Need pasta sauce ideas!
#7
  Re: (...)
Our 25th anniversary dinner is in 3 weeks. I'm doing some last-minute menu tweaking and would appreciate advice.

I was in an Italian grocery yesterday and was happily surprised to find frozen homemade ravioli. This is because, while I was growing up, it was either Chef Boyardee's canned ravioli for lunch, or Mom would make homemade ravioli for a special dinner. I have seen frozen ravioli in the grocery store, either the standard meat or cheese, but didn't realize that I could buy homemade pastas with unusual fillings. Go figure. I guess that I don't get out much!

For this dinner I was planning to make lobster ravioli and a vegetable & ricotta-filled tortellini, but DH talked me into buying the pasta to make it easier.

I couldn't decide so we bought 3 types of homemade ravioli:
Lobster
Butternut squash & hazelnut
Gorgonzola & walnut

And also artichoke-filled tomato tortellini.

I want to prepare simple sauces for each. For the squash, I have chosen a sage-brown butter sauce. For the lobster, I am seriously considering a grilled radicchio-butter sauce (I can grill the radicchio earlier in the day). But I am stumped about the other two. Would a mushroom-cream sauce be appropriate for the gorgonzola-walnut ravioli? And any ideas about the tortellini sauce?

The first course will be a roasted pear and butternut squash soup, and a simple mixed green salad (with a pear-cranberry vinaigrette) and homemade ciabatta will be served with the pastas.

Any advice or direction which you all could give me will be greatly appreciated! We are off to the lake house for the weekend tomorrow, so if I don't reply for a couple of days please forgive me.
Vicci

my cooking adventures
www.victoriasdays.blogspot.com
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#8
  Re: Need pasta sauce ideas! by foodfiend (Our 25th anniversary...)
For the tortillini, saute a chopped yellow onion, one minced garlic clove, in olive oil. Add chopped fresh oregano and thyme to taste--do not caramalize the onion, cook until herbs are fragrent--add a 28 oz can of San Marzano DOC tomatoes put thru a mill--cook 15 min. Salt & pepper to taste. Serve over the pasta, and sprinkle with chopped fresh basil and parmesan if desired--three different sauces. All simple.
"He who sups with the devil should have a. long spoon".
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#9
  Re: Re: Need pasta sauce ideas! by Old Bay (For the tortillini, ...)
You are sooo out of my league, it's not funny. But why is pistachio crying out to me here? I can't wait to hear the final menu!
Daphne
Keep your mind wide open.
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#10
  Re: Re: Need pasta sauce ideas! by Gourmet_Mom (You are sooo out of ...)
Gorgonzola & walnut -

First sauce that jumped in my mind, Vicci, is this wonderful sauce that goes with a stuffed poblano dish -

Walnut Cream Sauce

1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

Process all ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides.

Yield: Makes 1 1/2 cups

and

artichoke-filled tomato tortellini

a couple of ideas - a mousseline sauce (which might be difficult to hold for a crowd) or a mornay sauce.

You could even play with making a heated sauce of a remoulade?

or a roasted pepper sauce with the addition of anchovies and maybe capers.... oh, this is fun.

I hope you let us know what all you do for the dinner - sounds like a lot of fun.

(and look at you, Vicci - MS Type A personality - agreeing to using purchased pastas!! )
Retired and having fun writing cookbooks, tasting wine and sharing recipes with all my friends.
www.achefsjourney.com
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#11
  Re: Re: Need pasta sauce ideas! by cjs (Gorgonzola & walnut ...)
Now this is what I wanted, ideas being bounced around!

Daphne, *blushing*, this really will be an easy menu...

OldBay, Like the idea of the red sauce on the tortellini, but would it look odd since the pasta is a light orange color? The parsely sprinkled on top would help balance that, though...

Jean, It took me two hours to decide to buy the pasta (and a long lunch with two rum drinks...) . Anyway, I think that the walnut sauce on the ravioli containing walnut may be too "nutty" but it looks so good and I am dying to see the stuffed poblano dish that it "goes" with. Is there any chance you could post (or if you already have, direct me to it???). I roasted and peeled 5 pounds of poblanos yesterday-- love those peppers, and stuffing them... heaven!

This is so great, all of these ideas to play around with. We are leaving soon, but will be back on Sunday-- please keep posting!
Vicci

my cooking adventures
www.victoriasdays.blogspot.com
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#12
  Re: Need pasta sauce ideas! by foodfiend (Our 25th anniversary...)
Hi friend,
I can't cook anything,but i am interested in just eating.I love italian food.my friend is cook in hotel so i ask him to solve your problem.
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