Oyster Mushroom Ravioli

My cousin gave me this box of growable mushrooms by a company called "Back To The Roots."  I felt bad that I hadn't grown it, after 7 months, so I pulled it out of hiding.

After only 10 days I had mushrooms!

I decided to make a mushroom ravioli with my harvest.  So I caramelized shallots with garlic and deglazed the pan with some white wine.  With that I added fresh thyme, parsley and ricotta & parmesan cheese.  A little S&P, of course.  The mixture smelled and tasted phenomenal!

I never thought I'd do this but I figured if Giada does it I can use wonton wrappers, too.  That, and I was too lazy to make my own pasta.  Plus they now sell them in little circles (finally!).  Place 1 T. in the center and just use water to seal the two rounds, making sure to push the air out so they don't explode when cooked.

And there we have it!

Oyster Mushroom Ravioli

1 T. olive oil

1 shallot, minced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

~2 c. or full harvest of grown oyster mushrooms, minced

2 T. white wine, or enough to deglaze the pan

1 1/2 t. fresh thyme

1 1/2 t. fresh parsley

Salt & pepper, to taste

1 c. ricotta

1/2 c. parmesan

1 package wonton wrappers

Add minced shallots to a pan with olive oil over medium heat.  Cook until caramelized but not burned.  Add garlic and mushrooms and cook completely.  Deglaze the pan with white wine.  Add thyme, parsley and S&P.   Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool.

Once cooled, add the ricotta and parmesan cheese.  

To assemble use water to moisten one wonton wrapper.  Add 1 T. of the mixture, centered. Adhere the other wonton wrapper making sure to remove all the air, and seal.  Place completed ravioli on a baking sheet lined with cornmeal.

You can either freeze the ravioli or cook in salted, boiling water.  

Makes 1 1 /2 dozen ravioli.

Cold Asian Noodle Salad

My family and I visited a friend--Lt. Col. Bill Smith (ret.)--in Upstate NY for a bbq and he served this to us, among other good food.  It is so simple but flavorful--good spiciness.  And it's not heavy, because it isn't mayo-based it's safe to serve in the summer.
I'll be making this for our annual summer pig roast this year!

1lb. vermicelli pasta

3T + 1t. sesame oil

1t. crushed red pepper

¼ c. honey

¼ c. + 2T. soy sauce

¼ c. vegetable oil

2T. toasted sesame seeds

¼ c. chopped cilantro

3 minced scallions

Cook pasta 5 ½ minutes, just before al dente (liquid will absorb cooked pasta for perfect texture). Combine sesame oil, crushed red pepper, honey and soy sauce, and heat in microwave for 20-30 seconds. Add to large bowl with cooked pasta. Stir well. Add vegetable oil, sesame seeds, cilantro and scallions and stir.

Place in fridge to serve cold.

Makes 8-10 servings.