Kale Pesto

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 My vegetable garden doesn't produce much during our winters, but I can always count on kale.
After a while though, too much of a good thing can wear a bit thin and I struggle to come up with ways to use it.
Over the years, I've made my share of basil pesto, arugula pesto, spinach pesto, and even cilantro pesto but, until now, had not thought to make pesto out of kale, until I made a batch of kuri squash soup the other day and craved a spoonful of home made pesto to swirl into it.

 

Now, I ask you, what is pesto but green leafy things, garlic, nuts, cheese, and olive oil all buzzed up into a delicious paste?  You can add a bit of lemon juice or a pinch of red pepper flakes to spice things up a bit, but those are the basics.  So why not kale?

 Turns out, why not kale?  It makes a deeply green, healthful spoonful to swirl into your winter soups and stews. Plus, it tastes really, really good.  I think you should try it.

Christine's Kale Pesto
print recipe
Ingredients:
4-6 cups (about 6.5 ounces) young kale leaves, ribs removed, coarsely chopped
1 large fresh garlic clove, smashed and coarsely chopped
3/4 cup coarsely chopped, toasted walnuts
3/4 cup grated parmesan
1/2 cup olive oil or walnut/olive oil mix
juice of 1 Meyer lemon
1/2 teaspoon gray sea salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preparation:
Place the kale, nuts, garlic and cheese in a food processor and pulse until well combined.
With the machine running, drizzle the oil(s) through the feed tube until the pesto is uniformly ground  and spoonably moist. You know, just like pesto.
Add the lemon juice and pulse a few times then taste.  Adjust the seasonings with the sea salt and black pepper, pulsing until incorporated.
Remove from the processor and spoon into a lidded storage container.  Use within a week.
Swirl into soups and stews, serve over hot pasta, shake into vinaigrette. It's all good and good for you.

I used both Russian Red and Lacinato kale for this recipe. Pick only the tender young leaves; the larger, older ones may taste too strong.
Tear the leaves off of either side of the central rib before using.  (My chickens love the ribs.)
I like to freeze what pesto will not be used within a week. Here's a method that allows you to control the thawed portions:  spray the cups of a plastic ice cube tray with a small amount of cooking spray, wipe gently with a paper towel then fill them with the pesto, pressing down to eliminate air pockets. Freeze until solid then pop out the frozen nuggets and place them in zip top freezer bags for freezer burn-free storage.

Copyright © 2005-2012, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Recipe for Sautéed Carrots and Mushrooms with Thyme and Champagne-Creme Fraiche Sauce

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Show of hands, please:  Who doesn't like carrots?  I'll bet not many of you.

Carrots are such an integral part of my cooking repertoire - I use them as the base ingredient for so many dishes, from soups to stews, sautés to braises, salads, slaws and desserts - I rarely think about them as a star in their own right.

A delicious side, especially in winter, I started making this several months ago - playing with the enhancements - never once considering it for its own post.  Silly me.  I've fixed that now.

Such a simple recipe - the process takes just 20 minutes tops - but you will need some special ingredients before you begin:  fresh chopped thyme, creme fraiche and champagne.

And before you sigh and say why not just use dried herbs white wine and sour cream? you're gonna have to trust me.  I've been there, done that, and this, this is the recipe that wins - hands down.  So play around if you want, but don't say I didn't tell you.

It's so easy to make creme fraiche. The recipe is here.

Not just any champagne will do either.  I tried all sorts of dry white wines and a brut Champagne in previous interations of this dish, but the Korbel Sec that was brought as a gift to my belated birthday dinner, and didn't get finished that night (it's not to everyone's taste), is the perfect base for the sauce that lightly coats the vegetables.

Sautéed Carrots and Mushrooms with Thyme and Champagne-Creme Fraiche Sauce
Christine's original recipe
(print recipe)
Ingredients:
8 medium carrots, peeled and cut thinly on the diagonal
10-12 medium cremini mushrooms, brushed and sliced
1 full teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon clarified butter or ghee
1/3 cup champagne - sec, not brut (see Cook's Notes)
1 tablespoon creme fraiche
kosher or sea salt (optional) and freshly ground pepper to taste
Preparation:
Place the ghee in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat.
When the ghee has liquified, toss in the carrots and sauté for several minutes.
Add the chopped thyme and stir.
Toss in the mushrooms and gently stir to mix them into the carrots.  Sauté for 5 minutes or so until the carrots are almost done and the mushrooms have softened and released their liquid. Adjust the heat so the vegetables don't burn.
Add the champagne stirring constantly until most of it has evaporated. You may have to turn the heat to high to achieve this quickly.
Stir in the creme fraiche. Lower the heat to medium-high and keep stirring until the sauce thickens, a minute or so, and coats the vegetables.
Remove skillet from the heat and stir in a few grindings of black peppercorns.  (You can add salt if you wish, but I found the dish just fine without.)
Serve hot.
Enjoy!

~ Confused about Brut, Extra-Dry, Sec and demi-Sec?  Click here for definitions.
One needn't go out and buy a really expensive sec champagne, but make sure you like it before adding it to your food.

Other carrot recipes you might like from this blog:

http://christinecooks.blogspot.com/2008/09/roasted-autumn-soup-with-potatoes.html

http://christinecooks.blogspot.com/2006/02/chicken-breasts-on-bed-of-leeks.html

http://christinecooks.blogspot.com/2010/11/flame-charred-red-pepper-soup-with.html

http://christinecooks.blogspot.com/2006/10/best-black-beans.html

Carrot recipes from other bloggers:

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/roasted_baby_carrots/

http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com/2010/04/recipe-for-maple-glazed-roasted-carrots.html

http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2009/02/recipe-vegan-carrot-ginger-soup-two.html

http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/carrot-and-fennel-soup-recipe.html

Copyright © 2005-2011, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Christine's Quick and Easy Pasta Sauce With Ground Turkey

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The title actually says it all about this recipe.  It can be prepped, cooked, and ready to spoon over pasta in about 45 minutes.

My boys (now men) know this sauce well; until they had grown up and fledged, I'd made it for them often, always tossed with spaghetti (although today I used gluten-free spirals), and it never failed to satisfy.  Sometimes I think they liked it better than pizza.

The meat is optional and leaving it out will result in a sauce suitable for vegetarians and vegans alike.

A note about the ground turkey: That mushy stuff sold in some stores that looks and feels like it has glue in it? Try not to use that. Instead, find a good source for ground turkey that looks as though it really was extruded through a grinder rather than mashed into paste.

Yes, I'm using canned tomato products but if you have home made sauces, go for it.  The measurements are not set in stone.  What you want to achieve is a thick, tomato-y sauce that will cling to your pasta.

This is dedicated to my boys (now men).  The recipe is a secret no longer so hone up on those knife skills and get chopping.

Christine's Quick and Easy Pasta Sauce with Ground Turkey
(print recipe)
Ingredients:
1 pound ground turkey (not the mushy stuff), or other ground meat, optional
4-6 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 large sweet onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 large red bell pepper, seeds and veins removed, chopped in 1/2-inch pieces
2 small Padrón peppers or 1 small jalapeño pepper, seeds and veins removed, minced
1 tablespoon (or more) organic Italian herbs
1 28-ounce can organic peeled tomatoes (I use Muir Glen Organic tomato products)
1 15-ounce can organic tomato sauce (preferrably sugar free)
1 6-ounce can organic tomato paste (preferrably sugar free)
1/4 to 1/3 cup dry red wine to rinse the cans (more certainly may be used)
small handful fresh basil leaves, torn
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
olive oil for the pan

Preparation:

If using ground meat, heat a heavy skillet over medium-high.

When a bead of water dances on the skillet, add roughly 2 teaspoons olive oil then the ground meat crumbled into pieces.

Allow the meat to sear for about 3 minutes then break apart with a wooden spoon and continue to sauté until no pink shows.  Drain all liquid (save this for the dog or kitties), remove to a plate and set aside.

In the same skillet, add a bit more olive oil then toss in the onions.  Sauté until they soften, about 5 minutes.

Add the garlic and stir, allowing the aromas to come up from the pan, about 2 minutes.

Add the peppers, Italian herbs, and the contents of each can.

Rinse the cans with red wine and pour into the skillet.

Stir and break the tomatoes up with your wooden spoon.
Add the cooked ground meat,

the torn basil leaves, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, give it a good stir and simmer it for about 15 minutes.  At this point it's ready for pasta, although you can simmer it longer if you have time.

I said it was simple.

Mangia!

Copyright © 2005-2010, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Blackberry Cabernet Sauce with Rosemary, Ginger and Tellicherry Pepper

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This is the sauce

that accompanied the duck

that we ate for Easter dinner.

It was painted on the duck at the end of roasting, then a pool of it was placed under the slices of duck on our plates.  Great idea. Great sauce. Good side dishes.  But the duck sucked.

What can I say?  It did.  Could have been the duck, could have been the cook.  I'll have to try it again to find out.

So this photo?  Forget the duck.  This photo is to point out the next post. That would be the savoy cabbage with fennel and slivers of cara cara orange peel.

 
The sauce now ...  what a delight.  As soon as I realized there would be a lot left over from the duck fiasco, I knew I would make ice cream...  And so I did...  And that post is coming along soon.

Blackberry Cabernet Sauce with Rosemary, Ginger and Tellicherry Pepper
Christine's original recipe
(print recipe)
Ingredients:
4 heaping cups of blackberries (from last summer's crop that you found in the bottom of the freezer several days ago, thawed.)
2 cups good Cabernet Sauvignon
2 stems fresh rosemary, leaves pulled from stems
3-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped fine
1/2 cup fresh orange juice from a Cara Cara orange
6-8 Tellicherry peppercorns, lightly crushed in a mortar

Preparation:
Combine all the ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a very low boil.
Maintain a low boil for about 1 hour or until the liquid has reduced by one-half.
Taste and adjust with a bit of sugar or a pinch of salt if necessary.
Strain into a glass measuring cup, pressing on the solids to release all the liquid and flavors.
Store in the fridge if making in advance.
Serve with roast duck, salmon, or lamb chops, OR ...  make ice cream!


Happy Cooking!

Copyright © 2005-2010, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Christine's Recipe For Creamy, Garlicky Chevre Sauce With Steamed Green Beans And Toasted Pecans

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While it's true that I'm no longer eating pasta, it is not true that I can't enjoy a thick and deliciously creamy pasta sauce from time to time. I just drizzle it over steamed, sautéed or roasted vegetables and I'm completely happy.

Intensely garlicky, beginning with a white wine reduction, this is a sauce that will compliment a number of vegetables served as an entrée or a side dish. (Mr CC even enjoyed it on his lunch tacos!)

Last week we roasted purple potatoes and topped them with this sauce along with some freshly chopped basil.

Decidedly unphotogenic in its white-on-white demeanor, roasted cauliflower nonetheless is the perfect compliment to the garlic and goat cheese flavors imbued here.

For its debut, however, green beans steamed to a tender crispness were the perfect vehicle to showcase this bright white saucy offering, needing only a sprinkling of chopped toasted pecans to round out the visual feast.

This sauce can be made with full, low or no fat dairy. The amount you use will need to be adjusted to achieve the creaminess you desire. It's ready for your vegetables in less than 25 minutes and will keep in the refrigerator for one week.

Christine's Creamy, Garlicky Chevre Sauce
Ingredients:
6-ounces dry white wine
5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 pinches kosher salt
1 cup cream (or 1/2 & 1/2, or milk)
11-ounces good chevre (goat cheese), crumbled
Preparation:
Place the white wine and the minced garlic in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer until the wine has reduced by one-half, about 6 minutes.
Add the salt and stir.
Add the chevre and the cream and whisk over low heat until the mixture is smooth. The amount of milk product will vary depending on its fat content.
Serve over your favorite vegetables or roasted potatoes, or, gasp!, pasta.
Reserve left over sauce in the refrigerator.

Copyright © 2005-2009, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Blueberry Sauce With Balsamic Vinegar And Thyme

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And oh yeah, a chicken breast. But as my friend Susan says, The chicken is just the vehicle. Actually, she says that about the slice of salami that brings the spicy mustard to the lips, but it all means the same thing. The reason for the chicken breast at all is to bring this simple, delicious, oh-so-good-for-you herby purple sauce to your tongue.

These deep blue beauties were organically grown within a figurative stone's throw of my kitchen. Simona called me up the other day and asked if I wanted to buy a share in 30-pounds of blueberries. Well, that was a no-brainer and now 10-pounds of antioxident-rich blueberries are living in my freezer.

We have five blueberry bushes on our property. The berries ripen toward mid-July and finish at about mid-October. There are never enough to freeze for the winter because we go out to the bushes and graze until they're all gone. So having this surplus of blueberries on hand is like winning the lottery. (Hmmm. That may be an overstatement.)

I'm beginning with a simple savory sauce enhanced with balsamic vinegar and thyme which is a delightful embellishment for a sautéed chicken breast but would not be shabby at all atop a perfectly grilled salmon. You should know that already there's a fast-disappearing quart of blueberry ice cream in the freezer, subject for another post.

Christine's Blueberry Sauce with Balsamic Vinegar and Thyme

Christine's original recipe
Makes about 1 cup
Ingredients:
1/2 cup chicken stock

1 heaping cup ripe blueberries (can be frozen)

1 tablespoon aged balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
1 tablespoon cold butter
Pinch kosher salt
Preparation:

You can see how I prepare chicken breasts here. Follow the directions, if you wish, through removing the sautéed breasts from the pan . . .

With the skillet in which you sautéed the chicken breasts still over medium-high heat, pour in the chicken stock and stir the pan to get up all the browned bits.

Add the blueberries, balsamic vinegar and thyme and stir well.

When the berries begin to bubble, mash some of them lightly using a flat spatula. Don't mash all of them.

Turn the heat to medium-low and stir for 1 minute.

Stir in the cold butter until it is incorporated and the sauce has thickened slightly.

Remove from the heat and add a pinch of salt it needed.

Serve immediately over grilled or sautéed chicken or fish.

Weekend Herb Blogging, now under the management of Haalo of Cook (Almost) Anything, is being hosted this week by Heather of Diary of a Fanatic Foodie. Blueberries, being one of the world's healthiest foods, fit right in to this event. Check out Heather's blog late Sunday for the round-up.

Copyright © 2005-2008, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Christine's End of Summer Tomato Sauce

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Summers here are far too short and often foggy. Then comes Autumn with beautiful sunny days, star-studded nights and nippy mornings followed by warm, balmy afternoons.

And then there are tomatoes. . .

A plethora of tomatoes, ripening all at the same time, sending cooks into a frenzy trying to preserve them for the winter ahead. I'm proud to say that these beauties are just a few that came from my greenhouse this summer.

Here's a tomato sauce that can be prepared in a snap. Freeze some in zip-top bags for hearty winter meals. And if you can't wait that long, in the next few posts I'll show you some of the dishes we made recently to go with it.

Christine's End of Summer Tomato Sauce
Ingredients:
5 pounds tomatoes, cut into chunks. Save juice.
1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes packed in extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tube (2-3 tablespoons) sun dried tomato paste
1 teaspoon sugar (Splenda or Agave may be used instead)
2 bay leaves (I use fresh, but then I'm lucky)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon Italian herbs, crushed
5 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

Preparation:
Place the tomato chunks and juice In a large pot over medium-high heat and cook until all the juices are released from the tomatoes.
Add the salt, sugar, sun dried tomatoes, tomato paste, and bay leaves. Cook until the tomatoes are really saucy, about 10 minutes.
Add the Italian herbs and garlic and cook until the sauce has reduced a bit and thickened, about 15 minutes more. The tomatoes will still be chunky but very soft.
Remove the pot from the heat and allow the sauce to cool for 10 minutes.
Remove the bay leaves and pulse the sauce in a food processor (you may have to do this in several batches) until the tomatoes break up into very small pieces but are still noticeable and the skins are not noticeable at all.
Pour the sauce back into the pot, stir it up and adjust the taste, if necessary, with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Cook's Notes:

> Leaving the skins on the tomatoes and buzzing them in the food processor gives this sauce a lot of body, so before you turn your nose up at cooked tomato skins, give it a try.

> Delicious by itself, this sauce begs to be a vehicle for any number of fresh, ripe vegetables. Serve it over grilled eggplant or zucchini topped with grated cheese; or combine it with cooked ground turkey or chicken and toss it with pasta. Add fresh basil to the warm sauce then spoon it over an omelette and sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley. Add capers, lemon zest and a pinch of cayenne and serve over oven roasted cauliflower. I'm sure you'll come up with something creative.

Copyright © 2005-2008, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Garlic And Herb Aioli

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In my neck of the woods the organic garlic available at our local Co-op right now is the kind that stores over the winter. The new spring garlic won't be available for several months yet and the beautiful dried heads a month or more after that. Being a garlic lover, I make do with this older, very pungent garlic that gets a bit funky this time of year. Just such a head was in my garlic basket yesterday, needing attention of some kind; either cook it right then or heave it into the compost bin within the week. Ugh. So far this isn't a very appetizing post is it?

Hang on, I'm getting to the good part. I separated the head into cloves, cut off the tops and put them into my little garlic roaster with some balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Roasting them, covered, in a 350-degree oven for 45 minutes yielded a different beast entirely - beautifully carmelized, sweet, nutty, delicious, soft garlic cloves. A sublime transformation if ever there was one.

Garlic, of course, is one of the world's healthiest foods. Packed with nutrients, when eaten regularly garlic is a proven cholesterol buster, antioxident, anti-inflamation, heart healthy food. There's a little blurb in the current issue of Gourmet Magazine that says if you crush garlic and allow it to sit for 15 minutes prior to cooking, compounds form that help relax blood vessels. What a great tip. And there's always the vampire thing...

After roasting, peel those puppies and mash them with fresh herbs and a little Kosher salt.

To the mash, add Vegenaise, Meyer lemon juice, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste and mix well to blend it all into an aioli. There you are, the healthful values of garlic and fresh herbs, a no cholesterol mayonnaise, and the delights of Meyer lemon juice.

For a very healthy low carb lunch, take a home grown lettuce leaf or two (I used romaine, lolla rossa and arugula from my garden), lay down some shredded lean pork tenderloin, place a dollop of your aioli on top, roll everything up in the lettuce and eat. Swoon. Repeat.



This is my offering to Weekend Herb Blogging, an event begun by my friend Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen. WHB is being hosted this week by Anna of Morsels and Musings. Click here to read about this long-running, very popular event and then check out the roundup at Anna's blog in the next few days.

Garlic and Herb Aioli

Christine's original recipe

Ingredients:

1 head garlic, separated into cloves, tips cut off

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

3 tablespoon Vegenaise

2 teaspoons Meyer lemon juice

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preparation:

Place the garlic cloves with the balsamic vinegar and the olive oil into a small oven proof container that has a lid (aluminum foil will do also). Roast the garlic in a 350-degree oven for 45 minutes or until the garlic is a very soft golden brown with bits of carmelization. Remove from the oven and allow to cool with the lid off.

Peel the garlic cloves and place on a plate.

Chop the herbs very finely and put over the garlic.

Sprinkle on a pinch of coarse Kosher salt. This will help with the mashing.

Using a fork, mash the garlic and herbs together until they form a paste. Don't worry about bits of carmelized garlic that won't mash. This is rustic aioli.

Put the mash into a bowl, add the Vegenaise and lemon juice and stir to blend.

Season to taste with fine Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.

Cooks' Notes:

This makes about 1/3 cup of aioli. Use it on fish, chicken, pork or as a vegetable dip. It should keep in the fridge for 1 week.

Follow Your Heart Vegenaise can be found in many health food or organically inclined stores in the refrigerator section, usually by the tofu. It can also be ordered online.

Copyright © 2005-2008, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Whole Wheat Pasta With Chicken Sausage And Portobello Tomato Sauce

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Here's another recipe that was prepared and enjoyed just prior to the flu making its dastardly visit to chez moi. Top billing is shared by two ingredients in this dish:

the fabulous organic whole durum wheat pasta "snails" produced in Italy by Bionaturae, and the delicious nitrite free California Chicken Sausage made with basil and sun-dried tomatoes by California's own Premiere Meats. Located in Mt. Shasta, this company actually started out here in Humboldt county about 10 miles from my kitchen.

Just look at these cool whole wheat pasta pouches - their little mouths eagerly agape, awaiting the saucy morsels that will tumble in. The ridges on the outside enable the sauce to adhere there as well. Called chiocciole, this organic Italian import may be purchased on line here, but I got mine at our local Co-op and am fairly sure you should be able to find it at most good organic food stores.

Portobello mushrooms, sea salt-packed capers and the usual suspects of garlic, onion, organic fire roasted tomatoes, along with white wine and a goodly portion of parmigiano reggiano give their all to this tasty sauce. You want to dice everything so that it matches or is slightly smaller than your pasta shape. This way, the sauce won't overwhelm the pasta.

Whole Wheat Pasta with Chicken Sausage and Portobello Tomato Sauce
Christine's original recipe
Ingredients:
16 ounces Chiocciole pasta or other whole grain pasta
4 Premier Meats California Chicken sausages, diced
2 portobello mushrooms, gills removed and diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 14-ounce can Muir Glen Organic Fire Roasted diced tomatoes (simply the best!)
1 1/2 tablespoons salt packed capers, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups parmesan, grated
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
olive oil for the pan

Preparation:
Put on a large pot of water for the pasta over high heat. Add about 1 tablespoon kosher salt to the water and bring to a boil.
Meanwhile, place a small amount of olive oil in a heavy skillet and put over medium high heat.
Add the portobellos and mushrooms and saute until the mushrooms are soft, stirring frequently.
Add the garlic, give a stir and cook 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, capers and white wine. Stir again and simmer about 5 minutes or until the juices thicken slightly and everything is piping hot.
When the pasta is cooked, drain it in a colander, put it back into the cooking pot and drizzle with a small amount of olive oil. Give it a quick stir.
Just before serving, stir the parmesan into the sauce.
Serve on warmed plates, sprinkling each serving with the chopped parsley.

Copyright © 2005-2008, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Butternut Squash Ravioli With Ricotta Sherry Sauce

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Here's another simple-but-elegant entrée that can be on your dinner table within 1/2 hour. Pick up these fresh butternut squash ravioli from your local gourmet foods store

Butternut Squash Ravioli with Ricotta Sherry Sauce
Christine's original recipe
Ingredients:
2 packages store bought butternut squash-stuffed, confetti ravioli
1 teaspoon Earth Balance, or butter
2/3 to 3/4 cup vegetable broth (depending on the thickness of your ricotta cheese)
1 cup ricotta cheese, low fat is fine
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano plus more for garnish
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley plus more for garnish
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon Sherry
1/2 teaspoon fine kosher salt
several grinds of good black peppercorns

Preparation:
Gently cook the ravioli in a large pot of boiling, salted water until just done.
Remove from the water with a skimmer, drain the water, and put the ravioli back in the pot on the same burner, now turned off, so they can dry a bit.

Meantime, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, saute the garlic slices in the EB or butter until softened.

Add the ricotta cheese and the vegetable broth, whisking until smooth, until the sauce is the consistency you desire.

Add all the rest of the ingredients and mix well, tasting and adjusting to your liking.

Place a few of the ravioli on a warmed plate, drizzle with the sauce and a few sprinkles of the fresh herbs and serve immediately. A salad of crisp greens, citrus, roasted walnuts and goat cheese goes well with this.

Cook's Notes:
A good toasted walnut oil would compliment this dish. I would drizzle it over the top, sparingly, just before serving.

For the past two weeks I've been trying to get this recipe posted. But I've been down with the flu and no amount of wishing and hoping that I could blog has seemed to have mattered. This is one nasty flu bug that renders all the senses senseless - at least in my experience. Mr CC got it too and pretty much feels the same way I do, so at least I know it's not hypochondria. There are several other recipes waiting in the wings that I hope to share with you soon. But for right now, I'd like to finish just this one. The sauce is worth it.

Copyright © 2005-2008, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved