Saffron Ricotta Ravioli recipe

Last night the wife and I made homemade saffron ricotta ravioli. Saffron consists of “threads”–stigmas of a crocus flower. Each crocus contains 3 stigmas, which must be picked out by hand. It takes approximately 80,000 crocuses to make one pound of saffron, making it the most costly spice in the world by weight. My Herbs and Spices book describes its aroma as: “rich, pungent, musky, floral, honeyed and tenacious,” and it’s taste as: “delicate yet penetrating, warm, earthy, musky, bitter and lingering.” Saffron’s bright color also make it an excellent dye. I’ve heard that it was traditionally used to dye the robes of Buddhist monks.

Pasta:
400g flour
4 eggs
1T olive oil
1t salt

Ricotta filling:
1/2 t saffron
1 T milk
1 1/2 c ricotta
Zest of 1/2 orange
1 egg
Pepper to taste

Sauce:
2 cloves garlic
3 small tomatoes
1 sprig of fresh sage
4 T olive oil

Make the pasta dough:

Sift flour onto clean counter top.

Make a volcano out of the flour. Break eggs into the crater.

Add olive oil and salt. Using your fingers, mix eggs, oil and salt. Begin working flour into the egg mixture, being careful not to rupture the edge of the volcano.

Work into a dough, and knead for 3-5 minutes. One finished, wrap and let sit for an hour.

Make the ricotta filling:

Crush the saffron and let it soak in the milk for 20 minutes.

Zest the orange.

Mix the zest, egg, pepper and saffron/milk into the ricotta.

Make the ravioli:

Step 1: Keep all cats away from the pasta machine.

Break off a fist-sized chunk of pasta dough, and run it through the machine to the thinnest setting. (If you don’t have a pasta machine, roll the dough out on a floured surface until about as thick as a postcard).

Lay the dough over a ravioli tray. Carefully stretch the dough into the pockets of the tray.

Beat an egg with 1T of water. Paint the edges of the ravioli pockets (acts as a glue). Scoop a heaping teaspoon of filling into the pockets.

Lay another sheet of pasta dough over tray to cover the pockets. Roll the tray to perforate the edges of the ravioli.

Dump them out, separate them, and let them dry for an hour.

Finish:

In olive oil, lightly fry two cloves of minced garlic. Reduce heat to lowest possible setting. Add diced tomatoes (seeds removed), chopped thyme and pepper to taste.

In another pot bring water to a boil. Add ravioli, and let them cook 4 or 5 minutes until puffy and floating.

Creamy pumpkin curry soup recipe

I got this recipe from a good friend last fall. It may be the best culinary use of pumpkin I’ve ever tasted. It’s absolutely delicious. This is coming from someone who isn’t a huge fan of pumpkin to begin with. This wonderful fall recipe is s a perfect blend of spicy and sweet; the curry does a wonderful job of highlighting the pumpkin without either becoming too overpowering. The red pepper gives it a nice kick without scorching the palate. It’s the perfect warm-up for a cold fall day. Pares well with a good pumpkin ale or Oktoberfest.

Servings: 4

3 olive oil
1 small onion
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
3 cups chicken broth
1 can (15 ounces) LIBBY’S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
1/2 to 1 cup cream (I usually substitute with milk)

Heat olive oil large saucepan over medium-high heat. In a food processor, puree onion and garlic. Add puree to saucepan; cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 5 minutes or until translucent. Stir in curry powder, salt, coriander and crushed red pepper; cook for 1 minute. Add broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes to develop flavors. Stir in pumpkin and cream; cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until heated through. Do not boil.

Ashram Budget Recipes

I was in a wedding this past weekend. One of the bridesmaids mentioned that she’s started making one of our house recipes after learning it from the groom. It made me think about how much I love our house recipes, and how so many more people should know about them.

They are the ultimate budget recipes, carefully honed over several years to yield the most nutrition for the lowest price. Each one contains a good balance of protein to carbohydrates, and each one can feed a person for less than a dollar. Filling, nutritious, flavorful and extremely inexpensive, they are the belong in every miser’s cookbook.

All of these recipes will feed two people and can be made in 15 minutes tops. All of them can also be improvised upon by adding sauted vegetables: Onions, garlic, celery, green pepper, mushrooms, carrots, broccoli, zucchini, squash, corn or really anything else you happen to have laying around. If fresh produce is too expensive, use a bag of those frozen mixed chopped veggies from the grocery store. Adding spices is always a good idea, too. I usually add some variation of cumin, coriander, curry and whatever else I feel like adding on a whim from the cabinet.

Also, all of these are exponentially improved by adding as much Sriracha as you can possibly stand.

Spicy Peanut Rice

This recipe is similar to Thai Spicy Peanut Chicken… minus the chicken and expensive specialty ingredients like galanga or fish oil.

1 c. rice
4 spoonfuls of peanut butter (crunchy and natural are best)
Hot sauce to taste (preferably Sriracha)

Cook the rice in a saucepan. When the rice is about 2 minutes from being done, spoon the peanut butter over the top of it, so that it starts to melt. When it’s finished, pour about twice as much hot sauce as you can bear over it (the fatty protein of the peanut butter takes a lot of the edge off of it). Mix thoroughly and enjoy.

Beanie Mac

This is the essential Ashram House recipe. It is our brainchild and our staple. True, it’s a bit non-traditional, but it is sooooo good. Don’t knock ’til you try it.

1 box of macaroni and cheese (preferably Annie’s shells, don’t ever buy Kraft)
1 can of black beans
Splash of milk

Cook the macaroni shells. While they cook, mix the cheese powder with the milk until it’s creamy. Drain most of the liquid from the can of black beans. Heat over a skillet until hot. When cooked, drain the shells and add the cheese. Then add the beans and mix.

Beans and Rice

Our first budget recipe. Simplistic and good, it leaves plenty of room for improvization.

1 c. of rice
1 can of black beans

Cook the rice. Drain most of the liquid from the can of black beans. Heat over a skillet until hot. Spoon over the rice.

What do you want to hear more of?

So, I’ve never really asked what you enjoy reading on my blog. Of course, I will continue to write about whatever I want to. But if everyone seems to enjoy my political rants or hearing about my personal life, I’ll try to focus in more on that. So… what do you want to hear more of?

Pop vs. Coke vs. Soda debate settled

Having lived in Chattanooga–home of the creator of bottled beverages and only a short jaunt from Atlanta, the home of Coca-Cola–the Pop-Coke-Soda debate took on nearly religious significance. I’ve heard people argue for (literally) hours about why it should be called pop/Coke/soda, and why calling it anything else is nonsensical.

So when I stumbled across the following image on my soon-to-be brother in law’s blog, I had to share…

(Red: Coke, Blue: Pop, Yellow: Soda)