Flounder and Eggplant Couscous

It seems that all I needed was a little spinal cracking to get back on track...
Serves 4-5
Ingredients:
 1-2 filets of Limande (Flounder) per person
juice from 1 lemon
1 tsp ground coriander
2 Tbsp ras el hanout
1 tsp allspice (quatre épices)
1 Tbsp harissa
sprinkle of cumin
some EVOO
1 tsp salt
1 dried red chili
1 onion, diced
1/2 can crushed tomatoes
2 carrots, quartered lengthwise, then halved
2 eggplants, chopped into large slices
handful almonds, crushed in a mortar
handful dates, pitted and sliced
water
Directions:
1.  Marinate the filets of fish in the lemon juice, 1/2 tsp coriander, and fresh cracked pepper.  Set aside while you do the rest.
2.  In a large pot, heat the onions in the EVOO until translucent, then add the carrots.
3.  Toss the eggplant in some EVOO, 1/2 tsp coriander, and some salt and bake at 360°F (180°C) for 25-30 minutes, flipping once during cooking.
4.  Add the ras el hanout, red chili, cumin, harrissa, salt, and allspice to the pot, then add the tomatoes.  When it starts bubbling, add enough water to cover.  Bring to a boil, then lower to medium for about 25 minutes (until the carrots are bite tender.
5.  Add the almonds and dates.  Taste and adjust the seasoning.  Add more water if needed.
6.  Place the fish filets in the pot with the lemon juice and cook no longer than 5 minutes.  You do not want to overcook your fish or it will fall apart.

Serve over couscous with eggplant pieces.  You may want to add a little more harissa for heat.  I really liked this with the dates and almonds.  I will definately mix things up like that more often.

Roasted Chicken Noodle Soup

Also known as the flu killer.  At least I hope so.
I'm not sure where I gathered up the energy to make this, but after a piping hot bowl, I already feel better.  I just hope that feeling lasts.
serves 3
Ingredients:
1 large chicken leg, roasted with meat removed
1 large carrot,  chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 Tbsp thyme
1 handful chopped celery leaves
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp white pepper
3 whole peppercorns
1 cube bouillon
1 Tbsp basalmic vinegar
as much water as you want it soupy
1 Tbsp flour disolved in a bit of water
some broken spaghetti or other noodles
some EVOO
Directions:
1.   In a large pot heat some EVOO and brown the chicken bones a bit.  Add the onion and cook, stirring until golden.
2.  Add enough water to cover the bones, then turn on low and let simmer for an hour or so.  I just fell asleep on the couch.
3.  Add the bay leaf, chopped carrot, thyme, turmeric, peppercorns, pepper, and bouillon cube.  Add more water to cover.  Simmer for another 10-15 minutes or until carrots are tender.
4.  Remove the bones and add in the roasted chicken meat with the chopped celery leaves and vinegar.  Add some broken spaghetti noodles and simmer until noodles are cooked, adding water if needed.
5.  When the noodles are almost done, stir in the flour/water mixture to thicken the broth a bit.  This is totally optional.  I only did it to not waste the extra flour I had aside from making the Tahini cookies.  How or why I found the energy to make those is ia total mystery.  Adjust seasoning if needed.  I added some fresh ground pepper because I like it peppery.

Serve very hot.  I couldn't help myself from adding red pepper flakes.  This tasted exactly how it should.  I had a taste in mind and was a little dissapointed in discovering that I didn't have any celery stalks and only chopped leaves, but they were an excellent substitution and gave that little taste I was looking for.
Now if only I could stop feeling like death, it would be nice...

Another interesting flu killer is a cup of hot water with a spoonful of honey and a slit thai chili.  Wow.

Tahini Cardamom Cookies

I have an unexplained desire to make tahini cookies...I just need to find a recipe that gets my little heart running
ah yes.. cardamom.  That'll do it.
Makes 48 cookies
Ingredients:
40g all purpose flour
240g whole wheat flour (or just 1 cup of each)
2 tbsp creme de marrons (chestnut purée) or 70g almond powder
150g butter (5 1/2 oz)
150g (3/4 cup) sugar
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract (I didn't have any so I just left it out completely)
2 tsp ground cardamom
1tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp water
200g (3/4 cup) tahini
Directions:
1.  If you have the equipment, mix all the ingredients in a fancy machine until you have a homogenous crumbly dough.  If you're like me, do it with your hands and develop those bakers muscles.  Even if I had a fancy machine, I think I would still do it with my bare little hands.
2.  Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F).
3.  Make tablespoon sized balls and roll them around in your hands before flattening them slightly on the cookie sheet.

4.  Bake for 15-17 minutes or until slightly golden.  You want them crumbly.

Desire calmed.  Well, at least this one...

These are very very rich, not too sweet, and packed with protein.  1 or 2 should be enough to calm a hunger episode.  I suppose tea or some George would pair nicely with these.  We shall make it a date, then.  Who's in?  Meanwhile I'm going to take a nap.. I'm drained.

*update
These are by far my new favorite cookies.  My next cookie experiment is going to be gingerbread, but I will surely come back to making these regularly (if I can get my hands on some more tahini).

Butternut Quinoa Risotto

Oh come on does this really need an introduction?  Roasted butternut squash naturally sweet and creamy with a rich texture that melts in your mouth paired with fresh sage, some chopped some crisped and stirred into a delicious risotto made of quinoa and random other grains, topped with it's own roasted seeds...is probably the Original American Dream.  Well, maybe not the OG one, but the fusion of 2 items naturally perfect; continental American vegetables and grains with an Italian cooking method can't be anything other than a dream...until it comes true.
Serves 5-6
Ingredients:
2 cups quinoa + whatever other grains you want, rinsed
1 butternut squash, peeled, cubed, and seeded (keep those precious seeds)
1 diced onion
1 handful chopped sage + a few whole leaves
1 handful shredded swiss
1 handful grated parmesan
1/4 cup heavy cream
liberal sprinkle chili powder
liberal sprinkle turmeric
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
plenty of cracks of fresh pepper
around 4-5 cups broth (I used chicken but keep it all veg if you want)
Some EVOO for tossing
1 Tbsp butter + some more EVOO for cooking
Directions:
1.  Toss the cubed butternut with some EVOO, chili powder, nutmeg, turmeric, and some salt.  Bake for 30 minutes at 375°F (190°C).  It should be nicely colored.  When it is done, toast its seeds for 10 minutes.
2.  While this is going on, you can make the crispy sage by heating the butter and a drizzle of EVOO and frying the whole sage leaves about 15 seconds on each side.  Remove and reserve on a paper towel.
3.  In that same butter-oil, sautée the onions until golden.  Add the cayenne pepper and quinoa mixture and stir around until each grain has had a little dose of heat.  I hope you numbered them to keep track of who is who.
4.  As you would with a risotto, add a ladle of broth at a time on low heat until it is absorbed by the quinoa.  Do this until the quinoa is bite tender or almost to your liking.
5.  Stir in the roasted butternut, chopped sage, and the cream.  Taste and add some pepper.  Taste again and adjust the seasoning/liquid if needed.
6.  Stir in the cheeses until melted.

Serve with some crispy sage and roasted seeds on top.

While you savor each bite, close your eyes and concentrate on the different textures enjoying their short lives in harmony in your mouth.  The crack and perfume of the fried sage, the crunch of the roasted seeds, the creaminess of the butternut, the pearly softness of the quinoa, the depth of the spices married (or in civil union with) the cream and the bite of the parmesan...dinner is served in a different dimension tonight.

Tangy Italian Poached Egg Soup

What makes this soup tangy?  The basalmic vinegar and sundried tomatoes.  What makes it Italian?  Basil and choice of vegetables I suppose.  What makes this soup incredible?  That poached egg in the middle!  I was going for a Shakshuka at first, but I realised it's winter and I don't have any fresh tomatoes.  It ended up being a broth with carrots, spinach, red bell, zucchini, and peas.  At the last minute turned the heat up to a boil, cracked an egg in the middle, and let it cook a few minutes.

Voila.  Velvet on demand.

Spinach and Artichoke Chicken

The best of both worlds...one of my favorite happy hour events in a meal.  Why didn't I think of this before?

Ingredients:

Enough chicken to feed the number of people you are cooking for (I used 4 skinleess thighs)

1 jar artichoke hearts, drained

1 lb frozen spinach, thawed

2 large cloves garlic

3/4 cup or 1 plain yogurt

1 chopped onion

handful shredded swiss

handful grated parmesan

2 tbsp mayonaise

dash of cayenne pepper

a few sprinkles fresh pepper

some broccoli and cauliflower florets (optional)

Directions:

1.  Bake the chicken with half the onions for 15 minutes at 375°F.

2.  While this is happening, blend together the artichoke hearts, garlic, yogurt, mayonaise, peppers, and cheese.

3.  Mix the spinach and the rest of the onions into this good stuff with a fork so you can enjoy those strands as you eat.  I love those strands.

4.  Place broccoli and cauliflower florets around the chicken, then pour the good stuff all over.  Bake for an additional 30 minutes.  I sprinkled some extra parmesan on top for good luck.

Serve with rice or pasta or whatever makes your little artichoke heart skip!

I'll get back with the results, but that sauce is out of this world.  I think I'm always going to use yogurt (and not yoghurt) in my artichoke dip instead of cream cheese.

Sesame Burfi

While I was out of town, I kept dreaming of Indian sweets among other things.  This Burfi responds perfectly to my urges, and I had most of the ingredients on hand on a sunday morning with the exception of condensed milk.  I had to make that myself which was actually very easy.
Makes about 30 pieces

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups sifted chickpea flour

4 Tbsp oil

4 Tbsp butter (100g)

1 Tbsp tahini

1 Tbsp sesame seeds

3/4 tsp cardamom powder (1/4 tsp if fresh ground)

1 cup sweetened condensed milk (mine was homemade but use a 14 oz can)

Directions:

1.  In a large non stick frying pan, melt the butter and oil.

2.  Add the chickpea flour and roast for about 20 minutes on medium heat while stirring and breaking down the lumps.  You know you are finished roasting once the flour changes a bit in color and releases a nice nutty aroma.

3.  Turn heat on low and stir in the sesame seeds and cardamom.

4.  Stir in the tahini and the condensed milk and take off heat.  Stir until well incorporated.

5.  Quickly transfer this goodness to a baking pan lined with parchment paper and press down to make an even 3/4 inch layer.

6.  Let cool in the fridge at least 20 minutes before cutting.

I'm curious to see if my little sesame twist works out.  The original recipe calls for chopped walnuts instead of tahini and sesame seeds.  I usually don't tinker with dessert ingredients, but I had an extreme urge to make this without the possibility of procuring additional ingredients.

To make 1 cup condensed milk, bring 1/2 L milk + 1/2 cup brown or amber sugar to a boil, then simmer on very low, stirring for 2 hours.

It thickens when off heat.  You can add a little water to get it to the correct consistency when ready to use.
Magic and without preservatives....
That last line may confuse my French readers, but if I said conservatives, my American readers would wonder why I'm talking about extreme right wing politics in my Indian dessert.

This dessert is not as sweet as the ones you can buy.  I can't really taste the sesame.  I may use more next time or sub chopped pistachios.  ooOo pistachios!
They have a very comforting familiar flavor with a little hint of cardamom which is more than pleasant... I actually can't stop eating these.  They just melt in your mouth without overpowering with sweetness.
Makes me want to pur...

Chicken Adobo

If there is one group of people lacking representation in France vs the US (other than Mexicans), it is definately Pinoys.  What happened?  I see Indian, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Cambodian, and Vietnamese people here (sorry if I forgot some, these were just off the top of my little brown head)... where did all the Filipinos go?  Balut Balut!!  Settle down here!

While I can't say I've grown up to Pinoy food, it has definately surrounded me during my HS and college years.  When I saw the Amateur Gourmet test out this recipe, I definately had to give it a try.. my way of course.  The best part is I didn't have to go special shopping for ingredients to satisfy my wild desires today.  Pleasure just effortlessly became me...
Serves 3

Ingredients:

2 lbs bone in skin on chicken, hacked into pieces (oh the torture!)

few tbsp peanut or sunflower oil

1 head garlic, cloved but unpeeled

1 onion, cut into 16 wedges

1/4 cup sliced ginger

5 whole black peppercorns

2 bay leaves

1/2 to 3/4 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup soy sauce (or GF alternative)

1/4 cup water

Garnish:

lemon or lime

chopped cilantro

Directions:

1.  Brown the chicken on all sides in the oil until nice and golden, about 10-15 minutes.  Reserve.

2.  Add the onions, garlic, ginger, peppercorns and bay leaves and cook until onions turn translucent.  Then add the chicken back in.

3.  Add the soy sauce and vinegar.  Bring to a boil, then let simmer for 45 minutes.  Add water if you feel it is necessary.

Serve over rice and garnish with chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lime.

Oh my the explosion of flavors in this dish is just insane!  It's sour and salty with a hint of something lovely.  I tasted at each step and the cilantro and lemon just bring extra depth that takes this to a whole other level.  I couldn't resist adding a chopped thai chili to my plate, but even without the heat, it tasted amazing.
Je valide...

Organic Whole Wheat Fettucinni

 

What a better way to evacuate stress from this crazy week than to make home made pasta with the torture machine?

I must not be completely sane in the head, because it actually is a lot of work, but with the right 1968 Cream going on it is very very relaxing.  Such good things were created in 1968.  Extremely good things.

Being in the kitchen has become some sort of therapy for me lately.  I can't really explain it, but the more I take on challenges, the more I enjoy it.

 I used the same dough as my NYE Ravioli

Ingredients:
2 cups organic whole wheat flour
2 organic eggs
pinch of salt
drizzle EVOO
1 Tbsp water

 Directions:
1.  Mix the ingredients and knead into a ball.  Wrap in plastic and let sit for at least 30 minutes.
2.  Cut the dough into 4 pieces.  Roll out each piece with your nifty pasta machine to setting number 6.

3.  Then pass it through the fettucinni shape.

4.  If you have a pasta tree, hang it all up to dry.  I don't.  I have grills from my oven that I laid everything on.  I don't know how long I'm supposed to let it dry, but I probably won't be cooking for another 2-3 hours.

5.  Cook in salted boiling water for 2-3 minutes.

Carbonara style... excellence.

Shrimp Quesadillas

 

 This is one of my favorite things to do with shrimp if I get around to it instead of eating them one by one as I peel them.

 

Cilantro, green onions, sour cream, home made guacamole, and Tapatio....just heavenly

Fish Burritos

 Mmmmmm with REAL Mexican La Costeña salsa..

Black beans, cod, sautéed onions and bells, chopped green onion, avocado, sour cream, chopped lettuce, and salsa style in an XL durum tortilla.
Makes me want to scream:

Ay Guey!!!!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I used to be a firm believer of volumetric measurements, but I can officially say I've converted to weight.  My kitchen scale (which I originally bought to weigh my dragons) has taken over my measuring cup for baking if only because I have 1 less thing to wash when it's all over.  It is also much more precise and makes less of a mess.  I get really messy when baking.  Can somebody remind me why I even started baking in the first place?  I suppose it's not so bad as long I stick to american classics that are hard to find here in France.  When I was a younger elegant biped, I used to make cookies all the time for school.  I think the last time was before 1999.  I had to adapt the recipe with things I had on hand, but I'm still giving the original which comes from Ghirardelli,  because theirs are just simply the best.

Yields 3 dozen cookies (or exactly 33 if you're counting)

Ingredients:

6 oz dark chocolate chips (I used 125g organic)

1/2 cup softened butter (114g)

3/8 cup packed brown sugar (I used 75g cassonade)

1/4 cup powdered sugar (31g)

1 small egg (I used 1 large)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract (I used organic maple syrup)

1/2 cup flour (I used 70g organic whole wheat)

1/2 tsp baking soda (I used 3/4 tsp baking powder)

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

pinch nutmeg

1 1/2 cups organic oats

1/2 cup chopped walnuts  (which I omitted completely)
Directions:
1.  Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy.
2.  Add the egg and vanilla and beat until incorporated.
3.  Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices together.  Add this mixture little by little while continually mixing to the egg butter sugar mixture.  Feel your muscles working?  Good.
4.  Stir in the oats, then the chocolate chips.  Preheat the oven to 375°F or 190°C.
5.  On a cookie sheet, make tablespoon sized balls spaced out at least 2 inches apart.  

Bake for 8 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack for cooling.

Success!

I halved the original recipe but I may just make the whole thing next time.  I'm not really a dessert person, but how could I resist such a lovely chewy cookie made with so much love?

No Whey!

One of the best parts about going the "home made" route is being able to control what you put into your body, and if you pay attention to the Sideshow Bob of your work, you can end up with incredibly nutritious by-products such as this whey.

This time, I didn't let that whey go down the drain while making my paneer.  Whey can be used as a substitute for milk in almost any recipe.  It can be used to knead when in need, and is a good vegetarian substitute for broth.  All those muscle people eat it in powdered form because it's protein favors muscle development and helps prevent its destruction.  All I was planning on was making some Indian cheese and here I end up with a miracle of life, for free.
It's a strange yellowish green color, but in tomorrow's oatmeal I won't see any difference.
Whey, now that I'm in control, I want You in my body...

Rocket Chicken Pesto

Loving that green.  Makes me want to wear it out.
Arugula is inticing.  It's between salad and herb, and tonight, it replaced fresh basil in my pesto.  I suppose this is a poor people pesto.  Rocket (arugula) is much cheaper than basil (especially this time of year) and toasted butternut squash seeds are waaay cheaper than pine nuts.
Add some chicken, a handful of sundried tomatoes and some cauliflower (to trick the enemy) and you have yourself a bright green sexy pasta meal.
Ingredients:

1 bunch arugula (about 2-3 handfuls)

5 cloves peeled garlic

4 handfuls parmesan

handful pinenuts or other seeds

1/4 cup (I admit I didn't measure) EVOO

Blend it

Kiwi Ginger Crunch

While browsing through my usual blogs, I stumbled upon a recipe that had me hooked for 2 reasons: Ginger and New Zealand.  First of all, ginger will make me bounce off the walls and sing for joy.  Second, it is a Kiwi specialty and I've never gone through that culinary outback before.  The idea of making cookies has been lingering in my brain for some time, too and this is just so much quicker to make that I was motivated by a higher force to start baking right away.  Now I just can't stop eating them.  These naughty little cookies go great with coffee or tea, or licked off somebody's fingers while loudly expressing, "MmmMmmMmmmm!"
Makes about 20 1" x 3" bars.
Ingredients:
9 tbsp - 125 g room temperature butter
1/2 cup - 100g brown sugar
1 1/2 cup - 210g whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder (levure chimique)
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
Icing:
5 tbsp - 75g butter
2 tbsp golden syrup (I used honey)
90g powdered sugar
1 tbsp ground ginger
Directions:
1.  Cream the butter then add the brown sugar and beat until fluffy.
2.  In another mixing bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and ginger together.  Add it little by little while mixing to the butter and sugar mixture.  It should end up like a dry dough.
3.  Oil your hands and knead the dough thoroughly until you get it into a ball.
4.  Butter a baking pan and press the dough into it.  Pack it tightly.  Bake at 375°F or 190°C for 20 minutes.
5.  While that is going on, make the icing by heating the butter and honey together in a small pan.  Add the sugar and ginger and smix until smooth.  Take off the hear.
6.  When the cookie is done, take it out of the oven and pour the warm icing over it.  Let cool 30-45 minutes, then slice while still warm.
At this point I let it cool in the fridge until the icing hardened so I could eat it without getting my hands too sticky.

This was a nice change from the usual sweets that go around here.  It has a slight kick of ginger that lingers around for a while.  Next time I might use crystalized ginger or raw ginger into the dough to give it a bit more kick, but this Kiwi style snack already has me hooked.  It is rather addicting and leaves a nice feeling in your mouth...and that's always pleasant.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

  

That butternut squash has been sitting on my counter during all the holiday preparations just begging for his turn.  Last night he got lucky... I wasn't quite sure where I was going but he ended up being soup, and an extremely tasty soup that has absolutely nothing to do with Roasted Pumpkin Soup.

Serves 3-4 as a meal

 Ingredients:

1 butternut squash, cut lengthwise and seeded (keep the seeds)

1 chopped onion

1 chopped carrot

3-4 cups broth

1 Tbsp rosemary

1 Tbsp maple syrup

1/4 cup heavy cream

dash nutmeg

dash cayenne pepper

handful chopped celery leaves

1 Tbsp butter

fresh cracked pepper

shredded cheese for garnish

Directions:

 1.  Rub a little rosemary in the cavity and roast the squash cut side down at 375°F (190°C) for about 30 minutes or until fork tender.

 

Mmmm lovely...

2.  While this is going on, in a large pot, cook the onions in the butter until translucent, then add the carrots.  Cook stirring a few minutes.

3.  Add the broth and simmer until squash is done.  Scoop out the flesh of the squash and add it to the pot.  If there is not enough broth, add a bit of water.

4.  Add the maple syrup, cayenne pepper, celery leaves, and some cracked pepper.  Attack it with a hand blender until smooth.  Stand back it will pop out of the pot and stain your nice clothes.

5.  Taste and adjust the seasoning, then add the cream.

Serve with some shredded swiss for a lush soup full of flavor.

Meanwhile I rinsed the seeds and toasted them in the still hot oven for 10-15 minutes and sprinkled them on top.  This adds depth and avoids throwing away something nutritious.  I'm going to use the extra in place of pine nuts.  What is up with pine nuts costing their weight in gold?  Pumpkin or squash seeds are poor people pine nuts.  I'm not at all ashamed of that.

Khandvi

Here's another Gujarati treat usually served as an appetizer at special events.  I have a vague memory of eating this and thought it would be interesting to replicate it.  This recipe is from ShowMeTheCurry.com and it's the microwave version.

Ingredients:

1 cup gram flour

1 cup plain yogurt

1 cup water

pinch of turmeric

pinch of asafoetida (I didn't have any but I will soon)

1/2 tsp salt

Seasoning:

1 tbsp mustard seeds

1 tbsp sesame seeds

1 tsp poppy seeds

1 slit chili

4 Tbsp oil

fresh chopped cilantro

shredded coconut (optional)

Directions:

1.  In a microwave safe bowl, mix together the yogurt, water, gram flour, salt, turmeric and asafoetida until smooth.  Get your hand blender ready.

2.  Cook in microwave uncovered 1 1/2 minutes on high.  Take out and smooth out the batter with the hand blender until the lumps are gone.  Repeat this 2 more times.  The batter should be like a thick paste.

3.  Lay out 2 sheets of about 2ft aluminum foil on a flat surface and spread the batter thinly with a spatula onto the foil.  You need to do this quickly or the batter will harden.

Let this sit for about 30 minutes.

4.  Cut into 1 1/2 inch strips and roll the khandvi.  Sprinkle the cilantro, coconut and poppy seeds onto the rolls

5.  Make the hot seasoning by frying the chili, mustard seeds, and sesame seeds in the oil until it starts to crackle.  Pour it onto the rolls.

Eat with your fingers and you will live a long prosperous life full of joy.

These tasted wonderful.  My batter was not thick enough when I spread it so the rolls collapsed between my fingers when I went to eat them.  Next time I will do the microwave process 1 additional time for thickness.

Sundried Tomato Zucchini Goat Cheese Ravioli

First and foremost, Happy New Year!
Ok that's done, now let's get back to business.
This ravioli business is just delicious.  Time consuming, but well worth it.  For NYE I was kindly asked not to put any meat or fish into my organic whole wheat ravioli so I opted for 2 fillings.

1.  Sundried Tomato, Basil, and Goat Cheese

2.  Roasted Zucchini, Rosemary and Goat Cheese

Raccord Fromage
It was the same dough process as the first time but I used organic whole wheat flour.
Ingredients:
Dough:
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 eggs
pinch of salt
drizzle EVOO
1 Tbsp water
Fillings:
200g fresh goat cheese
drizzle cream
50 g finely chopped sundried tomatoes
2 zucchinis, sliced and oven roasted (I sprinkled cayenne pepper on them)
handful chopped basil
1 Tbsp dried rosemary
handful parmesan
few cracks fresh pepper
Directions:
1.  Make the dough.  Mix the ingredients and knead into a ball.  Wrap in plastic and let sit for at least 30 minutes.
2.  Make the fillings.  For the sundried tomato filling:  In a large bowl with a fork, mix the tomatoes with 100g of the goat cheese, parmesan, and a few cracks of pepper.  If it's too thick, add a bit of cream.  Refridgerate.
For the roasted zucchini filling:  Do the same thing but with the zucchini and rosemary instead of tomatoes and basil.
3.  Cut your dough into 4 pieces.  Roll out each piece with your nifty pasta machine onto the thinnest setting.
4.  On each band, place approximately 1 tsp filling every 3-4 inches.

5.  Beat an egg and brush a bit of eggwash around each filling ball.  This will act as glue.

6.  Fold your band over and press all around the balls of filling to make sure there are no air bubbles.  Use a cookie cutter or ravioli cutter (if you're lucky enough to have one) to shape your pasta.  When it cooks it will get all wrinkly anyway, but at least you will have tried to make it shapely and pretty.

7.  When ready to eat, boil for 4-5 minutes in salted water.

One batch should make 35-40 ravioli.  Enough to feed 6 people.  I've realized this is a long process.  Nex time i'm going to go bulk and make all different types of ravioli filling (especially butternut squash and sage oh my...) and then freeze them.  They apparently freeze well on a cookie sheet and then can be transferred to ziplock bags to be used at your convenience.

For sauce I made a lemon chicken broth with a dash of milk.  I did it the easy way with a cube.  I think anything would go, especially a pesto or cream sauce.  I didn't want to make a sauce too thick that would take away from the integrity of the precious ravioli.

These were supposed to be appetizers for NYE but didn't quite make it into the meal plan because of all the other food that was already on the table.  We ate them one new year's day as a main course.  Since they just sat in the fridge for almost 24 hours they hardened and I was afraid they would stay hard after cooking.  They didn't.  They were perfect.
  I'm not sure which ones I liked best.  They were very different and I was careful to have both types on my plate.  The explosions of flavor were very pleasant.

The cinnamon rolls for dessert were a big hit too.