severe cooking withdrawal

I haven't cooked anything in 4+ weeks. 4+ weeks!!!! It's terrible. I miss it more than I ever thought that I would. Frozen pizzas and deli chicken wraps just aren't cutting it. But, that is my life while I am living on the Vineyard. SO for the time being I will just have to post all the recipes I would like to make, someday.

This recipe for red tomato ravioli from 101 cookbooks looks so yummy! And healthy too.

red pesto ravioli

- 1 pound fresh cheese ravioli (I MISS THE NORTH END!)

- 12 plump, chewy sun-dried tomatoes

- 2 medium garlic cloves

- crushed red pepper flakes

- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

- 1 tsp fresh thyme

- 1/8 tsp salt

- 1/4 cup walnuts or pine nuts, lightly toasted

- 3 handfuls of baby spinach, tossed in olive oil with a pinch of salt

- 2/3 cup oven roasted cherry tomatoes*

- crumbled goat cheese

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt generously and cook the raviolis per package instructions. Drain, but reserve about one cup of the hot pasta water.

In the meantime, make the 'red pesto' by pulsing the sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, pepper flakes, olive oil, thyme and salt in a food processor until it comes together in a textured crumble. Add the walnuts, pulse a few more times and set aside.

Combine 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water in a large mixing bowl along with 2/3 of the pesto. Add the cooked raviolis and gently toss. Add more of the hot pasta water if needed to thin the pesto - it should be a nice chunky sauce. Taste and add more of the pesto if you would like.

Arrange the baby spinach on a large platter and top with everything from the ravioli mixing bowl. Top with cherry tomatoes and a bit of crumbled goat cheese. Serve warm.

Serves 2-4.

*To oven roast the cherry tomatoes: Heat oven to 350F degrees. Cut each tomato in half and arrange in a large oven-proof baking dish. Mix together a big splash of olive oil, a spoonful of brown sugar, and a few pinches of salt. Pour this over the tomatoes and gently toss to coat. Arrange tomatoes cut side up and bake for 45 minutes or until the tomatoes are shrunken and sweet.