Spicy vodka cream sauce with lobster ravioli

Although I adore Italian food, (pasta's, pizza, cured meats, etc, etc) I prefer my own sauce.  Nothing wrong with jar sauce at all, and some are quite tasty. But I like making mine just the way I like it.  Doesn't necessarily mean its gonna take hours simmering on the stove.  Here is a quick recipe for a really flavorful sauce. You can make a large amount of this ahead of time and freeze some for later.


1 28oz can crushed Italian plum tomatoes
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
5-6 cloves of fresh garlic crushed
1/2 cup light cream ( I use milk if I don't have cream handy )
1/3 cup vodka
1 medium onion diced
1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
1/3 tsp sugar
2 tbsp fresh chopped basil
1/3 tsp crushed red pepper
salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Frozen lobster ravioli

Begin by boiling water for the ravioli. You would want the sauce and the ravioli to be ready at the same time. Frozen ravioli needs about 13 minutes to cook once water is boiling.

Heat the oil in pot or dutch oven and add onion and garlic stirring for about 2 minutes until soft. Next add the tomatoes. Bring to a quick boil, add the vodka and let simmer for about 2-3 minutes. Next, add cream, sugar, parsley, salt, black and red pepper and basil.  Reduce heat and continue to simmer for another 5 minutes.
Serve hot with lobster or cheese filled ravioli.

Antipasto Platter

Antipasto or meat and cheese trays are great for any get together.  Especially larger gatherings. I like to incorporate different cured meats with a variety of cheeses.

Genoa salami
Hot capicola
Sopressata
Gouda Cheese
Havarti Cheese
Marinated artichokes (drained)
Spanish olives (rinsed and drained)
Large pitted black olives (drained)
Peperoncini (drained)

Arrange neatly on a beautiful platter and alternate placing cheese between the meat.  Place a bed of firm lettuce leaves in center and add the olives, artichokes, and peppers.  Remove from fridge just before serving.

Roast Beef

My family and friends always enjoy this roast. I love a lot of flavor, so I use a marinade to give it that bold, savory taste.  Sometimes, I serve this roast with saffron rice or make sandwiches with mini french baguettes. Here it is with fingerling potatoes.

3 lbs Chuck pot roast. Trim off excess fat
1 large onion sliced in thin long strips

1 lbs rinsed unpeeled fingerling potatoes

Marinade
1/4 cup Bordeaux wine
1 tsp yellow mustard
1 tsp honey
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil
3 sprigs thyme
2 tbsp allspice (preferably baharat)
3 cloves chopped garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all the marinade ingredients together and coat entire roast. Layer sliced onions on bottom of roasting pan and then place roast on top. Marinade for at least 6 hours. Preferably overnight.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Cover the meat and roast for 1 hour at 400 degrees and then reduce to 370 for 1 more hour.  Add fingerling potatoes covering again and put back in the oven for another hour. Take out of the oven and let it sit in roasting pan for another 10 minutes.

Yield: 8 servings