In honor of Independence Day, this week's challenge was to cook up a dish that featured one of the following ingredients: Tomatoes (red), Parsnips (white) or Blueberries (blue). Bonus points were given to competitors who used more than one! So of course I had to use all three in my own original dish. I was very pleased with the results. If you strongly dislike parsnips, I'd recommend replacing them with russet potatoes in this dish because the parsnips are definitely noticeable.
Blueberry-Glazed Ribeye with Roasted Tomato Parsnip Ravioli
Ingredients (feeds 2 people)
Blueberry Glaze and Ribeye
1 cup blueberries
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Black pepper
2 boneless rib eyes, each about 12 ounces and 1 inch thick, removed from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tsp olive oil
Roasted Tomato Parsnip Ravioli
1 large parsnip
1/4 cup grape tomatoes
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 tbsp chopped basil
1 tbsp (1/4 stick) melted unsalted butter
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 cloves finely chopped garlic
10 Wonton wrappers
Directions
1) Make the blueberry glaze. Place blueberries, sugar and water in a small pot and cook on the stove on medium heat until the mixture reduces to a sauce, about 7-10 minutes, using a spatula to roughly crush the blueberries. Add balsamic vinegar and a pinch of black pepper and continue cooking about 5-7 minutes until the mixture begins to look like syrup. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool until you need it.
2) Make the ravioli filling. Peel the parsnip, cut into 1/2 inch pieces and toss with 1 tsp olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Roast on a large baking sheet for 30 minutes, flipping after 20 minutes. Toss the tomatoes with 1 tsp of olive oil and a pinch of salt and black pepper. Add the tomatoes to the roasting pan and continue roasting for 10 more minutes. Add the parsnips and tomatoes along with the Parmesan cheese, melted butter, basil, garlic, salt and pepper to a blender and blend until very smooth. Set the mixture aside to cool.
3) Cook the ribeyes. Rub each ribeye with 1 tsp of canola oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill over medium heat (400 degrees) for 3 minutes, flip and brush with blueberry glaze. Cook another 3 minutes. Flip again and brush on a light coat of glaze and cook for 1 more minute for medium rare. Place on a plate and cover loosely with tin foil while you prepare the wontons.
4) Make the wontons. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bring a pot of water to a boil on the stove while preparing the wontons. Remove the wonton wrappers from the refrigerator and place under a moist paper towel to prevent them from drying out. Brush the edges of a wonton wrapper with water, place a heaping teaspoon of filling in the middle of the wonton, and pull one corner over to the opposite corner to form a triangle. Squeeze the edges together to seal, making sure the filling doesn't ooze out. Repeat for the remaining wontons, keeping completed wontons covered with a damp paper towel. When the water is boiling, lower the burner to medium and drop in gently for 2-3 minutes until they float, then drain delicately.
5) Plate the dish. Slice the steam against the grain in 1/2 inch slices. Place the raviolis on the plate slightly overlapping them in a row. Place the sliced steak alongside the ravioli and top both with more glaze.
Enjoy!