Himself and I celebrated our 36th anniversary several weeks ago. Yes, really... 36!
I was deep into Romeo and Juliet rehearsals, and I was called that day until 5, so, just like our postponed Christmas this past December, we celebrated a few days later when I had time off.
A Life in the Theatre.
But I couldn't possibly let the day go totally... unremarked... now could I...
And I had to make dinner anyway, of course, so why not go at least a little crazy? I had some fresh pasta ready to be rolled out. And some prosciutto. And some arugula... Hmmmmmm... ?
AND I discovered a new Fairway a block away from rehearsal! So, on lunch, I bought some fresh ricotta. As soon as I arrived home, I rolled out long pasta sheets, combined 1/2 cup of fresh ricotta, 1/4 cup of microplaned Parmesan, lots of black pepper, and just 1/4-1/3 cup of finely chopped prosciutto.
(For process, take a look at http://www.thisoldchef.com/blog.html/spinach_ravioli/ for my foolproof method of forming ravioli.)
Then I remembered something in the fridge that would provide the pièce de résistance: a bag of fava beans!
So I blanched and peeled them, and made a little sauce of EVOO, a bit of shredded prosciutto, cream and, just before plating, the favas. That was all cooked on low... OK... not really even cooked... just warmed. I gently boiled the ravioli, plated them, poured some sauce atop, and sprinkled with a bit more prosciutto and parmesan. Alongside, I served a salad of baby arugula dressed with a bit of emerald green pumpkinseed oil, sherry vinegar, and a little of my homemade smoked salt.
Something else to be noted... This was not a ton of food, but so rich in flavors and textures that more was not needed.
And wow was it good.
Happy Anniversary, my love.
