Champagne Shrimp and Pasta

As Valentine's Day nearing and is about 2 days from now, I have lost my internet connection and didn't have the chance to post anything including this recipe that should have been posted 2 days early, but what's important no is this question, Have you found someone to go out with you 2 days from now? When i was on my 18, I prefer dating with someone I know. Someone special or friends or family on Valentines day, but I always forgot the most important fact about Valentines and how did it pop out of the calendar. 

The origin of this special holiday of hearts isn't really romantic at all. Saint Valentine is a roman priest who was persecuted at the church during his time because he performs wedding for soldiers who were forbidden to marry just because of the fact that soldiers who were not married can perform better that those who are married because they worry about their families if they die. He was imprisoned by the Roman Empire courtesy of Emperor Claudius the 2nd for performing marriage and was judged and stoned to death and it happened February the 14th. I didn't brought a lot of history on this article because this only part history blog and part food blog but, for a conclusion, saint Valentine did not forbid man to love as God didn't forbid as to love anyone who is someone special or someone important to us and cooking something special to our love ones this Valentine's day a yummylicious food is one way to show how important and how special they were. 

So, for this article, cooking a special shrimp pasta with a twist is definitely one way of showing how much you love them or how much you care for them. 

The main ingredients are:

8 ounces angel hair pasta
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 1/2 cup champagne
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons minced shallots
2 plum tomatoes, diced
1 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water for 6 to 8 minutes or until al dente; drain.

Meanwhile, heat oil over medium-high heat in a large frying pan. Cook and stir mushrooms in oil until tender. Remove mushrooms from pan, and set aside.

Combine shrimp, champagne, and salt in the frying pan, and cook over high heat. When liquid just begins to boil, remove shrimp from pan. Add shallots and tomatoes to champagne; boil until liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup, about 8 minutes. Stir in 3/4 cup cream; boil until slightly thick, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add shrimp and mushrooms to sauce, and heat through. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Toss hot, cooked pasta with remaining 1/4 cup cream and parsley. To serve, spoon shrimp with sauce over pasta, and top with Parmesan cheese.

Traditional Ravioli

We eat everyday. Why? because our body needs energy to do what we usually do and we need to eat regularly so that the energy we consume will be replenished. The main factor for the energy we need is carbohydrates and today, I will show you one of the dishes with lots of carbohydrates and omega 3 which is a good source for lowering down bad cholesterol, and what is it? If you're thinking what I am thinking, then yes it is from tomato. So I am going to share to you how to make a traditional ravioli filled pasta which is originated from Italy. These are composed of fillings sealed between two layers of thin egg pasta dough and are served either in broth or with a pasta sauce. As a friendly reminder, Please do not eat canned Ravioli as it may cause you severe diarrhea.

The Ingredients


For the filling we will be needing:

2 Tbs. unsalted butter 
1 small yellow onion, chopped 
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot  
1/2 cup finely chopped celery 
3/4 lb. ground beef sirloin 
3/4 tsp. sea salt 
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup dry red wine 
2 eggs, beaten 
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving
1/4 cup fine dried bread crumbs

For the Pasta

1 lb. fresh egg pasta dough

2 Tbs. salt

For the sauce:

• 1/4 cup olive oil 
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 lb. plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• Handful of fresh basil leaves 

Directions:

To make the filling, in a fry pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion, carrot and celery and sauté until golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the beef, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring and breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until the meat is no longer red and its juices have evaporated, about 10 minutes. Add the wine, bring to a simmer and cook until the wine evaporates, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. 

Scrape the beef mixture into a food processor and pulse until chopped. Add the eggs, the 1/2 cup cheese and the bread crumbs and pulse just until blended. Scrape the mixture into a bowl, cover and chill for at least 1 hour or up to overnight. 

Lightly flour a rimmed baking sheet.

Make the pasta dough, then divide and roll out each piece into a sheet 1/16 inch thick. Cut each pasta sheet into strips 4 inches wide. Layer the strips on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them so they don’t touch and separating each layer with a lightly floured kitchen towel. Fill and cut the ravioli as directed in Making Ravioli. 

You can cook the ravioli immediately, or cover with a kitchen towel and refrigerate until ready to cook. They will keep for up to 3 hours; turn them several times during that time so that they do not stick. 

To make the sauce, in a fry pan over medium-low heat, warm the olive oil. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, raise the heat to medium and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to low, season with salt and pepper, add the basil leaves and simmer until the tomatoes thicken into a light sauce, about 7 minutes. Keep warm. 

Meanwhile, bring a large pot three-fourths full of water to a rolling boil. Add the 2 Tbs. salt, then add the ravioli and stir gently. Cook, stirring occasionally and adjusting the heat so the water simmers gently, until the ravioli rise to the surface and are al dente (means, if it's tender and crisp), 3 to 4 minutes. 

Using a large slotted spoon, divide the ravioli among warmed plates. Spoon the sauce over them, dividing it evenly, and serve immediately. Pass grated cheese at the table. Serves up to 6 persons so do not forget to share it with your family. Enjoy and 

mangiare bene! :)