Raffetto's Pumpkin Ravioli with Homemade Tomato Sauce

I don't know about you, but I am tired of Manhattan being overrun by chains. How many many banks, drug stores and frozen yogurt places does one borough need?

That is why I love Raffetto's on West Houston Street. In business since 1906, Raffetto's makes fresh pasta and ravioli right on the premises. While pasta and ravioli are their specialty, Raffetto's also sells homemade tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and other Italian products. Given the neighborhood, and the fact that it is Manhattan, you would think fresh pasta and ravioli would be expensive. But its not. Raffetto's is completely reasonable.

The other day I stopped by and picked up some of their pumpkin ravioli. The combination of pumpkin with a hint of nutmeg and other spices, topped with made-myself tomato sauce was delicious.

Homemade tomato sauce

Olive oil, one turn of the pan
1 onion, diced
1 clove of garlic
2 28 oz cans of whole, plum tomatoes
Italian seasoning, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste

Open cans of tomatoes and separate tomatoes from the juice. Reserve the juice. Crush each tomato by gently squeezing them with your hand, breaking them into pieces. If you like a chunkier sauce, then keep the tomato pieces bigger. Put the tomatoes to the side.

Heat oil over medium high heat in a large saucepan. Add garlic and onion. Cook until onions are soft. Add tomato juice and cook for two minutes. Then add the tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper. Simmer for half-an-hour, and then serve. Freeze any left over sauce in the freezer for future use.

Raffetto's
144 W Houston St
New York, NY 10012-2546
(212) 777-1261

Lunetta

Last Friday my friends and I had tickets to see Death of a Salesman at a little community theater in Brooklyn. Since the show did not start until 8:00 p.m., we decided dinner nearby would be the best idea. My friend, an avid foodie, picked Lunetta ("little moon" in Italian) in Brooklyn because she loves their food. I must admit - when she first showed me the menu, I was a little skeptical. There didn't appear to be many choices, but I was willing to give it a try.

Since we went after work, we were one of the first groups in there. While we were placed near a window in a cozy corner, Lunetta does have a bar that one can sit at and watch the food being made. We started off with the ricotta (they make their own) with honey and lemon bruschetta, and it simply stated, it was amazing. The Italian bread was slathered with fresh ricotta and then drizzled with honey and lemon. My friends also had the escarole and radicchio salad with garlic, anchovy and lemon, and loved how fresh and light the salad tasted.

For the main course I ordered the orecchiette, rapini (broccoli raab) and housemade fennel sausage. Simple ingredients yet the dish was so flavorful and tasty. Plus the portion size was just perfect - not so small that I was starving later, nor was it so large that there was no way that I could finish the dish. Rather, the portion size is best described as the portion I would serve myself if I was at home cooking the dish. For their main courses, my friends sampled the papperdelle with Berkshire pork ragu, and one of the specials, the squid ink pasta with Shrimp. They also ordered a side of smashed pumpkin with brown butter and honey. All three, in my friends opinions, were simply amazing.

Whenever possible, Lunetta uses sustainable, local and organic produce, fish and meats, and you can certainly tell when sampling their menu.

Overall, I absolutely love this restaurant - it is my new favorite, and I don't think I can adequately express in words how good the dishes are. The menu is simple, but the dishes themselves are so fresh and pack so much flavor. This is truly food at its best.

Lunetta
116 Smith Street (between Pacific and Dean)
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11217
718-488-6269

Pasta e Fagioli

Last weekend, when debating what I should make for my lunch during the week, I decided upon Pasta e Fagioli, which means "Pasta and Beans" in Italian. I used Rachel Ray's recipe, which was extremely easy to make.

However, there was one problem with the recipe....

Rachel's recipe instructs you to cook the pasta in the soup. Bad idea. I knew knew knew it was going to be a bad idea, yet against my better judgment I blindly followed Rachel's instructions only to be disappointed. I blame hunger.

While cooking the pasta in the soup works if you eat the soup right away, it does not work if you plan on having leftovers (which you will unless you are Jon and Kate Plus 8). The result? Ten minutes after taking it off the stove, the pasta soaked up all the liquid like a sponge. Alas, soup no more.

My suggestion is to shun Rachel's instructions this one time, and cook the pasta on the side. Then you can add it directly to the soup when you ready to eat it, thereby avoiding soup-less leftovers.

What you will need:

2 tbsp. (or 2 turns around the pan) extra virgin olive oil
1/8 lb. (about 3 slices) of pancetta, chopped (I used turkey bacon for a healthier alternative)
2 (4-6 inch ) sprigs of rosemary
1 (4-6 inch) sprig of thyme
1 large fresh bay leaf or 2 dry bay leaves (I used Italian seasoning in place of the rosemary, thyme and bay leaf)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 small carrot, finely chopped
1 rib celery, finely chopped
4 large garlic cloves, chopped (I only used 2 cloves)
Salt and Pepper
2 (15 oz.) cans of Cannellini beans
1 cup canned tomato sauce or canned crushed tomatoes
2 cups water
1 quart (or 32 oz.) chicken stock
1 1/2 cups ditalini pasta
Grated Parmigiano or Romano, for the table
Crusty bread, for dipping

How to put it all together:

Heat the oil in a deep pot over medium high heat. Add the pancetta and brown lightly. Then add the herb stems, bay leaf, chopped vegetables and garlic. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper.

Add the beans, tomato sauce, water and chicken stock and raise heat to high. Bring soup to a rapid boil and add pasta. (**This part I do not recommend.**) Reduce heat to medium and cook soup, stirring occasionally, 6 to 8 minutes or until the pasta is cooked al dente. Rosemary and thyme leaves will separate from stems as soup cooks.

Remove herb stems and bay leaf from soup and place pot on the table on a trivet. Let the soup rest and begin to cool for a few minutes. Then ladle the soup into bowls and top with lots of grated cheese. Pass the crusty bread for bowl mopping.

Makes 6 big servings.