thanksgiving ' 06

wild mushroom risotto cakes & roasted red beet salad...for desert ~ cinnamon brown sugar pound cake.

in the spirit of gifting, pick up a copy of either one of these favorite cookbooks to find these recipes, heck ~ scribble them down & then pass the cookbook along as a gift! "The Norhtwest Best Places Cook Book" by sasquatch books in seattle & "Moosewood Restaurant Celebrates" .

tuscan 3 bean soup

serves 6 to 8
yeilds : 8 1/2 cups
total time: 30 minutes



















2 cups diced onions
1 cup peeled & diced carrot
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbls olive oil
15 large fresh sage leaves
6 cups cooked beans, or 3 15 ounce cans, undrained ~ small red or white beans, anasazi, great northerns, pinto, roman.....
3 - 4 cups veg. stock
salt & pepper

homemade croutons for garnish

in soup pot, saute onions, carrots & garlic in olive oil on medium low heat for 10 minutes, covered & stir every few minutes.
stack the sage leaves ans cut them crosswise into thin strips, then add them to vegetables, stir.
add in cooked beans & 3 cups stock.
continue to cook on medium heat until hot and simmering, about 10 minutes.
ladle about 3 cups of the soup into a blender and puree until smooth, add back into soup pot. if you wish, add in another cup of stock & season with salt & pepper!

cheap, quick & wintery ~

Spinach and Three Cheese Ravioli with Sugo Sauce

Filling:
1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese
2 (8-ounce) balls fresh buffalo mozzarella, water drained and shredded
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 cups fresh baby spinach, finely chopped
1 large egg
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Sauce:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced
2 anchovy fillets
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
2 tablespoons capers, drained
1/2 bunch fresh basil leaves
2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, drained and hand crushed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

To make the filling:
Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl, stirring to incorporate.

To make the sauce:
Coat a wide saute pan with olive oil and place over medium heat. When the oil gets hazy, add the onions, garlic, and anchovies; cook and stir for 5 minutes until fragrant and soft. Add the olives, capers, and hand torn basil. Carefully add the tomatoes (nothing splashes like tomatoes), cook and stir over low heat, until the liquid is cooked down and the sauce is thick, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Yield: 24 ravioli
(we used pre made pasta & then pan fried the ravioli's)