Hello everyone, it’s Faith from An Edible Mosaic! You might already know that on my blog I’m featuring a homemade fancy Valentine’s Day meal. The meal includes drinks, a salad course, a pasta course, a meat course, and desserts for two for $25.54. (You can see the full menu and shopping list here.) So far I’ve made the drinks and salad, and up next are the pasta and meat.
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I made blush pasta and individual beef roulades. For my Valentine’s Day menu I wanted to choose some kind of long pasta…for some reason I just think it’s so romantic. (Remember that scene in the Disney movie Lady and the Tramp?…too cute!) And I chose to make roulades because even though they’re so pretty to present and look so fancy, they’re really very easy (and cheap!) to make. Not to mention the versatility that roulades give…if you don’t like beef, you can substitute chicken cutlets, or even roasted eggplant or zucchini strips. Soon on An Edible Mosaic I’ll be posting the sweet end to my romantic Valentine’s Day meal – dark chocolate mousse!
Brandy and I can’t wait to see the recipes you all come up with for Valentine’s Day! And don’t forget, there will be a fantastic prize! 😉
Blush Pasta with Goat Cheese, Walnuts, & Caramelized Onion
(Yield: 2 servings)
A scant 1/3 lb fettuccine pasta (or any other long pasta)
2 oz goat cheese, crumbled
1/4 c chopped walnuts, toasted (optional, but I like this for a little crunch)
3/4 c tomato sauce
1/4 c heavy cream
1/2 of a very large onion, thinly sliced
2 tsp olive oil
For the caramelized onion: In a small pan, heat 2 tsp of oil over medium-high heat until the oil starts to ripple, then add the onion and a pinch of salt, and stir to coat the onion with the oil. Cook until the onion starts to soften and turn color (stirring occasionally). Lower to the heat to medium-low and cook (stirring occasionally) until the onion is a rich caramel color. You can add a splash of water at any point in the process if the onions start to stick to the pan too much. In a blender or food processor, puree the caramelized onion with the remainder of the dressing ingredients.
Cook the pasta to al dente according to the package directions. In a small pot, bring the tomato sauce up to a simmer, then turn off the heat and stir in the cream.
Toss the pasta with the tomato-cream sauce, caramelized onion, walnuts, and goat cheese. Serve with individual beef roulades, if desired.
Individual Beef Roulades with Goat Cheese, Caramelized Onion, & Sundried Tomato
(Yield: 2 servings)
2 thin-sliced beef cutlets; I used top round (about 1/2 lb)
1 oz goat cheese
1/4 c oil-marinated sundried tomatoes, thinly sliced
1/4 of a very large onion, thinly sliced
1 TB plus 1 tsp olive oil, divided
1 TB all-purpose flour
Salt and pepper
Toothpicks (to secure the roulades)
For the caramelized onion: In a small pan, heat 1 tsp of oil over medium-high heat until the oil starts to ripple, then add the onion and a pinch of salt, and stir to coat the onion with the oil. Cook until the onion starts to soften and turn color (stirring occasionally). Lower to the heat to medium-low and cook (stirring occasionally) until the onion is a rich caramel color. You can add a splash of water at any point in the process if the onions start to stick to the pan too much. In a blender or food processor, puree the caramelized onion with the remainder of the dressing ingredients.
For the roulades: Preheat the oven to 350F. Spread out the goat cheese, sundried tomato, and caramelized onion on top of each beef cutlet. Starting at the small end of the cutlet, tightly roll it up, tucking in the sides as you go; use several toothpicks to secure each roulade. Roll each roulade in the flour and gently shake off the excess. Heat the remaining 1 TB oil in a medium skillet (a 10-inch skillet works well) over high heat. Loosely cover the skillet with aluminum foil and bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until the beef is cooked to your desired level of doneness. Allow the roulades to cool slightly, then remove the toothpicks and slice it. Serve on top of blush pasta, if desired.
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