Lindsey's college has amazing food - so good that I have been subscribing to its daily menu to get ideas for dinner. However, for some reason, Linds seems to find amazing-looking recipes to try: for example this breakfast egg dish.

It's making me hungry!

Scallop Bourride from NYTimes

We've enjoyed this a couple of times. Never made the mayo!
Time: 45 minutes
2 cups fish stock
Large pinch saffron threads
12 thin slices baguette
1 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil
6 large cloves garlic
1 large egg
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt
Cayenne pepper
1 medium fennel bulb
1 cup finely chopped leek
1 red bell pepper, seeded, cored and finely chopped
1 1/2 cups dry white wine, preferably chardonnay
2 tablespoons Pernod
28 ounces sea scallops, side tendon trimmed.

1. Heat stock in saucepan, add saffron and set aside. Lightly toast baguette slices and brush with 1 tablespoon oil.

2. Turn on food processor, drop 4 cloves garlic in feed tube and let mince. Scrape down. Add egg and process briefly. With machine running, slowly pour in 1 cup olive oil. Mixture will thicken to a mayonnaise. Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice, process briefly and season with salt and cayenne or espalette. Refrigerate. If you prefer not to make the mayonnaise, you can substitute a commercial brand, seasoned with crushed garlic.

3. Reserve 1 tablespoon fennel fronds and mince. Trim and finely chop bulb. Heat remaining oil in a 3- to 4-quart casserole. Add chopped fennel bulb, leek, bell pepper and remaining garlic. Sauté on low heat until soft. Add wine and Pernod. Simmer briefly. Strain fish stock and add. Season with salt and cayenne. Set aside until 10 minutes before serving.

4. Bring broth to a simmer. Add scallops and cook until done, about 4 minutes. On low heat, gradually whisk in reserved mayonnaise. Heat to a gentle simmer but do not boil. Place 2 baguette toast slices in each of 4 soup plates, spoon in bourride and top with another slice of toast and minced fennel fronds. Serve.

Yield: 4 servings.

Crab Ravioli and Crab Cakes for Dad's 86th Bday
I served the ravioli with a modified penne a la vodka sauce made with olive oil, dried hot pepper flakes, vodka, 1 percent milk, and classico spicy red pepper sauce. The crab cakes are great with this sauce or with a mango wasabi sauce or salsa.

Ravioli Filling - (you'll also need an egg for the crabcakes, but don't add yet)
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Yellow Onion, small dice
2 Zucchini, small dice
2 teaspoons Mixed Fresh Herbs
1 pound Lump Crabmeat, remove all shells
1/2 cup Dried Bread Crumbs
1 bunch Green Onions
Salt and White Pepper to taste
20 wonton wrappers

Heat olive oil in sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add yellow onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add zucchini, cook 5-7 minutes. Add salt, white pepper, mixed herbs and green onions. Cook additional 5 minutes. Remove mixture from heat, pour into colander to drain all liquid. Once mixture has cooled, add crabmeat and bread crumbs. Season to taste.

Make ravioli. Add an egg to remaining crab, form into cakes, saute in canola oil.

To Cook Pasta: Place ravioli in boiled salted water and cook for 3 1/2 to 4 minutes, then drain. Add cooked ravioli to sauce as directed.

This is the sauce recommended to go with this recipe:
Lemon Basil Butter Sauce:
1/4 cup White Wine
1/4 cup Seasoned Rice Vinegar
2 tablespoons Lemon Juice
1 Shallot, minced
1 pound Whole Butter (cut into cubes) - no way!! too much. use 1/3 c. olive oil and some chicken broth!!
1/8 cup Heavy Cream
2 tablespoons Fresh Basil (cut into strips)
Salt and Pepper to taste

In a small sauce pan, combine white wine, rice vinegar, lemon juice and shallots. Over medium heat reduce until syrupy. Add cream and reduce by half. Adjust heat to low. Whisk in one cube of butter at a time, making sure each cube of butter is melted before you add the next, until all the butter is incorporated. Strain and season with salt, pepper and basil. Toss cooked raviolis in sauce and serve immediately.

Beet Ravioli, courtesy of Desert Candy

Lindsey saw this and wanted us to make it. So, we did... with some changes. So good.


Beet Ravioli with Poppy Seed Olive Oil
These would make an elegant first course or light lunch.

2 large red beets (about 14 ounces)
1/2 cup fresh ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons dried breadcrumbs (seasoned)
1 1/4 pounds fresh wonton wrappers
4 tbl (1/2 stick) olive oil
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Roast beets until tender when pierced with knife, about 1 hour. (In pan covered pan). Open foil carefully (steam will escape). Cool. Peel beets; finely grate into medium bowl. Add ricotta cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in breadcrumbs.
2. Place a few of the wonton wrappers on your work surface, keeping remaining dough covered with plastic. Place a small bowl of water nearby. Spoon 1 teaspoon beet filling onto half of each wrapper. Dip fingertip into water and dampen edge, so you can trim edges to make a semi-circle if desired. Fold dough over filling, pushing out as much air as possible and pressing edges firmly to seal. Repeat with remaining rounds.
3. In a wide skillet, heat olive oil with the poppy seeds, keep warm over very low heat. Working in batches, cook ravioli in large pot of boiling salted water until just done, about 2 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to skillet with olive oil; toss to coat. You may need more oil, but move the ravioli around to coat both sides and . Place ravioli on plates; sprinkle with Parmesan if desired.

Grilled Apple Dessert

I haven't actually tried this yet, but I have some fig jam in the larder and I love baked apples and I love my grill so I think this will be super. But the greatest part is that I got my old scanner to work!!! So I have it here at school and can scan things I see here easily!! Next recipe will be for my grilled green tomato pizza!

Black Olive Gnocchi With Cherry Tomatoes and Basil

We had this when we had Tom and Mary over: our first weekend guests as "empty nesters."

Black Olive Gnocchi With Tomatoes and Basil

inspired from the 9/3/08 article in the NYTimes (adapted from La Terrazza, Portofino, Italy)

Apply a light touch. Time: 1 hour

1 pound Idaho potatoes

Salt

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 large clove garlic, sliced

1 pound cherry tomatoes, quartered if large

4 ounces pitted black or calamata olives

Freshly ground black pepper

1 cup flour

1 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, more for serving

2 large egg yolks, beaten

2 1/2 tablespoons black olive paste

20 fresh basil leaves, slivered (more)

1. Place potatoes in a saucepan, cover with salted water and boil until tender, about 25 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oil in a skillet, add garlic, cook over medium heat until barely starting to color; stir in tomatoes. Coarsely chop olives and add half to the skillet. Cook briefly, until tomatoes collapse. Season with salt and pepper, and remove from heat.

2. When potatoes are tender, peel and rice them into a large bowl. Mix all but 3 tablespoons flour with 1 1/4 cups cheese, toss with potatoes and pile in a mound on work surface. Make a well in center. Mix egg yolks and olive paste, and place in well. Chop remaining olives finely and add to well. Knead to blend ingredients and form a soft dough. Shape into a ball and divide in 8 portions. Roll each into a rope about 10 inches long and 1/2 inch in diameter. Cut into 1/2-inch dumplings (gnocchi). Dust with remaining flour and lightly pile in a bowl.

3. Bring 4 quarts salted water to a boil. Reduce heat to a fast simmer, add gnocchi and as they rise to the surface, use a slotted spoon or skimmer to remove to a colander. Drain.

4. Reheat sauce in skillet, fold in basil and add gnocchi. Heat, mixing gently. Check seasoning and serve, with extra cheese alongside.

Yield: 4 servings.

Iraqi Mahshi: Beets, Chard, Rice, Beef

False Mahshi: Layered Swiss Chard, Beets, Rice and Beef, a Rosh Hashana meal inspired by and adapted from an article in the NYTimes 9/24/08 ... so good!!!

Adapted from Esperanza Basson

Time: 1 hour, plus 1 hour for soaking rice

1 1/2 cups long-grain jasmine rice

1.5 pounds rib-eye steak, cut in 1-inch cubes (I used stew beef)

Salt and coarsely ground black pepper

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 large onions, peeled and diced

2 large beets (about 1 pound), peeled, 1 cut into 1/2-inch dice and 1 grated

beet greens from beets, leaves left whole and stems cut into 2-inch pieces

1 pound Swiss chard, leaves left whole and stems cut into 2-inch pieces

6 teaspoons sugar, or as needed

6 tablespoons fresh spearmint leaves

4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely diced

Juice of 3 lemons (about 1/2 cup), or as needed.

1. Place rice in a mixing bowl and cover with water. Stir, drain off cloudy water, and repeat until water runs clear. Cover rice with fresh water and let soak for about 1 hour.

2. Season beef with salt and pepper to taste. Place Dutch oven over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil. When oil is shimmering, add beef and sauté until well-browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove beef and set aside. Return pan to low heat and add 2 more tablespoons of oil. Add onions and sauté until transparent, about 5 minutes. Add diced beets and sauté for another 5 minutes. Add two-thirds of the Swiss chard/beet green stems and continue cooking until onions are golden, about 5 more minutes. Stir in beef, cover, and simmer over low heat.

3. Drain rice and return to a bowl. Sprinkle with salt to taste, 4 teaspoons of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and 4 tablespoons fresh mint. Stir to blend, and add garlic, grated beet, remaining oil and juice of 1 lemon. Spread one-third of Swiss chard/beet green leaves in Dutch oven, on top of beef mixture. Spoon half of rice mixture on top, and cover with another third of chard/beet green leaves. Spread with remaining rice, and top with remaining Swiss chard/beet green leaves and stems.

4. In a small bowl, mix 1 1/2 cups water with remaining 2 teaspoons sugar and juice of another lemon. Taste and, if necessary, add more sugar or lemon juice so mixture is both sweet and sour. Pour over Swiss chard/beet greens and bring to a boil. Cook partially covered until greens begins to wilt, 3 to 5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water if pan is very wide and there is little liquid on bottom. Poke handle of a wooden spoon into mixture in three places, making holes to let steam rise through chard. Cover, reduce heat to very low, and cook until rice is tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest for 15 minutes. Just before serving, sprinkle with remaining lemon juice and remaining fresh mint.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.