semi-homemade, totally delicious

Sometimes I'm not feeling totally up for cooking a big full-blown home cooked meal on Sundays. Especially during football season — Friday I stay up too late and Saturday we tailgate all day. So lately, my Sundays have been consisting of very late wake-up calls and lazy afternoons.

As tired as I was, the idea of going out to dinner sounded terrible. I wasn't about to change out of those comfy pants and tshirt. So instead of ordering something in, I went for a semi-homemade meal that was easy to make and soooo tasty!

Since the best of tomato season is slowly coming to an end, I made one last recipe of tomato bruschetta with fresh basil picked from my parents' herb garden for a light and refreshing appetizer (nice change of pace from tailgate grub and beer). I really wanted ravioli too, and usually I like to make my own, but if you've ever attempted it, you know how long that takes. Fortunately, Central Market has a very large and diverse section of fresh pastas. They have everything from four cheese to lobster — fancy! I couldn't decide between tomato basil and spinach, so naturally, I got both. Instead of a typical sauce, I sauteed some vegetables, reduced a bit of chicken broth and garnished it with a bit of crispy pancetta & fresh arugula.

Semi-homemade perfection! Besides lacking an accompanying tablescape, I think Sandra Lee would be quite impressed.

Ingredients, serves 2

• 3/4 oz.  pancetta, diced and crisped
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 8 Baby Bella mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
• 1-2 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 handfuls of arugula
• 1 cup of chicken broth, reduced by half
• parmesan
• 10 large raviolis
• pepper

Crisp the pancetta and set aside, drain the excess fat. Add 1 Tbsp of olive oil, once heated, add the mushrooms & thyme and saute for 5-8 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small pot, reduce the chicken broth by half and keep warm. Add the shallots to the mushrooms and saute for another 3 minutes. Cook pasta according to the directions and drain. Add garlic & chicken broth to the mushrooms and turn the heat to medium-high. Toss the ravioli with the sauce to coat. Season with pepper. It should be salted nicely because of the chicken broth. Place equal portions of the ravioli in each bowl and garnish with a few pancetta crisps, a handful of arugula and fresh parmesan.