Brown Butter Sauce for Ravioli
One of the tastiest ways to serve our ravioli is with Brown Butter
Step 1: Warm
Chop butter into small pieces to ensure that it melts and browns evenly. Warm it until it's fully melted, about a minute or so.
Step 2: Bubble
Once the butter is melted, it will start to bubble and start to look yellow. Stir it frequently at a low heat where it is just bubbling, but not sputtering out of the pan. Keep heat low - brown butter is best made slowly or else it will burn quickly at higher heat.
Step 3: Foam
The butter will turn into a delicate light foam and the color will change from pale to very yellow. Keep stirring the remaining milk solids that look a little sandy.
Step 4: Brown Butter
After foaming, the butter will look very dark, deep yellow in color, and it will smell like caramel. You can stop here or cook for another minute or so to get a deeper flavor ad darker color. Keep stirring until the specks are a light brown. Take the pan off of the stove and pour the butter into a heatproof bowl, since the butter will continue to cook and darken further in a hot pan. (Just so we're clear, the liquid fat and those toasty milk solids together constitute your brown butter.) You don't want to burn butter. Or can also have your ravioli boiling as you make the brown butter and add it directly to the pan to coat.
Step 2: Cook & Coat Ravioli
Boil water for ravioli, add a handful salt and drop in ravioli for 6-7 minutes. Pour your brown butter into saute pan, add ravioli and stir to coat at low heat. Enjoy!
Adapted from Bon Appetit
Baked Ravioli/Pierogi & Sausage
1 lb Bratwurst or Sausage
1 large onion, sliced
1 bell pepper, sliced into strips
1-2 tbl olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
12 Melina’s Pierogi, frozen
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Toss Pierogi in olive oil to coat, arrange in the center of 9x13 roasting pan in 1 layer
Cut the bratwurst into 2 inch lengths and arrange around the outside of pan
Toss the onions and bell peppers with the olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt, and black pepper and add on top of sausage and pierogi
Bake 30 minutes or until the Pierogi are puffy and beginning to show signs of golden brown around the edges, the sausages are plump, and the onions & peppers are crisp
Gnocchi & Greens
1 pound Melina's Ricotta Gnocchi
1 bunch kale, chard or spinach chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or butter
3/4 cup grated Chapel Hill Creamery Calvander or Parmesan Cheese
2 tbl bread crumbs
Salt
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add gnocchi (frozen) and cook for 3-4 minutes or until they float
Drain gnocchi, reserving a few tablespoons of the cooking water.
Add olive oil to a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add garlic, cook for 2-3 minutes. Add greens and wilt.
Add gnocchi and reserved water, cheese and cover for 2-3 mins until pasta water is dissolved
Add bread crumbs, stir till combined and serve!
Lamb Bolognese
Serve over Melina's Gnocchi, Fettuccine or Ravioli
1/4 cup olive oil
1 pound ground lamb
Kosher salt
Pinch of red pepper flakes
4 fresh thyme sprigs
2 bay leaves
2 cups dry red wine
4 cups Tomato Sauce
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino Romano, plus more for sprinkling
Freshly ground black pepper
2lb Fettuccine or Gnocchi or 2 dozen ravioli
Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground lamb and brown slowly, scraping the bottom of the pan and reducing the heat as necessary to keep the lamb from browning too fast, until the moisture evaporates and the meat is well browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Add a pinch of salt and the red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute more. Drain off the fat.
Turn the heat to high, add the thyme, bay leaves, and wine, and stir well. Bring to a boil and reduce until only a small amount of liquid is left in the pan, 5 to 10 minutes.
Add the marinara and the cheese rind, if using, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the sauce thickens.
Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot and add 2 tablespoons salt.
When the sauce has thickened, remove and discard the thyme sprigs, bay leaves, and cheese rind, if you used it. Stir in the butter, cream, and grated cheese, bring to a simmer, and remove from the heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (The sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead, covered, and refrigerated; rewarm over medium-low heat.)
Boil Melina’s Ravioli, fettuccine or gnocchi according to directions. Strain into a large saute pan, add 1-2 cups of the Lamb Sauce (2-3 for 2 dozen) and stir gently to coat the ravioli. Serve with a sprinkle of Parmesan or Pecorino Romano.
Baked Gnocchi
1 pound gnocchi
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup pecorino romano or parmesan
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella or fontina
¼ cup bread crumbs
Salt
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add gnocchi (frozen) and cook for 3-4 minutes or until they float
Drain gnocchi, reserving a few tablespoons of the cooking water.
Add butter and oil to a large sauté pan, return gnocchi and pasta water to pot after butter melts, add cheeses (reserving a few tablespoons of grated cheese) and half the bread crumbs. Stir until well combined and cheese starts to melt
Pour mixture into a 11x9 baking pan. Top with bread crumbs and remaining grated cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Remove foil, broil until bread crumbs are browned.
TIPS: This recipe can be adapted a number of ways – add garlic, onions, greens. If you would like it to be creamier, add a few tablespoons whole milk or heavy cream. Use a combo of different gnocchi – ricotta, spinach and sweet potato for a colorful meal. Add sautéed greens like kale or chard with garlic and top with crispy prosciutto!
Gnocchi Sausage Hash
1 pound Melina's Ricotta Gnocchi (any variety or a mix)
1 sweet Italian sausage or bratwurst, casings removed
¼ cup cheddar cheese, shredded or diced (or mozzarella)
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add gnocchi (frozen) and cook for 2-3 minutes or until they float. Drain gnocchi, reserving a few tablespoons of the cooking water.
Add sausage to a large sauté pan over medium to high heat, break into small crumbles and cook until browned
Add gnocchi and water to pan, bring to a boil
Add cheese and stir until melted and creamy
Optional - Add some sautéed vegetables or green like broccoli or spinach