Fried Lobster Ravioli

Tonight I made some Fried Lobster Ravioli for dinner with a salad. It was super easy and made a unique presentation. Lately I have been obsessed Lobster recipes.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons milk

1 egg

1 cup breadcrumbs

1 package of fresh lobster ravioli

3 cups of  canola oil

3 tablespoons parmesan cheese

1 1/2 cups marinara sauce

Directions:

In a small saucepan heat the marinara sauce.

In a large saucepan heat the canola oil until it is approximately 350 degrees. In a shallow bowl whisk the milk and egg together. And add the bread crumbs to another shallow bowl.

Put a ravioli in the egg mixture and then in the bred crumbs and then fry one or two at a time - 30 seconds to a minute on each side.

Place the fried ravioli on a paper towel covered plate and sprinkle with parmesan cheese

Serve immediately with a small bowl of the hot marinara sauce for dipping.

Tip: They have fresh packages of Lobster Ravioli at Trader Joe's and Fresh and Easy. This recipe would make a great appetizer for a party or dinner for two.

Lobster Mac & Cheese

I hardly ever make Macaroni and Cheese. If I do I make it from scratch. My kids have never had Kraft Macaroni and Cheese out of the blue box at my house. Perhaps they have had it at a friend's house. There have been times when I bought the Trader Joe's frozen Mac and Cheese - when we have a lot of sports (games and practices).

A side note - I made this while I watched Roger Federer win Bernard Tomic in three sets at the Australian Open after Tomic talked about how he could  beat Roger. Please dude - don't talk smack about Roger - it made you look like an idiot. Now that I got that off my chest I can start the recipe!

Ingredients:

8 ounces of elbow macaroni

2 cups whole milk

4 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup flour

2 cups freshly grated Gruyere cheese

1 cup freshly grated cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cups cooked Lobster meat, finely chopped

3/4 cup Panko bread crumbs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Boil the elbow macaroni al  dente according to the package directions. Drain well and set aside.

Heat the milk on low in a small saucepan.

In a large pot melt 3 tablespoons of butter and add the flour to the melted butter. Stir until the mixture is thick. Add the warm milk and stir until the mixture has thickened.

Remove the pot from the heat and add the Gruyere and cheddar. Stir until the cheese is melted. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Now stir in the elbow macaroni and lobster.

Spoon the mixture into individual ramekins. I was able to get 5 ramekins of the mixture. Each of my ramekins holds about 1 1/2 cups of the macaroni mixture. Place your ramekins on a cookie sheet.

Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter and add the bread crumbs to the melted butter. Stir to combine and spoon the bread crumbs over the tops of the ramekins.

Bake for 25 minutes until the sauce is bubbly and the top of mixture is nice and brown.

Serve piping hot and accompany with a green salad.

Pasta Pie

I saw this picture on Pinterest and followed the link to the Noble Pig website. They adapted this recipe from Martha Stewart. I made this for my husband birthday dinner last week. Nothing says love like a home cooked meal.

Ingredients:

1 pound rigatoni
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound ground sirloin
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
butter for pan
salt
1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
8 ounces coarsely grated mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Cook pasta until it is just a little underdone. My pasta box said to boil for 14 minutes - so instead I boiled the rigatoni for 12 minutes. Drain the pasta and toss with one tablespoon of olive oil. Set aside.

Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet and add ground sirloin. Cook, stirring occasionally until browned. Add garlic, salt and pepper. Cook for an additional two minutes.

Add the crushed tomatoes to the skillet and simmer until thickened for about 20 minutes.

While the meat and tomatoes are simmering - toss the pasta with the parmesan cheese.

Butter a 9-inch spring-form pan. Tightly pack the pasta into the pan standing each piece on end.

Now spread the meat sauce over the top of the pasta. Push the meat sauce into the pasta holes. Filling each and every hole. Many people who made this recipe found filling the pasta holes therapeutic and satisfying. I found filling the pasta holes tedious and frustrating.

Place your spring-form pan on a cookie sheet. This way you can easily remove pasta pie with oven mitts. Place the pasta pie in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes remove the pasta pie and sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top and bake for another 10-15 minutes until cheese is golden.

Remove from the oven and cover loosely with foil and let stand for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edge to loosen - then carefully remove the ring of the spring-form pan.  Cut the pasta pie into wedges and serve with extra sauce.

My Pasta Pie looked almost like the picture on the Noble Pig. I am a rock star! Oh no! I forgot to take pictures of my wedges! Now I am not a rock star anymore! Oh well.....