make my breads on the weekend so I have time to let is rise and bake.

Making your own pasta.  You might ask why?  I would too.  Sometimes it is just plain fun to make something from pure scratch.  Plus I was making sweet potato ravioli which is something I have not seen in the stores.  the best part about making my own ravioli is how customizable the filling is.  You may or may not know, Matt is lactose intolerant.  If I wanted to buy premade raviolis, the majority come with a cheese filling.  Not good for his
stomach.  Enter homemade.

I watched my friend Carina make homemade pasta once and it was declared sort of off (I didnt mind it).  I found a few recipes and watched a few videos because I wanted my pasta to rock.

The recipe for the ravioli came from one of my cooking/baking resources: A Cozy Kitchen. There are a few differences from this recipe and my recipe though.  I like to make it my own.

For the Filling:
1 lb sweet potato, peeled and cubed
2 tablespoons butter
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup dried bread crumbs

Pasta:
2 cups all purpose flour; 1 cup cake flour (trust me on this)
1 cup hot water
4 egg yolks

Herb Brown Butter Sauce:
4 – 6 tablespoons butter
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped sage leaves
2 teaspoons chopped thyme
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/3 cup toasted pecans, chopped  (I used more bc I love pecans)

To make the filling:
Cook the sweet potato in boiling water until tender, about 10 minutes.
Drain, add butter and beat by hand until smooth and creamy.
Stir in the Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, salt and pepper to taste.
Set aside.

To make the pasta:  Lets remember to do this in a bowl.  I have seen it freestyled on counters and it not working out.  Lets skip the mess!
Make a well in the center of the flour, and add in the hot water and eggs. You may use more or less than what is listed to get the texture you are looking for. Gently stir together with a wooden spoon and eventually your
hands.  It will be STICKY Wrap in plastic wrap and place in fridge for about 30 minutes or so. 

Separate the dough into two to four separate balls. However much you want to make (You can freeze what you dont use). Take one ball and roll it out very into a very thin rectangle/oval/whatever works. Be sure to use flour generously as the dough is very sticky.
Cut dough into your shape.

Spoon roughly 1-2 tablespoons of filling in the center of the your shape.
Now, fold the dough over the little balls of filling. I used a fork to press the edges together and seal in the filling. Cook the ravioli in gently boiling water for 5-6 minutes (until pasta is floating).  Drain, and toss in sauce.

For the sauce:
In a large skillet melt the butter with the sliced garlic, sage,
1 tablespoon parsley and thyme and cook over medium heat until the butter is lightly browned. Add the pecans.

I wasnt a big fan of the sauce.  I do love olive oil or butter based sauces for pasta, but this one didnt wow me like I had hoped.

While this was going on, I was also baking bread for dinner.  I found the recipe for Easy Spicy Garlic Bread and made a few changes along the way.  The bread came out rather dry and I have a feeling it is because my pot was warped and any steam that was supposed to be locked in, escaped.  But the flavor was mighty nice.

Would I do it again?  YES!  I wouldnt make bread AND pasta at the same time, but I will definitely make pasta again.  I know its so easy to just buy an 88 cent box at the store, but I have fill ravioli with WHATEVER I WANT!

Sorry the pictures are dark.  I have no way of editing them from where I am and obviously I need to start using flash!!!

Have you ever made a dish out of your comfort zone?  How did it turn out?

———————————————————————————–Dont forget, today Google Friend Connect is no more.  I am keeping the old blog running and will post links to these posts so you can continue to use GFC, but I also added a follow button on my sidebar.  If you have clicked it, will you let me know if it is working properly?  I want to make the cool buttons everyone has, but I have NO CLUE!

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