Butternut Squash Ravioli with Spinach Pesto and The Velvet Devil Merlot
I've mentioned my addiction to +Cooking Light . There is a new feature where you can take a picture of the food in the magazine and it will upload to an iPhone app called +Digimarc - pretty cool!
I love to cook on Sundays. As a kid growing up in Florida - my dad often grilled out on Sundays (notice I did not say BBQ). I came across the ravioli recipe in the January +Cooking Light issue. I have never cooked butternut squash before and had no idea what I was looking for when shopping. I bought the 1 and only squash (see picture) - which was probably my 1st mistake.
I really try to buy local or U.S. brands but the squash was from Honduras. I cooked according to the recipe for 30 minutes and when I was trying to mash - I realized it wasn't cooked enough. So I put it back in the oven. Now the recipe states the following: hands on: 41 minutes. It definitely took longer than 41 "hands on minutes". Lesson learned, my squash was on steroids! The hands on time as at least double for me. I also realized I did not have the walnuts that the recipe called for - so I substituted for pecans - which worked just as well. The end result was fabulous. The homemade pesto was probably the best I have ever made. I do plan to make this recipe again - but I will be wiser with my squash selection as well as allow myself more time to prep. The end result (courtesy of +Cooking Light) is below.
As for the wine, I had opened up a bottle of the Velvet Devil www.charlessmithwines.com/charles-smith-wines/wines/current/the-velvet-devil-merlot - from Washington State. I'm quite partial to WA red wines. I was able to tour Walla Walla over Memorial Day weekend 2004 with a great friend +Nick Kwan. We stopped at a Vineyard named K vintners www.kvintners.com/ where we were greeted by a gentleman with wild hair and a fun personality - we learned his name was Charles Smith.
He had a card table set up with ~5 wines, all syrahs. We inquired why K Vintners only make syrahs - he told us the grapes grow well in the area and the "K" name was a play on the song "Que sera, sera". The Velvet Devil is a great buy & accompaniment to any meal. I'm not the type that pairs my wine with certain foods - I tend to prefer a red when it's cooler and a white when it's warmer.
I hope you enjoy the recipe and wine as much as I did!
www.cookinglight.com/cooking-101/techniques/wonton-ravioli-00412000080003/page7.html
I really try to buy local or U.S. brands but the squash was from Honduras. I cooked according to the recipe for 30 minutes and when I was trying to mash - I realized it wasn't cooked enough. So I put it back in the oven. Now the recipe states the following: hands on: 41 minutes. It definitely took longer than 41 "hands on minutes". Lesson learned, my squash was on steroids! The hands on time as at least double for me. I also realized I did not have the walnuts that the recipe called for - so I substituted for pecans - which worked just as well. The end result was fabulous. The homemade pesto was probably the best I have ever made. I do plan to make this recipe again - but I will be wiser with my squash selection as well as allow myself more time to prep. The end result (courtesy of +Cooking Light) is below.
As for the wine, I had opened up a bottle of the Velvet Devil www.charlessmithwines.com/charles-smith-wines/wines/current/the-velvet-devil-merlot - from Washington State. I'm quite partial to WA red wines. I was able to tour Walla Walla over Memorial Day weekend 2004 with a great friend +Nick Kwan. We stopped at a Vineyard named K vintners www.kvintners.com/ where we were greeted by a gentleman with wild hair and a fun personality - we learned his name was Charles Smith.
He had a card table set up with ~5 wines, all syrahs. We inquired why K Vintners only make syrahs - he told us the grapes grow well in the area and the "K" name was a play on the song "Que sera, sera". The Velvet Devil is a great buy & accompaniment to any meal. I'm not the type that pairs my wine with certain foods - I tend to prefer a red when it's cooler and a white when it's warmer.
I hope you enjoy the recipe and wine as much as I did!
www.cookinglight.com/cooking-101/techniques/wonton-ravioli-00412000080003/page7.html
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