Nov 10-13 Cheese Ravioli with Chanterelles and Sage

Nov 11     Indian food at Amaya Bread Bar with a friend
Nov 12     Dinner at a friend's house
Nov 13     Dinner with the in laws
Nov 14     Cheese Ravioli with Chanterelles and Sage

This has been a no good, terrible weekend as far as any home cooking went. I took my good friend, Alice, out for dinner at Amaya Bread Bar and it was wonderful. We had onion bahji, pakoras, butter chicken and a really great coastal prawn curry and I can't wait to go back.


On Saturday good friends made us dinner and then on Sunday, despite big plans to do a pork shoulder in the crockpot for tacos, we ended up visiting my in laws and had take out veal sandwiches there. One would think that meant that by Monday we would definitely cook dinner at home but Monday was also the day Little Shack left for a three day leadership camp. The chances of NOT going out to dinner were looking slim to none.


I basically just told him that I was cooking dinner on Monday, we were eating in and that was going to be that. Because The Kid is not home, we can eat mushrooms. The only thing we both love that he hates are mushrooms so we have just sort of gotten to the point where we forget mushrooms exist as an ingredient and we never buy them, I walk by them in the supermarket like they aren't there and my eyes skim past any recipe that features them. The last time he went to his retreat, we ate mushroom risotto the first night.
Some people like to have wild monkey sex in the living room,  get drunk and go wild when the kids are gone for a few days. We eat mushrooms.

Cheese Ravioli with Chanterelles and Sage
serves 2 hungry people or three people who are pretending to be watching what they eat

about 300 g or just over half a lb frozen cheese and arugula ravioli

Sauce:
2 tbls salted butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup thinly sliced leeks
3/4 lb chanterelles, wiped clean and chopped
1/4 lb baby bellos,  wiped clean and sliced
2 tbls brandy
1/4 cup heavy cream
parmesan cheese
sage leaves
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper


Melt the butter in a saute pan over med heat. Add the leeks and sauté for about five minutes, until softened before you add the garlic and sauté for another minute or so. Throw in the mushrooms and turn up the heat to medium high and cook for about 3 or 4 minutes. Add the brandy and let reduce for about 45 seconds to a minute. Add the heavy cream and sage and let come to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and let it cook for another couple of minutes.

Meanwhile, you have brought a big pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the frozen ravioli according to package directions or until they all float to the top of the water, about 3 to 5 minutes. Drain well, put it in two shallow pasta bowls and cover with the mushroom sauce. Grate some parmesan on top and eat.