Handmade Raviolis

Ingredients: 
2 Cups Flour
1 Egg
1 Egg White
1 Cup of baby spinach (optional)

1/2 Cup of Ricotta Cheese
1/2 Cup of Mozzarella Cheese 

*Extra Flour for dusting
* Sea Salt
* Cornmeal - this is used only to keep pasta from sticking together 

Best if using: KitchenAid Pasta Roller And Cutter - KPRA (Google Affiliate Ad)


Preparation:
Using a stand mixer with a dough hook, mix together the flour and egg. Keep the mixer going until all flour has been incorporated and dough has a firm texture (not sticky).[If making the spinach dough, chop spinach finely and add to the dough mixture as it is kneading].  Add flour if necessary to smooth out. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 - 2 hours. 

Using a pasta roller attachment on the stand mixer, start rolling dough until you have a long sheet. For reference on how best to roll out pasta dough, see this previous article:Rolling Pasta Dough. Once the dough thins (use flour if necessary to avoid sticking) begin reducing the roller thickness from 1 - 5. Hang sheets on a drying rack but do not allow them to dry out as we will need them to be moist. 

Use a food processor/blender to shred mozzarella cheese into tiny pieces. Mix mozzarella and ricotta together in another bowl.  Spoon this mixture into a ziploc bag and cut the corner off (leaving about a 1/2 - 3/4" hole in the bag. 

Keep a small bowl handy with some water to help seal the pasta together. Lay one sheet of dough down, using the ziploc bag with the filling, squeeze a small dollop approximately every 1 - 1 1/2 inches lengthwise and if you can fit 2 across with a 1/4 - 3/8" border, do so otherwise only use 1 row to start. Once all filling is down, use your finger in the water and outline (square) around each dollop of filling.  Press another sheet of dough over and apply pressure specifically over the seams that were just moistened. Using a pizza cutter (or ravioli stamp) cut out around each ravioli. 

Allow raviolis to sit before cooking on a sheet of parchment paper dusted with cornmeal. If they will not be cooked right away, ensure that the container they are put in has a fair amount of cornmeal and parchment paper and freeze. 

Boil salted water (should taste like the sea) and cook raviolis until they float.  They will rise up quickly, let them cook for about another minute once they float to the surface. 

Serving:
If making a spinach dough, this goes well with: Alfredo Sauce
If making a non-spinach dough, this goes well with: Joe's Homemade pasta sauce

Penne ala Vodka

This recipe is a conglomerate that assembled over the years. Particularly favored by one of my sisters-in-law, this dish can be a spectacle to make. (Just be sure to keep the fire extinguisher handy the first time you do it in the off chance that something un-intended catches on fire).  The author takes no responsibility for accidental fires that may occur as a result of following this recipe in an unsafe fashion. 

Ingredients: 
2 Tbsp Butter
1 White or Yellow onion
1/2 cup of Vodka 
28 oz can of Tuturosso Crushed Tomatoes
1/2 pint of heavy cream
1 Tbsp parsley (fresh or dried) 

56 g / serving of Penne

* Kosher Salt
* Black Pepper
* Sea Salt

It is recommended to cook this sauce using a high walled stainless steel skillet: Bobby Flay 2-Pc. Stainless Steel Skillet Set (Google Affiliate Ad)

*** SAFETY TIP ****
It is also recommended to move any flammable objects away from the stove while cooking this such as oils, alcohol, paper products, or plastic utensils and to use either a wooden spoon or a high heat silicone spoon. 

Preparation:
Dice onion into 1/4 inch or smaller pieces. Heat butter in the skillet on high heat until it melts completely. Add onions and season with salt and pepper.  Stir around until onions become translucent and soft. Add vodka and mix together. Using a Grill lighter, carefully ignite the vodka, it should produce a blue flame and be difficult to see (turn lights off for better visibility). Once all alcohol burns off (smooths out the sauce) mix in crushed tomatoes, stir well, and let sit covered for approximately 15 minutes. Stir in heavy cream and add parsley and continue to cook with the lid lifted to allow the mixture to reduce down.  Cook for an additional 15 minutes until it thickens and stays a pink/orange color. Stir occasionally so that the sauce doesn't burn. 

Prepare pasta using sea salt to season the water (should taste like the ocean) and keep slightly under-cooked (just before al dente). Strain and cook the remainder of the way in the vodka sauce. 

Serving: 
It is recommended to serve this with a garlic bread and with Parmesan cheese to compliment the flavors. 

Grilled Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

Ingredients: 
1/2 Cup of Alfredo Sauce
6 small Cremini Mushrooms (stems removed)
3/4 Cup of fresh spinach
2 pcs Boneless Skinless Chicken
112 g fettuccine

* Kosher Salt
* Black Pepper 
* Garlic Powder
* Olive Oil
Recommended to cook the chicken on a Lodge Logic Rectangular Grill & Griddle Pan (Google Affiliate Ad)Preparation:
Salt, Pepper and lightly garlic the chicken. Heat up a griddle pan with a light spray of olive oil over medium heat. Cook chicken turning once per side for grill marks. After 4 - 6 minutes (or until cooked through depending on thickness) remove from griddle set aside and let rest.  When ready to serve, slice chicken into 3/8" or 1/2" wide strips against the grain on an angle. 

Chop spinach finely and mix in with Alfredo sauce in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Mix together to ensure that the spinach is well incorporated into the the sauce. 

Spray a small skillet with a light coating of olive oil and heat over medium/low heat. Slice mushrooms into 1/4" thick slices and saute with a light salting until mushrooms soften. Once cooked through, set aside. 

Boil water seasoned heavily with salt (should taste like the sea) and boil fettuccine until al dente.  Strain and set aside. 
Serving:
Plating: 
 Half of the serving of Fettuccine in the bottom of the plate/bowl. 
 Mix together with approx 1/8 cup of Alfredo sauce
 Half of the total chicken slices
 Half of the pan of mushrooms
 Remainder of the Alfredo sauce

Lasagna In a Mug

This is a take on lasagna whereby you can speed up the cooking time and individualize the contents by cooking individual sized portions in a mug.  I recommend using one of the corningware vented top soup mugs as they are a good size and have a fair capacity to fill. http://www.shopworldkitchen.com/corningware/french-white-pop-ins-mug-1035985

Ingredients: 
4 rounds (Hand rolled Pasta dough cut using cookie cutter into 3" rounds)
1 servings of Part Skim Ricotta Cheese
1.5 servings (46 grams) Part Skim Mozzarella Cheese shredded
1 Cup of Pasta Sauce (http://raygasnick.blogspot.com/2012/06/joes-homemade-pasta-sauce.html) 
1/2 serving (14 grams) Parmesan Cheese shredded

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and place a heat capacitor (such as a stoneware pan or pizza stone) on the low shelf. In mug, place 1 ladle worth of sauce and top with first round. Layer with 1 serving (28 grams) of Mozzarella cheese, top with next round. Place 1/2 ladle of sauce, cover with ricotta cheese and layer next round. Place another 1/2 ladle of sauce and cover with remaining mozzarella cheese. Put final round on top, layer remaining sauce and Parmesan cheese. 

Bake in oven for 15 - 25 minutes until sauce begins to bubble around the edges. 

Serving:
Serve in bowl (recommended to place it on a plate as it WILL be hot.) 

Nutrition Information:
This is a quick, easy and relatively healthy meal. This is 8 Weight Watchers points plus points. 

Recommended Additions:
1. More Layers - this will increase the cheesiness, but it is recommended to alternate mozzarella and ricotta cheeses as when they melt, there will be clear texture differences between layers. 
2. Meat - There are two options on this one: 
    * Ground Beef or Pork directly, 1/4 lb total meat sauteed in some light olive oil lightly salted and peppered
    * 80/20 Beef or Pork: 1/8 lb + 28 grams of soy crumbles to increase the quantity but keep it healthy (adds about 2 - 3 more WW Pts + )
3. Vegetables - Layer some squash or zucchini in between cheese layers or meat layers 

Substitution: 
Substitute tomato sauce with Parmesan cream sauce, substitute beef / pork with chicken and consider adding a layer of spinach in lieu of extra cheese. **** Flavorful, not very healthy ****