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For the Food on Fridays carnival, any post remotely related to food is welcome—though we love to try new dishes, your post doesn’t have to be a recipe. We’re pretty relaxed over here, and stories and photos are as welcome as menus and recipes. When your Food on Fridays contribution is ready, just grab the broccoli button to paste at the top of your post. It ties us together visually. Then fill in the boxes of this linky tool to join the fun!
Food on Fridays with Ann
On a whim, I grabbed a bag of frozen ravioli from Trader Joe’s.
It sounded so fancy “Imported from Italy” and mixed with a special mushroom truffle sauce. I’d never make something like that from scratch. Why not buy myself a treat?Two nights ago, I decided to try it. I slit open the bag and at first whiff, cringed. Not sure how to describe the aroma…maybe a little too earthy? Must be the truffles. This site described the smell of truffles as “[a] combination of musk, nuts, and ozone.” Sure. Sounds about right.So much for fancy. Not only was I nervous about the smell, as I slid the contents out of the bag, the frozen ravioli and truffle-sauce slabs clanked against the metal skillet. Hardly a gourmet presentation.
I stared, doubtful.The instructions were simple: just add a little water and stir, flipping the ravioli after they’d cooked a few minutes.I dribbled in the water and turned on the heat. The mixture began to smell much better after the sauce-slabs melted and the ravioli relaxed.
The dramatic transformation in such a short time softened me. The “musk, nuts and ozone” mingled with the garlic, spices and cream to create a light, yet richly flavorful sauce.
Next thing I knew, I was dishing up a generous serving, adjusting to, even relishing, this earthy meal.
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Credits: All photos by Ann Kroeker.
I am so glad your meal turned out fine after all. Frozen is good, and I would not attempt to make them on my own. I am tempted to try these next time I am near a Trader Joe’s.
Those look pretty yum! I am the only one in my family “open” to mushrooms, so it would not be appreciated in my house…but then, that would leave more for me!
Its pretty much only 2 servings, if you’re having it with chicken or shrimp.
I agree. You may need more than one packet if you decide to repeat this meal. Good idea to pair it with chicken or shrimp!
Truffles are one of those strange things – they look, sound and often smell awful, but then when they are cooked they are gorgeous. I’m glad your ravioli turned out so well – it looks delicious! Thank you for hosting.
Judging from comments on Facebook, I had expected to read about chickenless nuggets….
Thanks for hosting such a great linky each week. This week I linked a pasta dish that is rich in orange colored vegetables and spices that provide lots of beta carotene and great antioxidants including tumeric, apricots, carrots
I haven’t tried those particular raviolis, though I love store-bought raviolis because they’re such an easy meal to prepare when I didn’t plan well for dinner.
Wow, that ravioli was quite a transformation! It sounds wonderful! Now, if they would just come up with gluten free versions of some of this stuff. Thanks for hosting. Linking up with a Tuscan Chicken Stew this week.
Awesome that it came together so wonderfully. The frozen product in the pan did look daunting!
Fun to be back after the forever I’ve been gone. I always enjoy food on fridays when I make something really good!
Blessings,
Andrea
The end product looked quite yummy! I’ll have to give it a try. I love the “fresh” ravioli in the refrigerated section at TJs too. Hoping for another cup of tea with you soon.
I decided to grab these earlier because i too was curious. It makes a pretty good meal with the grilled chicken strips with the green label. The only thing i was missing was some fresh parmesan cheese to bring it all together. I will definitely scoop this up again.
Parmesan cheese! Yes, a good addition. Thanks for sharing your combination!