Tag Archive for: comfort food

Orange & Pecorino Ravioli with Rosemary Brown Butter

These humble but exciting pecorino ravioli with orange zest and brown butter flavored with rosemary will bring any dinner to a new level!

These humble but exciting pecorino ravioli with orange zest and brown butter flavored with rosemary will bring any dinner to a new level!

It’s so exciting making your own pasta. And it’s not even that difficult. Actually I’d say it’s one of the easiest doughs for a beginner. Some may not agree, but I’ve tried many different types of dough and pasta is the only one that was successful every time. Even if it wasn’t perfect, it was managable. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a whole science behind a perfect pasta dough, which I should probably cover in another post, but if you follow some basic rules, there shouldn’t be many problems.

These humble but exciting pecorino ravioli with orange zest and brown butter flavored with rosemary will bring any dinner to a new level!

Basic rules:

  • 1 egg per 100 g flour. Works every time.
  • The dough should rest at least 30 minutes. This makes the gluten form and the dough becomes elastic and easier to handle. You will notice a huuuge difference in dough before and after resting just by touch.
  • Lightly flour the dough before rolling it out, especially if you are using a pasta machine, otherwise it will start sticking and tearing when you get to a thinner setting.

Oh, and one more thing! When you start bringing the dough together it might look a little dry but after a couple of kneads it will hold together much nicely and after 10 minutes of kneading it will start forming tiny bubbles under the surface, which means it’s done. Wrap it up and wait. You’ve got the best pasta dough in th world ready and waiting!

These humble but exciting pecorino ravioli with orange zest and brown butter flavored with rosemary will bring any dinner to a new level!

So, we’re making ravioli. It’s a type of filled pasta that comes in many shapes and sizes. The filling can be whatever you like it to be. But since it’s almost New Year’s Eve I’m all about fancy shmancy 😀 So I used pecorino as the main focus of the dish, mixing it with some fresh ricotta cheese and freshly grated orange zest. The zest will give it a kind of richness and freshness. And to make it even more psh we’re adding brown butter with rosemary on top.

These humble but exciting pecorino ravioli with orange zest and brown butter flavored with rosemary will bring any dinner to a new level!

The pecorino ravioli are perfectly savory and flavorful on their own, so they shouldn’t be drowned in a strong flavored sauce. Brown butter is just delicate enugh to enhance the flavores but not overpower them.

I’ve never made brown butter before, but once I tried it on these pecorino ravioli, I’m sure it’ll become a regular at our house. The nutty taste of the brown butter is so delicious and very different from plain old melted butter. Plus, you can make it in advance and keep it in the fridge for when the opportunity comes.

These humble but exciting pecorino ravioli with orange zest and brown butter flavored with rosemary will bring any dinner to a new level!
These humble but exciting pecorino ravioli with orange zest and brown butter flavored with rosemary will bring any dinner to a new level!

Great, so we’ve got everything covered. Let’s get preparing for the New Year’s Eve party and making some delicious orange pecorino ravioli. Have a great party, folks!

Tag #useyournoodles so I can see your beautiful UYN creations. Also, stay in touch on Facebook and Instagram or subscribe to get the recipes directly to your mailbox ♥

ORANGE & PECORINO RAVIOLI WITH ROSEMARY BROWN BUTTER

Course Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Keyword brown butter
Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 2 minutes
Resting time 30 minutes
Total Time 37 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

PASTA DOUGH

  • 4 eggs
  • 400 g all-purpose flour

FILLING

  • 250 g pecorino grated
  • 250 g ricotta
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • zest of 1 orange

BROWN BUTTER SAUCE

  • 120 g butter cubed
  • 3 stems of rosemary

GARNISH

  • grated pecorino
  • orange zest
  • rosemary

Instructions

Pasta

  1. Sift flour into a bowl or onto the countertop, make a well in the middle and add in the eggs. start mixing the eggs adding in flour little by little, until the dough comes together. For this first step you can alternatively use a food processor. Knead the dough by hands for about 10 minutes, until you see tiny bubbles form under the surface. Wrap the dough in plastic foil and let it rest for at least half an hour. The dough will become much softer and strechier with resting, so don’t skip it!

Filling

  1. Mix pecorino, ricotta, nutmeg, black pepper and orange zest in a bowl.

Brown butter sauce

  1. Heat a sauce pan over medium heat and add butter and rosemary. As the butter melts it will start bubbling and changing color from light yellow to golden and lastly brown. The mik solids will start to separate from the fat and will form a dark brown sediment. When this happens and the butter is brown with a nutty smell, pour the butter to a cold bowl. If you prefer to remove the sediment pour the butter in the bowl slowly, leaving the sediment in the sauce pan. Remove the rosemary.

  2. You can prepare the brown butter sauce while waiting for pasta dough to rest and reheat it over low to medium heat before serving.

Rolling pasta

  1. Cut pasta into 8 pieces and roll each one out as thinly as possible using a little flour to prevent sticking. You can use a rollin pin (the more labor intense method) or use a pasta machine (the easier method) and roll the dough starting at the thickest setting, continuing to the thinnest setting that the dough can still handle. If it starts tearing you should stop one setting thicker. I suggest running a test with a tiny portion of the dough before going full scale.

  2. When the dough is rolled out spread it over a flat lightly flouered surface and cover with a tea towel.

Filling pasta

  1. There are many shapes of raviol. The easiest is a simple square or rectangle. Spread a heap teaspoon of filling 4 cm apprart over the lenght of a rolled out pasta. Using a brush or a finger lightly wet one long edge of the dough and the part between the filling. Fold over one half of the dough lenghtwise and press around the filling to get all the air out. Using a pasta cutter or a sharp knife cut rigth in the middle between the filled parts and use a fork to press around each ravioli, so the dough really sticks together and doesn't open during cooking.

Cooking pasta

  1. Boil water and add salt like for any other pasta, then add the ravioli and cook for about two minutes.

  2. Meanwhile heat up the butter.
  3. Drain and serve onto plates adding brown butter on top and garnishing with some more pecorino, orange zest and rosemary.
  4. Serve immediately.

These humble but exciting pecorino ravioli with orange zest and brown butter flavored with rosemary will bring any dinner to a new level!

These humble but exciting pecorino ravioli with orange zest and brown butter flavored with rosemary will bring any dinner to a new level! Click to find the whole recipe or pin and save for later!

Pumpkin Risotto with Goat Cheese, Pancetta & Cranberries

I’m totally in love with each single bite of this delicious pumpkin risotto!

I'm totally in love with each single bite of this delicious pumpkin risotto!

So true… Comforting and warm like a hug. Ok, I’m getting sentimental, but that’s what rainy days are all about, right? Squeezing under a soft wool blanket, watching TV or playing board games. Watching Breaking Bad and eating tons of cooked chestnut is basically all we do these evenings. I know, I know we’re so lazy! That’s what cold and rain does to us. Um, yeah, autumn is awesome. Anyone else so psyched about that?

I'm totally in love with each single bite of this delicious pumpkin risotto!

And peeps, my weird pregnancy smell and taste is gone and I can cook as much as I want now 🙂 Happy me! My weight is probably gonna start going up more quickly now, but well, that’s supposed to happen eventually 😛 My bump is already visible and I can’t stop caressing it 🙂

I'm totally in love with each single bite of this delicious pumpkin risotto!

Ok, enough on my prego belly. I’ve moved on from eating pasta almost every day to cooking normally, so I prepared a creamy pumpkin risotto with some delicious goodies on top. 

Risotto is really a very simple dish. That’s what’s so great about it. Easy and quick to make, but add some good seasonal ingredients to it and it gets so sophisticated.

I'm totally in love with each single bite of this delicious pumpkin risotto!

Never had a pumpkin risotto? It’s about time to start, because pumpkin adds such a nice flavor and creaminess to the risotto. What autumn recipes are all about is combining sweet with savory, so I’ve done that again. Pumpkin by itself is sweet, but I’ve added some dried cranberries on top for some sweet crunch. And who doesn’t love a little crispy panchetta and goat cheese with all of that. 

This is the fanciest cozy meal I’ve had this autumn, for real!

I'm totally in love with each single bite of this delicious pumpkin risotto!

Tag #useyournoodles so I can see your beautiful UYN creations. Also, stay in touch on Facebook and Instagram or subscribe to get the recipes directly to your mailbox ♥

I promise people are gonna love you for cooking them pumpkin risotto, whatever goodies you choose to put in 🙂

Pumpkin Risotto with Goat Cheese, Pancetta & Cranberries

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  • 2 cups rice
  • 6 1/2 cup vegetable or chicken stock
  • 3/4 cups pumpkin purée (find recipe in the notes of my Mini Pumpkin Pizza recipe)
  • 1 small onion , small cubes
  • 8 pancetta slices
  • 60 g goat cheese crumbled
  • 4 springs thyme + some for garnish
  • 1/3 cup dried cranberries
  • black pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 175 °C.
  2. Place pancetta slices on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake them for 10 minutes or until they get golden and crunchy. Transfer them to a paper towel lined plate, to remove the excess fat. When it cools crumble it. Keep the fat that is left in the baking tray for later.
  3. Wash rice under cold water and drain.
  4. In a sauce pan boil the stock, remove from heat and leave covered.
  5. Place a large skillet over medium heat and add the remaining pancetta fat and if necessary add a tablespoon of olive oil. Add onions and cook for 2 minutes until they get soft. Add the drained rice and fry for additional 3-5 minutes stirring constantly. When the rice gets translucent add pumpkin purée, thyme, pinch of black pepper and 1 laddle of stock (or more). You want the rice to just be covered with liquid. Cook stirring occasionally until the liquid has dissapeared into the rice. Then add another laddle of stock. Continue doing that for about 20-25 minutes or until the rice is al dente. With the last laddle of stock add half of the pancetta crumbles.
  6. Serve immediately and top with the rest of the pancetta crumbles, goat cheese, dried cranberries and more thyme.
I'm totally in love with each single bite of this delicious pumpkin risotto!

Pumpkin Soup with Balsamic Glazed Onions + A Big Announcement

Warm, sweet and spicy pumpkin soup will be your new favorite autumn comfort food!

Warm, sweet and spicy pumpkin soup will be your new favorite autumn comfort food!

Omg, it’s been so long since my last post. 

So sorry for that, but I’ve had a perfectly good reason. Actually the best reason in the world. We’re having our first little baby in April! 🙂 ♥ How awesome is that! I still can’t believe it’s happening, but we’re happy and excited and can’t wait to meet our tiny bundle.

I haven’t had any major pregnancy discomforts, but one that affected my blogging: I wasn’t able to cook for a month or smell any strong smelling food. Or look at food photos. I’m still struggling with fresh veggies (which I would normally love so much!), but most of the troubles went away now that I’m in my second trimester.

Warm, sweet and spicy pumpkin soup will be your new favorite autumn comfort food!

I’ve been craving sweet food a lot. Not sweets, but sweet savoury food like root veggies and pumpkins. So they’re on the menu a lot these days. One of my all time autumn favorites is definitely pumpkin soup.

What makes pumpkin soup so amazing is its natural sweetness in combination with chillies. Remember how chillies go perfectly with chocolate… well, it’s the same with pumpkin. So don’t skip on it. Seriously! Add less if you’re not into spicy stuff, adding at least a little will make all the difference.

Warm, sweet and spicy pumpkin soup will be your new favorite autumn comfort food!

I don’t like adding much to my simple pumpkin soup recipe. No stock or herbs. Water, garlic, chilli flakes, salt and pepper are enough. I’m using pumpkin purée as my base. If you’d like to make your own check the notes in the Mini Pumpkin Pizzas recipe. A good variety of pumpkin or squash is crucial, so pick one that you absolutely love. 

For me that’s hokkaido or any other with simmilar sweetness. 

A very sweet pumpkin soup like this need a counterbalance, so I added balsamic glased onions with sage on top. I could eat these onions on their own, they are sooooooo good. 

Warm, sweet and spicy pumpkin soup will be your new favorite autumn comfort food!

I’m letting you in on a little secret. I’m dreaming about autumn all year round. I love all seasons, especially when they’re just starting. All the fresh new produce and the feel of change.

But autumn is my favourite. There’s nothing like the magical feel of cold and warmth at the same time. And all the sweet produce it comes with. Yup, best season ever! I’m one of those strange people who love cold and rain 🙂

Warm, sweet and spicy pumpkin soup will be your new favorite autumn comfort food!

Tag #useyournoodles so I can see your beautiful UYN creations. Also, stay in touch on Facebook and Instagram or subscribe to get the recipes directly to your mailbox ♥

Now I’m off to warm myself with a bowl of this delicious pumpkin soup!

Pumpkin Soup with Balsamic Glazed Onions

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 4 people

Ingredients

Pumpkin soup:

  • 4 cups pumpkin purée
  • 3 cups water (depending on desired consistency)
  • 1 TBSP olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic chopped
  • 1/2 tsp chilli flakes (add less if you prefer a less spicy version)
  • salt by taste
  • pepper by taste

Balsamic glased onions:

  • 1 medium sized red onion
  • 1 TBSP olive oil
  • 6 sage leaves
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 TBSP balsamic vinegar
  • salt by taste
  • pepper by taste

Other topping options:

  • crème fraîche
  • pumpkin seeds
  • pumpkin seed oil
  • chives

Instructions

Balsamic glased onions:

  1. Cut the onion in half and remove the skins. Slice it into 3-5 mm thin slices.

  2. Place a skillet over medium heat and add olive oil. Add the onions and sage and stir to cover them with oil.
  3. Cook uncovered for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally, until the onions get translucent and a bit softer.
  4. Add water, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper and cover the skillet. Continue cooking over low-medium heat for 20 minutes or until the onions get soft.
  5. Uncover and cook over medium-high heat for additional 5-10 minutes to lose the excess moiture and caramelise the onions. Stir occasionally to check they are not burning.

Pumpkin soup:

  1. Place a pan over medium heat and add olive oil. Add garlic and cook until it gets golden.

  2. Add pumpkin puree, water, chilli flakes, salt and pepper and continue cooking until the soup boils.

Decorating:

  1. Pour hot soup into bowls and decorate with balsamic glased onions. You can add crème fraîche, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin seed oil and chives if you like.

Warm, sweet and spicy pumpkin soup will be your new favorite autumn comfort food!

Warm, sweet and spicy pumpkin soup with balsamic glased onions will be your new favorite autumn comfort food! Click to find the whole recipe or pin and save for later!