I was looking through my recipe collection trying to decide what to make for dinner that night and came across this recipe by Rachael Ray. She claims the prep time to be 20 minutes and it's a one dish meal. Sounded easy enough to me. I had to transport this meal and one dish meals are always best for that. An added bonus was that it calls for a ton of Ricotta cheese which I absolutely love. Believe it or not, I didn't even know Ricotta cheese existed until I was in my mid 20s when I made Manicotti for the first time. I have to admit I'm a bit food sheltered. My mom is a very picky eater and never made Italian dishes with Ricotta cheese. There are still a lot of things out there I've never tried. About a year ago I was helping my friend, Lindsay with dinner and she handed me an Avocado to cut up. Not only did I not know what it was, but I certainly had no idea how to cut it up. My friends joked that they were going to host a dinner party and include all the foods I've never tried. I think I've made substantial progress even in just this past year expanding my palette and trying new things.
I didn't change this recipe much, but there are a few things I would do differently if I were to make it again. First, definitely cook the garlic before adding it the Ricotta mixture, unless of course you like biting into a chunk of raw garlic. Also in the future I'd like to try making my own ravioli. It would definitely make it a little more time consuming but I think it would really make a difference in the taste and my overall sense of accomplishment. Rachael says to cook it for about 3 minutes at 425 degrees, but that didn't seem to be enough. Keep it in the oven for at least 10 minutes. This was definitely a learning experience and I think it could be really great the next time. Dave seemed to really like it. He went back for seconds which I took as a compliment.
I think later this week I'm going to try chicken ranch pizza. Hopefully I'll have it posted by the weekend! My sister has requested healthy recipes so I'll get working on that too. Also I've had a request for pumpkin donuts, so I'll try to figure that one out as well. Thanks for reading!
11/8/10 Update. Here are a couple tips from friends regarding my garlic troubles:
Lindsay Gainey "grate the garlic or press the garlic, it will blend in smoothly and give you the taste without the chunks. This is good for beginner cooks like myself who can't mince into small enough pieces."
Joe Moges "While you're mincing garlic with your knife, sprinkle a little sea salt on it and smear the garlic on the cutting board with the sharp end of the knife a few times and that will give it a paste-like consistency."Thanks guys! I love getting new cooking tips and advice from my fellow foodies.
Ingredients
- 1 (10-ounce) packages chopped frozen spinach
- 1/4 stick butter
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 quart milk
- Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
- Salt and pepper
- 3 cups ricotta cheese
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 packages large fresh ravioli cheese, wild mushroom or spinach stuffed varieties
- 2 (15-ounce) cans artichoke hearts in water, drained and thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Directions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil for pasta.
Place oven rack in middle of oven and preheat broiler or oven to 425 degrees F.
Defrost the spinach in the microwave for 10 minutes on high.
While spinach defrosts, heat a medium sauce pot over medium heat. Cut butter into small pieces and melt. Whisk in flour and cook a minute or 2 then whisk in milk. Bring sauce to a bubble, as it begins to thicken, drop heat to low and season it with nutmeg, salt and pepper, to your taste.
Combine ricotta cheese, a little salt and pepper, lemon zest and garlic in a bowl.
Cook pasta to al dente, 5 to 6 minutes in salted water.
Remove spinach from the microwave and wring it completely dry in a kitchen towel. Open the towel and separate the spinach with your fingers. Pile up the sliced artichokes on your cutting board.
Drain pasta well. Ladle just enough white sauce in the bottom of a lasagna dish to lightly coat it. Top with 1/3 of the pasta. Top the pasta with a layer of half of the ricotta cheese dotted with half of the spinach and artichokes. Thinly cover the veggies with more white sauce then top liberally with grated cheese. Repeat these layers then top your lasagna with the remaining 1/3 of the cooked ravioli, the last of the white sauce and some grated cheese.
Place under hot broiler or into a preheated 425 degree F oven until sauce browns and bubbles, 3 minutes
Place oven rack in middle of oven and preheat broiler or oven to 425 degrees F.
Defrost the spinach in the microwave for 10 minutes on high.
While spinach defrosts, heat a medium sauce pot over medium heat. Cut butter into small pieces and melt. Whisk in flour and cook a minute or 2 then whisk in milk. Bring sauce to a bubble, as it begins to thicken, drop heat to low and season it with nutmeg, salt and pepper, to your taste.
Combine ricotta cheese, a little salt and pepper, lemon zest and garlic in a bowl.
Cook pasta to al dente, 5 to 6 minutes in salted water.
Remove spinach from the microwave and wring it completely dry in a kitchen towel. Open the towel and separate the spinach with your fingers. Pile up the sliced artichokes on your cutting board.
Drain pasta well. Ladle just enough white sauce in the bottom of a lasagna dish to lightly coat it. Top with 1/3 of the pasta. Top the pasta with a layer of half of the ricotta cheese dotted with half of the spinach and artichokes. Thinly cover the veggies with more white sauce then top liberally with grated cheese. Repeat these layers then top your lasagna with the remaining 1/3 of the cooked ravioli, the last of the white sauce and some grated cheese.
Place under hot broiler or into a preheated 425 degree F oven until sauce browns and bubbles, 3 minutes
Source: Foodnetwork.com
hmmm...how come neighbors are selected as food testers?
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