Eats and Thrifts: My amazing vintage China serving up some...shrimp, manchego, and mushroom ravioli with beets and grape tomatoes; Rustic Italian Bread, Vanilla Ice Cream with Raspberry Compote

For the bread, I used this recipe.  It was really simple, very few ingredients, and quite tasty.

Rustic Italian Bread with an egg glaze

I don't recommend the egg glaze, for reasons I'm sure you can see....It just didn't look right on it, and definitely takes away from it's "rustic" appeal.

Cooking the Mushrooms

For the ravioli:
I started by cooking the mushrooms and shrimp.  I cooked both of them in a slight amount of olive oil and added black pepper, salt, rosemary, and fresh basil to the mushrooms.

Cooking the Shrimp

I then drained the liquid off of each and used my food processor to chop them finely and to grate the manchego cheese into the mix.

Semolina Pasta Dough for Ravioli

I prepped a semolina pasta dough for the raviolis, using this recipe, then cut it out (well, I had some help) using a glass about 2 inches in diameter, filled the raviolis with about 1 tbsp. filling, folded them in half, sealing them with water, then pressing the edges with a fork.

Red Beets, Yellow Beets, Grape Tomatoes

While the raviolis were being stuffed, I was busy with the veggies.  The beets were already boiled, then peeled (by throwing them in ice water - the peels rub right off, like tomatoes), and cut.  I started by cooking down about 1/4 of a white onion in olive oil, adding 5 cloves of garlic, then the beets (I used 2 red and 2 yellow) and tomatoes.  I added about a quarter cup of red wine and a few tablespoons of fresh, chopped basil, some black pepper, and salt, and let it cook down about 20 minutes. 

Red Beets, Yellow Beets, Grape Tomatoes, II

The raviolis only need to boil about 4 minutes, then drain, toss with the veggies, and sprinkle with mizithra cheese.

Shrimp, Manchego, and Mushroom Ravioli with Beets and Tomatoes

I served the pasta with a spinach and parsley salad, topped with balsamic vinegar and sumac.

Spinach and Parsley Salad with Balsamic Vinegar and Sumac

Dessert was simple. Vanilla bean ice cream with black raspberry compote.

Vanilla Ice Cream with Blackberry Compote

I cooked a container of black raspberries with a few tablespoons of raw sugar and about 1 tablespoon of butter until a good syrup formed.

Blackberry compote cooking.

I'd also like to take a minute to talk about the China in these pictures.  It's 1920's Homer Laughlin with a nasturtium pattern.  I received it, and the cabinet pictured below, as an inheritance when my Great-Great-Aunt Maude died in 1990.  I was only 9, but apparently she knew I'd grow to have an appreciation for old, beautiful things. Speaking of, I'm always in the market for missing pieces...