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Ravioli with Corn Sauce Recipe

November 3, 2014 by Pechluck 6 Comments

I can’t believe it’s already November. I haven’t posted a recipe here since August! I admit though, I haven’t been cooking as much at home and have been dining out a lot because of my hectic days in September and October. And now, here we are approaching the holidays. Honestly though as soon as it turns November I think I am in holiday mode. It’s the time of year that people all reach out to their family and friends to try to connect and celebrate, which means it’s great rationalization to try new recipes out.

At the farmers market there is still some corn left, and so I hurried to make this recipe. The use of corn here is the main sauce, almost like a pesto recipe but using corn instead of basil (although there is still plenty of basil, just not in the sauce itself!). F really liked this dish because it wasn’t super cheesy, and I liked celebrating corn while it’s about to finish its season. It also takes advantage of the last of the cherry tomatoes before it’s time to batten down the hatches.
Ravioli with Corn Sauce Recipe with Basil and Grape Tomatoes. The corn sauce is almost like a pesto but with corn and toasted almonds instead

The original recipe comes from Lillian Julow in Gainesville Florida that I saw in Taste of Home. That original recipe includes bacon and uses bacon drippings with fettuccine, so you might want to check out her version if you are not vegetarian and that intrigues you.

But to make it vegetarian instead I swapped it out by using grilled corn kernels. If using fresh corn is too time consuming for you, use thawed frozen corn and roast it in a skillet with a little butter until the corn just begins to brown.

I love the colors of this dish too.
Ravioli with Corn Sauce Recipe with Basil and Grape Tomatoes. The corn sauce is almost like a pesto but with corn and toasted almonds instead

Ingredients:

20 ounces of refrigerated ravioli (I used Giovanni Ravioli Caprese Duet, in your refrigerated section, this one is stuffed with either basil pesto or caprese and mozzarella, and offers two colors, green and white! I’m a fan of the various ravioli of this brand as there are many options, such as also their artichoke, mushroom, chicken rosemary and more)
4 cups fresh corn kernels after being grilled in the husk (or you could use thawed frozen corn as well)
1 tablespoon butter
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon dill weed
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese plus additional to taste
1/3 cup unsalted toasted almonds (I recommend toasting them yourself as it tastes better and makes the house smell wonderful. Always make extra because you will snack on some)
1/3 cup olive oil for the pasta sauce, plus an extra drizzle on the pasta
1 cup of fresh basil chiffonade (see here how to chiffonade a basil leaf)
Two handfuls or so of grape tomatoes, cut in half

Directions:

Cook the ravioli in boiling water for a couple minutes and then drain from water and toss with a quick drizzle of olive oil so the pasta does not stick. Reserve at least a cup or so of the pasta water to marry the sauce later.
In a skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. After removing the corn from the cob after grilling it, or after thawing your frozen corn kernels, add it to the melted butter along with the 3 minced garlic cloves, salt and pepper, and dill. Stir over medium-high heat until everything is well incorporated.
Remove 3/4 a cup of the corn mixture to reserve for later. With the rest of the corn mixture, add it to a food processor, along with the 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, toasted almonds, and 1/3 cup olive oil. Process until well blended. You’ll notice here that for this corn sauce, it essentially is like a pesto in using corn, olive oil, and toasted almonds (instead of pine nuts). I personally always do the olive oil glugging last so that I can continue to taste it and get it to a consistency I like (although keep in mind some of the pasta water will also be added to marry the sauce with the pasta). F is not a fan of pestos that have too much oil, which is why I only used 1/3 but if it had just been me I might have added more.
Return the processed corn portion to the skillet and add the reserved 3/4 of the unprocessed corn mixture and heat until everything softens. Then add the pasta and 3/4 cup of the chiffonade basil to the skillet and mix. Add a small bit of the pasta water at a time until the sauce is the consistency you want- I kept mine pretty thick and used maybe 3/4 cup of pasta water.
Add the halved grape tomatoes and toss. Top with the remaining Parmesan (optional) and basil and serve!

This dish serves four.
Ravioli with Corn Sauce Recipe with Basil and Grape Tomatoes. The corn sauce is almost like a pesto but with corn and toasted almonds instead

Although it’s almost time to say goodbye to tomatoes and corn, I know we are saying hello to so many squashes, romanesco and beets and other root vegetables.

What winter food are you looking forward to?

And what do you think of those refrigerated raviolis? I don’t mind making pasta myself if it’s just plain (like fettuccine, or spaghetti) but when it comes to stuffing them like tortellini or ravioli, I’m all into convenience, and there are so many interesting flavors out there! Do you have a favorite kind?

Filed Under: Cooking, Food and Drink Tagged With: #MeatlessMonday, cooking, corn, corn fettuccine, corn sauce, healthy, healthy eating, pasta, pasta with corn sauce, ravioli with corn sauce, recipe, vegetarian

Country Cat Dinner

July 31, 2012 by Pechluck Leave a Comment

At a birthday dinner at The Country Cat, we started with the soft doughy House Potato Bread and Butter. Country Cat is one of those restaurants that charges for bread service, so this was $2. The Animal of the Week during our visit was proclaimed by the menu as “LAMB”, and when we tried the Grilled peaches with Lamb Bacon as a shared appetizer, almost all was forgiven for the bread charge. Those Grilled Peaches were the best dish of the evening.
The Country Cat, Portland Oregon, soft doughy House Potato Bread and Butter

My entree was the fried chicken this restaurant is supposedly known for, in dinner form of the Cast-Iron Skillet Fried Chicken with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, though I switched out the standard side of Mashed Potatoes & Sausage Gravy for Creamy South Carolina Grits instead. The chicken is fried quite a bit which gives a lot of great crunch to the outside while keeping a moist inside, but I didn’t detect a lot of seasoning to go along with the crispy (but at some places slightly tough) skin. But, I give them credit in that it was not greasy chicken, and I loved that it was boneless. The grits were ok, but I was definitely missing the fact that there was no vegetable included- it seems there is room for it on the plate. Bizarrely, from the yelp photos it looks like their version for brunch is a better plating of the chicken than during dinner, including both greens and pecan bacon spoonbread. It seems at one point in the past this dinner dish used to come with collard greens and a biscuit, evidently they since have changed their minds (though you can add these yourselves by adding an additional appetizer of the $2 biscuit and specifying that other $6 side instead of mashed potatoes and gravy).

I fortunately was able to procure part of F’s side order of Creamed Corn with Toasted Pecans & Fried Sage Leaves, a nice assembled bit of texture in that side dish with the buttery bursts from the corn and the crunch of pecan bits. The other entree, Summer Vegetable Pie with Tomatoes & Goat Cheese, was more disappointment as it turned out less like a pot pie and instead to just mostly be a quiche, thus has a lot more egg than you might be expecting from that menu description.
The Country Cat, Portland Oregon, Cast-Iron Skillet Fried Chicken with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, South Carolina Grits

I’m not sure what it means that as we meandered over and enjoyed the many varied beer taps and pool table at Roscoe’s next door after dinner, that my eye would occasionally wander to look longingly at the fried chicken strips I saw also served there (although they also serve sushi rolls… what?), just across the street from Country Cat. I really wanted to like the place- I suppose maybe just like bbq, depending on your previous experience you have cultivated certain taste expectations for fried chicken- and this didn’t quite meet what I had hoped for. At the end of the day, it was those grilled peaches that are what stuck with me.

Filed Under: Food and Drink, Restaurant Review Tagged With: corn, country cat, fried chicken, grilled peaches, summer pie

Giovanni’s, a Kahuku Shrimp Truck on Oahu

January 18, 2012 by Pechluck 1 Comment

I’m not a huge fan of Waikiki because there are so many other wonderful less touristy areas to explore in the Hawaiian Islands – although I will admit to its convenience in hotel rates and lots of easy access without need for a car for shopping and food. So I understand and accept its logistical appeal. But, the best food I’ve ever had on the island of Oahu is up in the North Shore, at the various shrimp trucks in Kahuku. So get to it and rent that car when you are in Oahu.

Last time I went to Hawaii in 2008, I stopped at Romy’s. I picked Romy’s over the others at the time because it had a larger variety in its menu. This time in 2011 I tried out Giovanni’s based on my sisters’ friends’ recommendations. Truthfully there were also a lot of support votes for Macky’s, but it was out of our way based on other activities we planned so that’s that. Hello Giovanni’s! You could concievably map it out to visit 3 trucks in Kahuku (add in Romy’s and also Fumi’s) since they are close to each other and even on the same road, but Giovanni’s is the first you’ll come to as you drive up north. It is an unassuming white truck with signatures from visitors all over it, with a roofed wooden open dining area (the kind you might expect in a public park) right next to it.

Giovanni's, a Kahuku Shrimp Truck on Oahu, Hawaii

As soon as we got there around 11, I leapt out of the car to order since there was no line… and 15 minutes later there would be one six people deep. Ha! We ordered one of each of the three flavors they offer: the simple lemon butter shrimp, the garlickly shrimp scampi, and the hot and spicy shrimp. Plan ahead and bring wet naps- you’ll want those even though they do have a sink to wash up after peeling and eating. Our favorite of the three was the shrimp scampi. I also learned that my youngest sister, over the past 3 years, has become more masterful at peeling shrimp then I. I can’t believe my motor skills are already slowing down.

Giovanni's, a Kahuku Shrimp Truck on Oahu, Hawaii

What we didn’t expect though is that there was also a sweet grilled corn stand along with the truck (and a few other open air “stores”) which was the best thing I ate in Oahu this time. It lives up to its shrimp neighbor by also being extremely messy to eat, except instead of having super messy fingers you have a super messy face. The corn made me feel so much better about my reduced shrimp peeling level.

Giovanni's, a Kahuku Shrimp Truck on Oahu, Hawaii

Filed Under: Food and Drink, Travel Tagged With: corn, giovanni's, Hawaii, kahuku, north shore, shrimp

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

May 5, 2011 by Pechluck Leave a Comment

In order to properly give homage to today’s 5/5 celebration, here are some photos of other previously undocumented (in this blog) yummies from Santeria, a little hidden hole in the wall slightly off the main street on Ankeny (across from Baileys, also near Mary’s – and sharing their bathroom… hey hole in the wall remember) but putting out really great Mexican.

Their ridiculously huge chimichanga. A friend coined it best when after finishing it, said she was now pregnant with a “burrito baby” belly. It’s true…

Sometimes instead of a burrito I get a Pastor Taco Salad

But it’s no small salad- look at it in perspective with the sauces and snifter glass of beer… but then again, I always am able to finish it… why is it so good. The only way to keep myself in control is to limit myself to tacos, and I sometimes will wrap the last part of the burrito in the paper it comes in and take home. But these are too messy to take home… but too good to leave behind…

I will also dream fondly of Mexican roasted corn on the cob (which I actually like when they take it off the cob and just put it directly into the cheesy pepper mayo and sometimes also butter mess that you can stir and get on every smoky kernel in a cup). Unhealthy but happy food memories. The last time I had elote was 2009 in Seattle at the Pike Place Market. Yes, I remember when I last had it. I was super excited to see it. (All of these photos are from the Maxwell St Market in Chicago except the one with the kernels being cut from the corn which is from Seattle)