recipe – Page 13 – Chez Nous

Corn Uova da Raviolo – Egg Yolk Ravioli

During the summer (and all year really) my recipes revolve around the ingredients that I have surrounding me. This week I have plenty of eggplant and fresh corn on the cob. I decided I wanted to make a corn filled ravioli for a group of friends who were coming over for lunch. That lunch turned into a brunch, so I decided the most expedient way to solve my menu problem was to put an egg on it! Thus, I reinvented my Uova da Raviolo recipe from earlier this summer.

I really wanted to play up the corn, and didn’t want to waste the husks so I boiled them for about an hour and then used the water to both cook the pasta and flavor the sauce. It is traditional to use pasta water to thicken a sauce, so I figured the blending of the loose gluten from the pasta and the flavor of the corn would pair beautifully with a simple wine and sage butter sauce.

Plum Cobbler

A cobbler is an easy and delicious dessert, you are basically making a loose jam filling and covering it in biscuits. Most people recommend a dollop of wet biscuit dough on top, which is really delicious in and of itself, but I like to use my standard biscuit dough to have nice fluffy biscuits. I press the dough out and fold it five times to create lovely layers as it bakes. If you want an even simpler dough, make it as the recipe calls and skip the folding, just dollop it on with a big spoon.

Ratatouille

I will be honest, my Ratatouille looks the way it does because I watched that Disney movie when I was younger. I was in college then and working on making my cuisine more elevated, and I wanted to give it a try. I fell in love with the dish and have been developing it slowly since then. Instead of using tomatoes, I like to use tomato paste at the bottom of my baking dish. I find it imparts a nice smoky flavor to the dish and makes it less soupy. Serve it alone, or with a tablespoon of chèvre on top. I like to use leftovers for open faced sandwiches. Ratatouille keeps and reheats very well.

Roast Tomato Braised Lentils

I wanted to create something hearty and reminiscent of the harvest. I have a plethora of tomatoes growing in my garden, and am actively seeking for ways to use them up. Nico has been talking about eating more lentils, so I wanted to incorporate lentil and tomato here. I decided to roast the tomatoes with some garlic cloves, onion, and bacon for about an hour before slowly braising with the red wine. If you are in a hurry, you can simply sauté the bacon, tomato, and onions for a similar result.

Melon with Smoked Salmon and Lavender Infused Olive Oil

I was walking in the market and smelled this amazing melon, I decided I had to buy it! It turned out to be an Orange Flesh Chair Orange Honeydew. It is amazing! I highly recommend buying this melon if you see it. It has a thin exterior, and an amazing scent, kind of like honeysuckle. Once it is sliced, it looks like a standard melon, but tastes so much better!

Uova da Raviolo – Egg Yolk Ravioli

It might be the tomatoes growing in my garden…or maybe its the summer heat, but I have been really into cooking Italian food recently. I have been making Mozzarella to pair with tomatoes, and chopping up my freshly grown chard to make Chard, Ricotta, and Soppressata Ravioli. I wanted to step up my Ravioli game…

Baltimore’s Crab Cakes

This is my third year in Baltimore, so for Fourth of July, along with a beautiful platter of Grilled Steak, Duck, Fennel, and Peaches, I wanted to serve some mini Crab cakes. I buy crabmeat whenever it is on sale and keep it in my freezer for anytime a friend comes to visit us. Baltimore…

Caprese with Homemade Mozzarella

There is no better accompaniment to homegrown tomatoes than a fresh cheese! For our first little harvest of tomatoes, we made some homemade Ricotta for an Herbed Ricotta and Tomato Salad. Today, I wanted to share with you my recipe for Fresh Mozzarella! Mozzarella is a bit tricky, but if you are patient and pay…