Dinner tonight for the MRS

[Darryl - swazies]

Sometimes I like to put something together that she especially enjoys, she puts up with everything else like to make. I will also enjoy this I think. On the menu for tonight.
I am making ravioli, stuffed with spinach, ricotta, parmesan and garlic/spices.
For the sauce I have some already made seafood chowder I froze, trying something new.
The chowder is really good but it’s soup obviously, so I intend to either use a roux or beurre manie to hopefully turn it into a sauce.
I have no idea which way is more suitable, any input would be great.
It just needs to be a bit thicker. So a seafood sauce for the ravioli.
Thick garlic Texas toast, pan fried like a grilled cheese is. It’s a nice change, crispy garlicky butter taste and super soft inside.
I have a very well marbled Black angus NY strip that I intend to cook to a rare to medium rare.
JD charcoal of course.
Treat that like the side, sliced up looking pretty.
Also making a pesto, I do not have pine nuts but I have plain almonds that have been quick boiled and the skins are now removed.
I hope that works out, kind of looks like walnuts now which is an alternative to using pine nuts.
I have to make pesto almost because our little herb garden is on freaking steroids. This thing grows at mental speeds.
A couple pics from the start here, a few first times, wish me luck.
It’s also in the PM now so cocktails and some good vinyl to enjoy our last “free” Saturday for the rest of the month.

 

[Wil A]

Nice! Food food, good music, good drink...if I didn’t have to work tonight, I’d be inviting myself over.

 

[Brett-EDH]

For the sauce, boil some russet potatoes and purée them into your soup liquid then combine with the seafood. Natural thickener and adds a lot of body. Add cream to make it richer and top the ravs with this sauce. Garnish with fresh chives or fresh chopped Italian leaf parsley.

Blanched and toasted almonds make a good pesto. We prefer almonds over pine nuts. Must gently toast though to build that nutty flavor and then run through blender. So almonds must be blanched so they’re softened and blend well and not gritty in the pesto.

 

[Darryl - swazies]

Appreciate the tips, I do chimmi all the time but have until today just bought pesto.
Will use what I can here, making pesto soon.
I was going to thicken with potato...that makes a soup thicker, but not sure if that will go over well as I try to turn a soup into a sauce...I’ve had a few different thoughts......the french techniques may be my best bet.
Thinking about straining the seafood back out, making a roux and add a bit, simmer again, add, simmer until I hit the saucy thickness I am looking for then add the seafood back in and finish. I have parsley growing on standby.

 

[Darryl - swazies]

Dinner turned out great, of course I had some cocktails so my 10 year old iPad can take even worse pictures than normal. Made the roux, didn’t add much and the soup turned in paste basically, had to add more cream and milk to actually thin it back out....sauce and ended up great. Quick boil on the ravioli and then added to the sauce of course. The MRS loved dinner and we have a bit left for lunch today. Here is the lousy pictures I was able to actually grab.

 

[BFletcher]

That's a very impressive homemade dinner!

 

[John K BBQ]

Nice looking dinner Darryl