And a recipe...

OK, I promised the occasional recipe. Here’s one that Rachel Ray would approve of, because you can make it in thirty minutes or less. Yum-o! I got the idea of posting recipes from Francis Coppola’s commentary on the Godfather DVD. He decided that just in case the movie wasn’t any good, at least it should have a recipe in it, and then people wouldn’t completely waste their time. Remember the scene?

CLEMENZA: Hey Mikey, come here, you might learn sumptin. You never know when you’re gonna have to cook for twenty guys. You see, you start out with a little bit of oil. Then you fry some garlic. Then you throw in some tomatoes, tomato paste, you fry it; you make sure it doesn’t stick. You shove in your sausages and your meatballs, add a little bit of wine. And a little bit of sugar, and that’s my trick.

Ravioli en brodo

Store-bought fresh ravioli
(whatever kind, I like Trader Joe’s chicken sausage/pesto)
3 slices bacon
2 14 oz cans Chicken broth or stock
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
4-5 oz Crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
2 tbs unsalted butter
2 tbs cream
Pecorino romano cheese to garnish

Start the bacon going in a skillet while you bring the stock or broth to a boil in a saucepan. Once the bacon is crispy, take it out to drain on paper towels, and discard about half of the rendered bacon fat. Sauté the onions in the remaining bacon fat, and once they start to turn translucent, add the mushrooms. At this point, you may need to throw in some olive oil, because those mushrooms are thirsty. Season everything with a little salt and pepper, but go easy, because that canned chicken broth, the bacon and the pecorino are all salty. When the mushrooms look cooked, throw in the garlic, and sauté for just thirty seconds. Don’t be burning the garlic! Toss in the canned tomatoes, crumble up the bacon and add it, and reduce the heat a little.

Meantime, the stock/broth is boiling, so toss the ravioli in it, and cook them according to the package directions. It should be about three to four minutes. While they cook, your sauce reduces and the ingredients get to know each other better. When the ravioli are cooked, throw the entire contents of the saucepan, broth, ravioli and all into your skillet and stir. Taste for seasoning, let it simmer for awhile if you want it to reduce, but this wants to be soupy, that's the "en brodo" part. Shove in the butter and cream to finish the sauce, stir until melted, and serve. Pass around the pecorino at the table. Oh yeah, babe…