Ravioles A La Creme Du Laurier Et De La Sauge

[sistereurope]

(sorry for the lack of accents in the title - I'm on my laptop )

Ravioli with Cream, Bay Leaf and Sage
From Patrica Wells' Bistro Cooking

This is one of our favorite weekday recipes. SO easy and so tasty. We use pre-made ravioli that you can find in the refrigerated section of the grocery store here ( we like the Butoni 4 cheese variety but they even have a low fat version) - I'm sure that it would be even more delightful with homemade cheese-filled ravioli!

1 Cup (25 cl) heavy cream
6 imported Bay leaves (I use a bit more than that)
Salt
1 pound (500 g) fresh-cheese filled ravioli
Large handful of fresh sage. rinsed, patted dry and chopped
Freshly ground black pepper

In a large shallow skillet that will hold all of the pasta later on, combine the cream and bay leaves. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to very low and simmer gently for at least 5 minutes. I add the chopped sage at this step (which differs from PW but I like sage so I add a hearty handful I also simmer it longer than the 3-4 minutes she recommends).

Cook ravioli in a pot of salted water until just tender and drain.

Remove bay leaves from cream mixture. Add ravioli to cream mixture and toss to coat.

Serves 4 (I usually double it)

Enjoy!!

[sistereurope]

oops! Oh fearless leader, could you move this to the recipe section where I REALLY meant to post it...I swear !!

[sistereurope]

Whew...what service! thanks

[annettecinca]

Oh! This sounds really good, Sis. I'll get what I need and try it for dinner this week

[Anne]

This is the kind of quick receipes that I like for weekdays !
Plus, my bay leaves bush in my garden has grown up huge because I use so few leaves usually ...
Thank you sister !

[sistereurope]

Thanks, and I'm with you...I'm ALWAYS on the lookout for quick and easy recipes for weekdays. And something French is ALWAYS appreciated at our house, so if anyone has any other quick and easy bistro-fare recipes please share!!

[susanb]

Sis: Cream and ravioli are right up my alley. Do you serve any meat with it? I could do the pasta thing but I need a second course. Husband you know!


:-*ADD;
Is there a Patricia Wells cookbook in English? I can't find her in my usual bookstores. Thanks

[sistereurope]

Susan,

I'm pretty sure that the Patricia Wells Bistro Cooking cookbook is widely available in English...have you tried Barnes and Noble or Amazon?

Anyway, I usually serve this with lamb chops or a pork loin for MY meat eaters (which is not me so it works for all of us). I roast the pork or lamb with lots of rosemary and thyme, so it's truly an herb-y kind of meal. I may add a simple salad dressed with an easy balsamic vinagrette...still pretty quick for a weeknight meal.

[Becky (Berkeleytravelers)]

PW is definitely available in English (after all, she's American). Do try Amazon.

[Truffaut]

I'd recommend Parisian Home Cooking by Michael Roberts. All the recipes were collected from Parisians, and are the sorts of things that really can be accomplished in a 4-square meter kitchen. I'm particularly fond of the Tarte au Citron, the Clafoutis aux Cerises, Pommes Boulangère, and Gratin Dauphinois. All are staples of French home cooking.

[sistereurope]

Thanks - I'll definitely check that one out. Some French cookbooks scare the you know what outta me!! (I can be a fearful cook! )

[Becky (Berkeleytravelers)]

Thanks Truffaut -- I just came in from the back yard after picking lemons, and was wishing for a good tarte au citron recipe! Looks like my wish has been granted . . . . Plus, for anyone renting a typical Paris apartment it's helpful to know what a small kitchen ("kitchen" being a term sometimes used very loosely!) can turn out. I shall order it at once!

[sistereurope]

Becky...what I'd give to be able to pick LEMONS out of my back yard garden!! Now I know that we need to move to CA Please report back on any tart making...

[Becky (Berkeleytravelers)]

I have now ordered the cookbook recommended by Truffaut above, from Amazon (tip: check the used books from third parties, I found one that sounds in very good shape for much less than list -- I've generally had good luck with ordering from the "used" list so I'm pretty confident it will be fine). So, once I get time to try this I will report back!

[Happygoin]

I once sat in Barnes & Noble and read Parisian Home Cooking cover to cover. What nice recipes! They're mostly simple, honest cooking that require good basic ingredients. It should be easy in the summer to cook as well as any French cook! And I agree with you, Becky. I buy used books via Amazon all the time, with excellent results. I recommend it highly.

As for picking lemons in my back yard....OOooohhhh! Am I jealous! My hips would be the size of Rhode Island with all the lemon tarts I'd be eating...

[Becky (Berkeleytravelers)]

Happy, lemons are also good for many quick and easy low fat/cal dishes, such as: large shrimps (is that a nonsequitur??) marinated in their shells in lemon juice, fresh dill, cracked pepper and olive oil, and then cooked quickly on the grill! Fortunately for me, I would not have the patience to make a lemon tart very often so I'm not in any real danger on that front (or back, or side)!

[Penny]

Low fat, LOL you should taste my coconut cake with lemon filling. but I want to check out the book mentioned for the lemon tart.
One thing I definitly miss about CA is citrus and avocado. When we lived in Napa we had orange, lemon, grapefruit and kumquat trees. and 2 8ft high 20 ft long rows of blackberries bushes. The price of fruit here is unbelieveable, however fresh ravoli isn't! (large Italian pop in KC).

[annettecinca]

Newsflash! I just got up from the dinner table after having tried this recipe on the family, and it was really good! My daughter is a die-hard alfredo fan, and she commented that she would now rather have this sage/basil sauce than an alfredo on any pasta. It was very easy and quick. I made a little extra sauce and served it over chicken breasts sauteed with shallots and olive oil, and it was a good pairing. Thank you very much for the recipe, Sis!

[sistereurope]

Thanks Annette! I'm so glad that you and your family liked the recipe - my teens also like it a lot (the 15 year-old boy is actually the one who chose it out of the Patricia Wells' book - I like to throw cookbooks at them when I run out of menu ideas. I get tired of being the "decider" ;D )
Now it's my turn to try one of your delicious dessert recipes!

[Happygoin]

Penny, you and Becky will love this. When I was in my 20's I traveled to Florida for the first time, for work. I went for my usual walk the first day and was astounded to find lemon and grapefruit trees in people's front yards!!!

I have to admit that I went over to one, picked a lemon and brought it home with me. I was SO taken with it! What a Goober huh??

Btw, Becky, I love shrimp and eat it at home often. I'll be sure to try your recipe. It sounds yummy! Tx