Supreme Sauces

Every cook needs a rest. This just isn't the time of year to take one. So take a short cut instead. During the next few hectic weeks, feel free to cut a corner or two in the kitchen. That may mean doctoring takeout food or at least beginning with something partly made. Our favorite cheat is high-quality fresh ravioli, which is available at specialty markets and tastes like homemade. They come with an array of appealing fillings such as cheese blended with a hint of spinach, aromatic mushrooms, or rich sweet potatoes. Cook the little dumplings in salted water, then heap them in pasta bowls with a simple topping. Add chicken broth and a confetti of seasonal vegetables, succulent brown butter with walnuts, or a quick tomato sauce, and you've made a dish you can serve as a family supper or at a last-minute dinner party. Unless you have an Italian grandmother in the kitchen, you can't do better with less effort.

CHEESE RAVIOLI IN CHICKEN BROTH WITH SQUASH
SERVES 4

Use cheese or cheese-and-spinach ravioli. You need good chicken stock, either homemade or one of the preservative-free prepared varieties now widely available.

4 cups chicken stock
1/2 pound peeled butternut squash, cut into 1/8-inch cubes
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 pound fresh cheese ravioli or cheese-and-spinach ravioli
Pepper, to taste
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage

In a large saucepan, bring the chicken stock to a boil. Turn down the heat, add the squash, and cook it for 10 to 12 minutes or until tender. With a slotted spoon, transfer the squash to a plate. Set the chicken stock aside over very low heat.

Bring a soup pot of water to a boil. Add the salt. Tip the ravioli into the pan and let the water return to a boil, stirring gently. Lower the heat and cook the ravioli for 5 minutes or according to package directions, until the pasta is tender but still has some bite.

With a slotted spoon, transfer the ravioli to 4 pasta bowls. Divide the squash among the bowls and ladle the stock on top. Sprinkle with pepper, Parmesan, and sage. Serve at once.

SWEET POTATO RAVIOLI WITH BROWN BUTTER AND WALNUTS
SERVES 4

1/2 cup walnuts
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 pound fresh sweet potato ravioli
6 tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic (whole)
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup freshly grated Romano cheese

Set the oven at 375 degrees.

Spread the walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast them in the hot oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until they are fragrant and brown. Set aside to cool.

Bring a soup pot of water to a boil. Add the salt. Tip the ravioli into the pan and let the water return to a boil, stirring gently. Lower the heat and cook for 5 minutes or according to package directions, until the pasta is tender but still has some bite.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt the butter. When it begins to foam, add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until the garlic turns golden and is fragrant. Remove the garlic from the pan and discard it. Sprinkle the nutmeg into the pan. Cook the butter mixture over medium heat until it is brown but not burned.

With a slotted spoon, transfer the ravioli to 4 pasta bowls. Pour the brown butter over the ravioli. Sprinkle with pepper, parsley, cheese, and toasted walnuts. Serve at once.

BEEF RAVIOLI WITH QUICK TOMATO SAUCE
SERVES 4

4 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 can (28 ounces) chopped tomatoes, with their juices
1 cup water
Salt and pepper, to taste
Handful of fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
1 pound fresh beef ravioli
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In a large heavy-based saucepan, heat the oil. Add the garlic and cook over medium heat, stirring, for 30 seconds.

Add the tomatoes and their juices with the water, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer the sauce for 10 minutes. Stir in the basil.

Meanwhile, bring a soup pot of water to a boil. Add plenty of salt. Tip the ravioli into the pan and let the water return to a boil, stirring gently. Lower the heat and cook the ravioli for 5 minutes or according to package directions, until the pasta is tender but still has some bite.

In the bottom of 4 pasta bowls, ladle a spoonful of the tomato sauce. With a slotted spoon, transfer the ravioli to the bowls. Spoon more sauce on top. Sprinkle with cheese and pepper. Serve at once.

Ask the Cooks: White Hot

Is there a correct way to scald milk, and can you scald nonfat milk? How do you keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan while waiting for the film to form on the top? I am never sure whether to use high, medium, or low heat.
JOAN FLANAGAN /// Walpole

Scalding milk for use in a recipe was commonly done before pasteurization became an accepted food-safety practice. In today's kitchen, scalded milk is most often used to speed up the cooking process. Warm milk encourages butter or shortening to melt, sugar to dissolve, or yeast to do its work. Many bread aficionados will add that scalding deactivates a protein that can decrease volume when dough rises.

Scalding involves raising the temperature of milk to a point - between 180 and 212 degrees - where small bubbles or froth forms around the edge, just before the milk reaches the boiling point. To prevent sticking and difficult cleanup after scalding, stir the milk constantly with a wooden spoon over medium heat. This will also keep the proteins in the milk from forming a film or skin on the surface. Several sources also recommend rinsing the pan with cold water before scalding, using a double boiler, or microwaving the milk in a glass measuring cup. On the stove top, use a nonreactive pan, not copper or aluminum, with a heavy bottom to prevent scorching. It is certainly possible to scald low-fat or nonfat milk, using the same techniques.

This week's answer by Peter J. Kelly, a chef-instructor at Johnson & Wales University.