Update & Two Ravioli Fillings or Dips

Red Rain Ravioli with Poached Eggs & Parmesan

It's been a action packed last two weeks of non stop cooking, I have kept meaning to post but after cooking and a full work day, I'm pretty tired. That being said, I'm totally loving the CSA box I've been getting from Tomato Mountain, it's already lead to the creation of some awesome dishes that I will be making again in the future. I'm really trying hard to not fall back on other people recipes, but create my own out of some creativity. I'm a little overwhelmed with so many different greens coming in but I realize that is part of the spring season harvest and I'm looking forward to the types of vegetables I will be able to can.



Out of everything I received, I have cooked so much I don't remember what I did with it all. I know I have a batch of Kimchi going, slightly scared about that as I have never made it before. I also had multiple cooked greens with garlic and whatever was laying around, so good. This week I'm hoping to incorporate some greens into my weekly breads as well. I get so much of it right now with the 2-4 person share, getting creative is a necessity!

Today I'm going to share two different base recipes I've been modifying either as just sauteed greens or made into fillings/dips. The great thing is when modifying the texture, the flavor changes as things intermingle so it doesn't get boring. the flavor when blended is quite different so while it made be the same ingredients things can be prepared differently for new experiences.

Over the last two weeks two dishes really stood out, both ended up as ravioli fillings but the extra was excellent dip for nearby chips or just eating with a spoon. The first was a Red Rain Ravioli and the second was a Spinach Ravioli.

Red Rain Ravioli

16oz. Red Rain
4 oz. Onion
4 oz. Celery
4 oz. Parsnip
4 oz. Leeks
Ample Olive Oil 
Kosher Salt

What I Did: Saute on low heat. Add the onion. Make sure to cook slowly to build flavor, eventually bringing to a nice golden brown. Then add the Celery, cook till tender. Then add Parsnips, cook till tender. Finally, add the leeks and cook til tender. Once everything is tender, transfer to a bowl and saute the red rain. Put everything in a food processor and pulse to desired consistency. Add Kosher salt to desired flavor.

Red rain was a interesting surprise in my CSA box on week one. I had no idea what to do with it, never even heard of it before but it has a wonderful flavor. I think just pairing it with a nice homemade vinaigrette would be outstanding. It's a interesting plant that when you rinse it out the water comes out red, I'm guessing that's where the name comes from. People kept asking what Red Rain was, somewhere on the Internet I found this description:

Red Rain: Serrated leaves shaded in dark red have a milder flavor than most mustard greens. Baby greens are perfect for salads, larger greens are excellent for cooking. Holds well. 25-40 days from transplant. F1
Care:  Plant 6-12″ apart in rows 18-24″ apart in full sun.

Red Rain

After some thought I figured why not make a Ravioli out of it, I've been on a pasta kick and have been really starting to settle into Ravioli construction. The noodle has become a pretty easy process to make although I feel like I have a lot of waste, still have to figure out a more efficient way of setting up the filling on the sheet to not waste so much noodle after stamped. Weighing my Red Rain I started with one pound, then paired 1 pound of other stuff with it that I measured pretty closely. The secondary ingredients are actually the ratio's for a white mirepoix that I read about in the Culinary Art Institute course manual.

Filling the Ravioli

Once I was done setting up my ravioli, I froze a bunch then worked on setting up my dinner. Tonight I cooked the ravioli, added two poached eggs, some Parmesan cheese & salt/pepper. (Photo above) I also tried adding some white truffle oil, but I found it actually took away from the dish. If I do this again, I will most certainly make a nice red or white wine tomato sauce to pair with this. 

Spinach Ravioli Filling / Dip

16 oz. Spinach
8 oz. Onion
4 oz. Bell pepper (I went with Red)
4 oz. Garlic (Yep, I said 4!)
Crumbled Goat Cheese
Kosher Salt for taste
(Optional) Red pepper flake

What I Did: Slowly saute the onions, till they start to change color, then add in the garlic. Add the bell pepper and cook till tender. Once everything is tender, transfer to a bowl and saute the spinach. Once that's done, add everything to your food processor and pulse till you reach desired texture. Add a little Kosher salt to reach desired flavor.


To assemble, spoon some filling onto the pasta and add a crumble or two of goat cheese into the filling. Wrap and stamp. Enjoy!

This has such an amazing flavor!  I could eat this for days, as a matter of fact I still am with the left overs I didn't have pasta for. I really can't get over how awesome this tastes and will be making this for all sorts of uses. If you don't blend it, it's a wonderful cooked dish to pair with chicken or some other meat. Fresh, light and the goat cheese ads a nice tang to it. Based on what type of bell pepper you get, this could really go a lot of different directions.  I ended up making all ravioli and freezing it all so no plated food for this dish and have been just relishing the left overs all week.

Options - Regular: As a side dish or as bedding for a meat. Blended: filling, dip, pasta sauce for noodles, etc.

Yummy onions and just added the garlic!

Everything cooked and smoothed out to a nice filling