Friday, January 23, 2009

slow food...


Friday used to be pizza night but lately that has moved to Thursday.  At the end of a long week (and after not cooking Thursday) I have begun spending Friday afternoon's cooking and experimenting with new recipes.  It's so comforting to put on some Miles Davis, pour a glass of wine, chop, puree, saute, and bake.  The house smells amazing and you end the week with a small feast.  Anyways, I was planning to try making this pasta last week but the two snow days kind of threw things off.  The recipe is "White Bean Ravioli with Balsamic Brown Butter" from Mario Batali's "Simple Italian Food".  I actually made two batches of dough because I was serving eleven people ( I invited our neighbors over to share in this untested recipe....).  The first batch I mixed using the fork/well method and the second batch I mixed in the food processor and I kneaded both by hand.  The dough mixed in the food processor came out much more tender and required minimal kneading.  The filling was white beans, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, parmigiano-reggiano, salt and pepper.  I have to say the pasta was much easier to make than I had anticipated and it truly was delicious.  The thing that it took was time....but Friday afternoon's I'm learning the value of slowing down.
Here are a few of my favorites from the Art Institute last weekend.  Many pieces are in storage awaiting the completion of the Modern Wing which will open this May (I got a sneak peak at the almost completed space and it is spectacular).

 Little Landscape at the Seaside by gerhard richter 
City Landscape by Joan Mitchell

P.S.  If you visit Chicago you must have a bite at Avec .

10 comments:

artslice said...

Boy does that ravioli sound yummy! Your cooking stories are an inspiration... I'm a good baker, but not much of a main dish cook - must venture out in the pasta making world!!
Thanks for sharing your faves at from the Art Institute... love Gerhard, he amazes me - and no.2 - the circular blues painting, reminds me of Georgia O'Keeffe's early work. Great post :)

Jamie Ribisi-Braley said...

YUM!! You should make a cook book!! Your photos are wonderful!!!

tangled sky studio said...

thanks brenda and jamie (my husband was cracking up as i kept taking photos)...
there's also this cool and VERY large georgia o'keeffe
http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/100858
have a great weekend!

Sleepandhersisters said...

yes I love your photos too... they are so professional. I love pasta, but have never made it myself before, you are very brave.

hope you are having a good weekend.

Meri said...

I'm bestowing the Superior Scribbler award on your blog. My site has the details.

belinda marshall said...

your neieghbours are lucky, i bet it was yum! slowing down at the end of the week is a great plan :)

Janice La Verne said...

Thanks so much for the artist tour. I just kept looking once I was at the site! Arthur Dove amazes me. I think I have to Wikipedia him.

The pasta made even me want to cook!

great post,
janice

Leililaloo said...

Your photo's are amazing.

Bridgette Guerzon Mills said...

yum, that looks like delicious and fun.

slowing down is a good thing.

sounds like you guys had a good time last week!

mummysam said...

now that looks yummy...however, you may want to try chocolate chips and syrup as a filling next time...my five year old tells me it's his recipe for good pasta