Category: Vegetables

Carrot and Potato Ravioli:Recipes At My Table

Carrot and Potato Ravioli

Carrot and Potato Ravioli keep my Polish husband very happy.  He calls it a large pierogi.  LOL  I am happy because I get my Pasta fix.  This filling is not typical of Southern Italian cooking, but as a new generation we like to experiment.  Italians wether North or South prepared ravioli on special occasions.  The first yucca and amaretti ravioli appeared in in the 16th century in Modena. In the South we tend to use meat and cheese filling. This goes back to my theory that we all lived off the land.  Whatever the land produced, we used. 

My carrot and potato ravioli stemmed from trying to make pierogi for my husband who is Polish.  We were both happy with the result.  That is the other reason I used brown butter on this vs tomato sauce.  It was a nice change and of course, pierogi have butter not pasta sauce.

If you are looking for our traditional recipe https://recipesatmytable.com/spinach-ravioli-in-carrot-and-red-sauce/

Ingredients

Pasta Dough

  • 2 cups zero/zero flour
  • 2 large eggs

Filling Ingredients

  • 2 carrots (diced)
  • 2 large potatoes (diced)
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley
  • freshly grated nutmeg (optional)

Brown Butter

  • 1/2 cup of butter

Garnish

  • 1/4 cup of fresh parmesan cheese 
  • lots of black pepper 
  • minced parsley

Process

Pasta Dough

I like to make my pasta dough in the food processor when I am in a hurry.  I put the flour and eggs in and whisk it up until it comes together.  Then I put it on the counter and knead it to work that gluten. I do this for about ten minutes. 

Then I cover my dough with a tea towel or plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Filling

I wash, peel and cut the carrots and potatoes into small chunks and put them in a pot and on the stove to boil.  It takes about 20 minutes. 

Drain and puree them and set aside to cool. Once cooled I add my parmesan cheese, Italian spices and fresh parsley and mash all together. A little bit of fresh nutmeg also goes nicely at this point

Putting it together

I divide the pasta dough in half. It would be easy to use the pasta machine, but today I want to feel the pasta dough and work it. My special walnut rolling pin made by my husband is wonderful. Roll your dough out as thinly as possible and the place 1 tsp of potato/carrot mixture down one side leaving an edge. Then I rolled the dough over the little pockets and used my hands to press in between each pocket.

I cut with a sharp knife creating squares and then pinched them together with a fork.

Then I made the brown butter by placing butter in a pot and heating it until the milk solids toast leaving tiny bits of brown for a nutty flavour.

All that is left to do is boil the water and add the ravioli. They are done when they float to the top. Fresh pasta does not take long to cook. Then onto the plate they go with the butter, freshly ground pepper, parsley and slivers of parmesan cheese.

Carrot and Potato Ravioli:Recipes At My Table

Up close on the plate and then I cut into them.

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Leek,Lentil and Carrot Soup

Leek, Lentil And Carrot Soup

Autumn starts when the soup is on the stove and my Leek, Lentil And Carrot Soup is a show stopper that is full of flavour.  In this soup I puree part of the ingredients, but leave some chunky.  This bumps it up to a whole other level in texture.  The soup is silk, but has a bite.  You can use this to entertain, but your family will keep asking for it.

The mild flavour of the fennel compliments the other ingredients. The aroma of the soup cooking adds to the theme of Fall and fills the house with such a warm sense. Fennel plays a medicinal role in many parts of the world. Anything that keeps us healthy and adds good flavour to dishes is definitely a plus.

Another one of my favourite leek soups on my blog : https://recipesatmytable.com/leek-potato-carrot-celery-and-spinach-soup/

INGREDIENTS for Leek, Lentil and Carrot Soup

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 medium leeks, cut thingy
  • 2 ribs celery, cut into small dice
  • 1 medium onion diced 
  • 2 medium carrots diced into small cubes
  • 1 large clove garlic sliced
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
  • 1 cup dried lentils (cook according to package directions)
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • pepper
  • fresh fennel fronds for dressing
  • Greek yogurt, for serving

Process

Always rinse your lentils. I like using dried ones because they retain their shape. Precook your lentils in some vegetable or chicken broth.  I follow the package directions. Also precook your carrots and set aside. 

Put on a large saucepan on stove over medium heat and add the oil.  Stir in the onion first to soften. Next add in garlic and cook for one minute. Add the tomato paste next. This method allows the paste to toast.

Go in with the leek, and celery and cook for about 10 minutes until the vegetable soften.  Sprinkle in the  the Once everything comes together, pour in the broth. 

Leek,Lentil and Carrot Soup: Recipes At My Table

Bring everything to a boil. Lower the heat and cook for another ten minutes. Add in your salt and puree with an immersion blender. Add in your lentils and carrots. This gives a nice contrast and some texture to the soup.

Leek,Lentil and Carrot Soup: Recipes At My Table

Pour the soup into bowls and sprinkle with some fennel fronds and add a dollop of fresh yogurt. 

Leek,Lentil and Carrot Soup: Recipes At My Table
Leek,Lentil and Carrot Soup

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Cabbage Hash Brown Waffles

Autumn is a great time for certain vegetables and the vegetable stands are full. One of my favourite fall vegetables is cabbage. My Cabbage Hash Brown Waffles are crunch and sweet. You can’t get enough of them and the kids will gobble them up. What a great way to get more vegetables on the table. I serve these as an appetizer, but they are great as a main. Top them with yogurt for extra flavour.

Growing up the house smelled like cabbage many times, especially in the fall. Nonna Emilia loved stewed cabbage with various beans. We would add pasta to eat for our “primo piatto” and then it was followed by meat or fish with some salad. As a kid though, I remember not liking the smell because it lingered. However, the taste was delicious and I always liked the leftovers even cold. now i experiment with different ways to keep us healthy.

If you want to make nonna’s cabbage soup it is on the blog https://recipesatmytable.com/nonnas-cabbage-soup/

There are many benefits to eating cabbage and it is packed with nutrients. This is a good article with quick facts https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/benefits-of-cabbage

Ingredients

  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 tsp maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup semola ( you can substitute all purpose flour)
  • 2 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley (chopped)
  • 1/2 teaspoon  salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
  • 3 cups shredded cabbage ( shredded like for coleslaw)
  • 1/4 cup water (for steaming cabbage)
  • 1 small yellow onion (thinly sliced)
  • 1 tsp vegetable oil

Garnish

  • yogurt and apple sauce

Process

Shred the cabbage and place it in a microwave safe bowl. Add 1/4 cup water and  Microwave on high for 3 minutes. Remove, drain and let it cool. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and Parmesan cheese.

Pulse the onion, garlic and parsley in a food processor.

When the cabbage cools add all the spices in including the maple syrup.

Next add the semola and stir. This will absorb any extra water. Now pour in the eggs and mix.

Warm up a waffle iron and brush on some oil. Put 1 cup of mixture into the waffle iron and cook. I like to portion it and use 1/4 cup per little section. Flatten it down.

Serve as an appetizer with yogurt and apple sauce or as a vegetarian main.

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Roasted Potato Salad: Recipes At My Table

Roasted Potato Salad

Roasted Potato Salad

This recipe is my Italian tomato and potato salad, but only roasted with a few more ingredients. Roasted Potato Salad is an alternative to tractional heavier potato salads. We make a simple potato and tomato salad at our house, and I thought of roasting the ingredients and here it is.  It was a hit in every way.  I made it the day before and the flavours really soaked into the dressing. I hope you enjoy it too. 

Potatoes are in season everywhere and these new potatoes really stood up well in the roasted Potato Salad.  I kept it really simple and true to the Italian theory of few, but good ingredients.  I added some Kalamat olives for depth of flavour and the parmesan cheese added a nutty feature.  

Growing up we had tomato and potato salad many times in the summer.  When I visit Italy, I begin most meals with a tomato salad.  In this version the tomatoes are roasted in the oven which add a little sweetness.

If you want another healthy version of a potato salad try this recipe  https://recipesatmytable.com/roasted-broccoli-and-potato-salad/

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs small new potatoes
  • 2 small onions slices
  • 3 garlic cloves sliced
  • 20 Kalamata olives
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 2 tbs balsamic vinegar ( I used fig balsamic)
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning ( mine included red pepper flakes)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

Process

Gather all the ingredients. Slice the onions. Cut the tomatoes into chunks. I sliced the potatoes in half or quarters and ensured they were all the same size. Place all the vegetables into a large bowl.

Next I mixed the dressing and poured it into all my vegetables. Salt and toss.

Roasted Potato Salad: Recipes At My Table

Toss everything together and prepare a large cookie sheet by lining it with parchment paper. Use a slotted spoon to remove the vegetables from the bowl and place them onto the pan. Don’t toss out the left over dressing. When the vegetables are roasted, toss them again in this dressing.

Sprinkle on the parmesan cheese. Place the pan into a 400 F oven for about 40 minutes. There they are roasted.

Roasted Potato Salad: Recipes At My Table

Up close roasted goodness.

I like to serve this salad warm. You can cook it the day before and warm it up at 250 F for 30 minutes when serving. It is very luscious and creamy. Use bread to soak up this oil that has been infused with tomatoes, olive, onion and garlic.

Roasted Potato Salad: Recipes At My Table

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