Hello Cousins!!
Finally we begin to stir!! Daibi would be back in action in a few days..they just returned from an awesome Delhi By Foot Photography and Bird-Watching trip from Bharatpur!! Its such a delight to see the pictures that they have brought back…makes me long for a teleporting vehicle to transport me there!! I too wanna witness this annual migration of thousands of spectacular looking birds who travel primarily from Sakha Republic (Yakutia) and western Siberia in Russia…aaah! some day I will!! But Daibi, don’t you wanna visit the Okhla Bird Sanctuary as well?? I mean that’s one of the things you must do being in Delhi during the winters!!
No no…I will not get carried away with my melodramtic yearning for Delhi winters…STOP Dakhina Mitra!! And I am back 😀 Didi, kudos to you and my dearest Rizimon for making those amazing uttapams….I learned to make them when I was 21 and he is only 9!! I agree with our Blogger friend Rashmi about the fact that most Indian boys/men don’t know how to cook! But being in a household where grandmommy, mommy, mommy’s sister, daddy and mommy’s brother are avid cooks/food lovers, I think we haven’t left Rizimon with any other choice, but to cook ;). That doesn’t mean he is not a foodie himself….I still remember a 4-5 year old Rizimon ordering a All-American Banana Split icecream at Nirulas, Delhi for himself. There was only a quarter plate left-over for you and me who were eagerly waiting for him to leave most of it!!
Today I will write about an Italian pasta dish which I think Rizimon can try with a little help from you. A few weeks back you had sent me a pic where he was frying potatoes by himself, so I think he can manage doing this too..I am also pasting a link on quick pasta meals for him coz I know how easy it is to make a pasta dish!
Homemade Eggless Mushroom and Cheese Jumbo Ravioli with a herbed Butternut-Walnut Sauce
For dough:
1 cup All-Purpose Flour (you can use whole-wheat if you want a healthier version)
2 tbsp Olive oil or Butter
1 tsp salt
(Variations: blend in some mashed sun-dried tomatoes or spinach to get orange or green pasta dough)
Water as required to knead
Mix all the ingredients and knead well into a firm dough. About 5-7 minutes of kneading would give a nice-shiny pasta dough. People who eat eggs, can add 1 egg to this to make the dough even more elastic, but I personally think it is not required. Cover in a cling foilf and let it rest for an hour or so.
Filling:
2 cups chopped Mushrooms (Variations: spinach or minced meat)
1/2-1 cup grated mozzarella or cheddar cheese (Paneer or Hung Curd/Feta would also be delicious)
1 medium sized Onion – chopped
2-3 large cloves of Garlic – coarsely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp oil/olive oil
For flavouring – fresh chives/parsley/basil/rosemary/thyme/lemon zest
In a pan fry the onion, the garlic and then add the mushrooms. Season and let them cook. Remember to dry out the liquid from the mushrooms or else the ravioli would leak. Once done, mix in the cheese and any one flavouring. Mixed herbs also go well, but I like single flavours. So I added chives and lemon zest. Set aside.
Ravioli:
Thinly roll out the dough and cut into long 5 inch wide sheets (these sheets can be simply cut into thin strips and boiled in water to get flat noodles or tagliatelle). Place generous amounts of filling on one sheet as shown below in the slideshow. Apply water on the outer edges and in between the fillings. Put the other sheet on top and seal well keeping in mind that there shouldn’t be any air left when your ravioli square is ready. The chances of sheet getting punctured are more when the square had air inside. In hot boiling water, cook the ravioli for about 8-10 minutes depending on how thick your sheets are. I like them thin, so need about 7 minutes. Actually look for them to get a bit translucent, that means they are done.
Sauce:
1 Butternut Pumpkin (chopped in cubes)
1/2 cup cream+milk or white sauce (made from butter+flour+milk) for those who don’t want to use cream..but I tell you, nothing beats cream in a pasta sauce 😀
A sprig of Rosemary, Salt and Pepper
1 tbsp Olive oil to cook
1 handful of walnuts (slightly crushed)
Chives, Olive Oil and Parmesan cheese for garnish
In a pan put oil and saute the pumpkin. Keep the flame between medium to high and stir occasionally for a grilled effect. Season with rosemary, salt and pepper. When the pumpkins are done, add the cream or white sauce and mix well.
Plate the ravioli in a large dish and put a ladle-full of sauce on it. Top it with crushed walnuts, grated Parmesan, chives and sprinkle a generous dash of good olive oil on the plate. Serve with some garden fresh salad.
Except the dough part, I think Rizimon can manage the rest. Ask him if he is up for the challenge 🙂 Would love to hear about it then!
Take care, hugs,
Dakhina
The Curry Cousins 
This was super awesome 🙂
thanks love 🙂