Since Justin and I love cooking together, we decided to make a challenging Valentine's Day dinner together at home. Nothing is more romantic than a nice Italian dinner; so we chose to make bruschetta, baked ravioli, and gelato for dessert. I was overly impressed by how everything turned out... I may even need to put a lock on the freezer to keep me away from the gelato! Challenging yourself to make a fancy dinner is not only delicious but rewarding as well. It's time to uncork that vino and get cooking!
Bruschetta
Ingredients:
3 Roma Tomatoes
1/2 Cup Onions
1/2-1 Tbsp Minced Garlic
1/4 Tbsp Dried Oregano
1 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Black Pepper
1/2 Italian Loaf
3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 450F.
2. Dice up the tomatoes and onions and combine them in a small bowl.
3. Add the garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, and 1 tbsp olive oil into the bowl and let the flavors absorb.
4. Cut the loaf of bread diagonally and slice pieces into 1/2-1" thickness.
5. Place the bread pieces onto a baking pan and lightly brush with olive oil. This will make them nice and crispy and also add flavor.
6. Bake for 5-6 minutes until crisp and slightly golden.
7. Spoon the topping mixture onto the toasted bread and enjoy!
Baked Ravioli
Ingredients:
Dough:
1 1/2 Cups Flour
2 Eggs
1/4 Tbsp Salt
2 Tbsp Water
Filling:
2 Sausages
1/2 Cup Onions
1/2 Tbsp Minced Garlic
4-5 Cups Fresh Spinach
1 Small Tub Ricotta Cheese
Coating:
3 Egg Whites, Lightly Beaten
1/4 Cup Flour
1 3/4 Cups Panko Breadcrumbs
4 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese
Pinch of Salt
1/4 Tsp Black Pepper
Marinara:
We got lazy here and just used a jar of our favorite kind. You can do the same or if you're feeling fancy, make your own!
Directions:
1. Mix the dough ingredients together in a bowl and knead with your hands for a minute or two.
2. Sprinkle a clean, flat surface with flour so your dough does not stick.
3. Using a rolling pin or your hands, flatten out the dough until it is about 1 cm thick. This was pretty tricky, but you'll see once you actually cut them out you can press the dough thinner.
4. Once you have rolled the dough as flat as possible, take your ravioli stamp and cut out as many pieces you can (You will need 2 for each ravioli).
5. While someone is working on the dough, the other can be working on the filling. To start, cut up the sausage and onion into small pieces.
6. Add a dash of olive oil to a sauté pan and heat up the sausage and onions over medium heat. Add garlic and continue to cook until the meat is fully browned.
7. Add in the spinach little by little until it wilts from the heat.
8. Once everything is cooked down, mix it with the small tub of ricotta cheese in a different bowl to complete the filling.
9. Scoop the filling mixture onto a ravioli piece and place another piece on top. Make sure there is enough room to fully pinch the sides together. If you are having trouble, use water to help seal the gaps.
10. At this time, preheat the oven to 450F.
11. Mix panko bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper into a bowl. In a separate bowl whisk the egg whites together.
12. Dip the ravioli in the egg white mixture and then fully coat with the bread crumb mixture.
13. Place on a baking pan with aluminum foil and bake for 18-20 minutes, flipping halfway through. Bake until the ravioli is golden brown and crispy.
14. Remove from the oven and let cool. Heat up your marinara in a saucepan and serve over the ravioli.
15. Buon appetito!
Stay tuned for my gelato recipe that you won't be able to put down =)
No comments :
Post a Comment