Chef Rana Meets My Homemade Alfredo Sauce.

As much as I love to cook up Italian dishes, I am still "pasta making challenged".  Therefore, whenever I find a pasta product we can enjoy, I will match it up with one of my homemade sauces.  Have to keep it homemade, even if only semi, somehow.

The "Chef Rana" line includes a Mushroom Ravioli which has a creamier, less earthy tasting/smelling filling than others which have just a lot of chopped up mushrooms.  Someone disliking mushrooms will, more than likely, find this product more pleasing to their palette.  A typical sauce paired with mushrooms, and mushroom ravioli, is a browned butter sauce; but I'm not one for the typical.

While I try to keep half n' half in the fridge, sometimes there is just enough left to add to scrambling eggs, or use as a coffee creamer.  Thankfully, when I reached inside for the grated cheese (not that sits on the shelf in a green can stuff!), I noticed the almost empty half n' half container.  The light bulb shines brightly...why not make a homemade Alfredo sauce, but add the pasta to the pan to coat, instead of spooning over???  Sure, why not!?!

 

Mushroom Ravioli with Homemade Alfredo Sauce

 

 

Ingredients:

 



1 Tbsp. butter
1 small onion, diced
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 package (18 oz.) Chef Rana Mushroom Ravioli
2 Tbsp. grated cheese
1 cup half n' half
parsley for garnish

Preparation:

In a deep, 12 inch skillet, over medium heat, sauté the onion, garlic, black pepper and nutmeg in butter.  At the same time, cook ravioli according to package directions; it will be ready when needed to add to the sauce.

Increase skillet temperature to medium-high; sprinkle cheese over onions; add half n' half, stir and bring to a boil for three minutes.  Add the cooked ravioli, toss gently to coat; remove from heat and serve with a garnish of sprinkled parsley.

Chef Rana Ravioli - soft pillows of pasta stuffed with filling

Makes 4 servings.

Mary Cokenour

Rana - Pasta Made with Passion.

Chef Giovanni Rana

Rana - Pasta Made with Passion

Website: http://www.giovannirana.com/index.php

I have mentioned many a time that I am "pasta making challenged", so buying pasta products at the supermarket is a given for me.  It's what I do with it that makes the total difference where someone cannot tell if it's homemade, or from the store.  So it was no wonder that, having a "Buy One, Get One Free" coupon for Rana Fresh Pasta found me at the store buying two bags of ravioli to try out.  "How was it?", you might ask.  The next time I was at the store, I purchased several more bags of different varieties (ravioli and tortelloni); yeah, it's that good!

Now I'm not one to buy sauces though; I make my own killer ones, so I cannot tell you about Rana's pasta sauces that are sold next to the pasta products.  I'm thinking though, if the pasta is that good, perhaps the sauces are as well?  Maybe, just maybe, if I get another of those "buy one, get one free" coupons, I might break down and try the sauces out.

Why do we like this pasta?  First off, it cooks more quickly than other brands, within three minutes of adding it to boiling water.  The texture is outstanding; the pasta itself is thin, light and feels good in the mouth; but it holds up in the boiling water and doesn't split apart.  Fillings are exceptional; a good sized portion in the ravioli or tortelloni without taking it to the point of busting.  Packed with flavor, and the cheeses are so smooth and, shall I say it again, a feel good experience in the mouth.  The pasta also holds onto the sauce well; add a good, grated Pecorino Romano cheese for the perfect touch.

We've become big fans of this product, and we'd much rather buy Rana, than other brands we've tried.  By the way, it can be frozen and the cooking time only increases by two minutes, so five minutes until a happy Italian meal...not bad!



Mary Cokenour