Ricotta Cavatelli with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe

We had ricotta cavatelli with broccoli rabe and sausage at Battersby and it was amazing, so I was inspired to try it myself. Since most normal/sane people don't make their own cavatelli, I'd suggest looking for this frozen at an Italian specialty store. (If anyone does want to learn to make homemade ricotta cavatelli, let me know and I'll put that up!) It's a great winter meal.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1/2 lb fresh ricotta cavatelli

2 links sweet Italian sausage, casings removed

1 clove garlic, thinly sliced

Colonie

Jamie and I had a fabulous dinner at Colonie last night, courtesy of our wonderful friend Jamie Burgess (thank you!!). It's a really cute spot, dimly lit with plants, an open kitchen, and a friendly staff. If anyone is looking for a great restaurant in Brooklyn Heights, this is a perfect choice. The grapefruit chili margarita is an excellent cocktail choice.

Centro Vinoteca

I booked a reservation at Centro Vinoteca last night. I’d seen it on NYMag and it’s right by apartment but I’d never been. I was happily surprised. It’s adorable inside! A really nice atmosphere. The wine list is exhaustive. I ordered one of the cheaper bottles, a $36 bottle of Villa Valentino Negroamaro from Puglia. The waiter asked me a question about it after I ordered and I just sort of nodded. The wine came and it was remarkably good – we both took one sip and thought it was amazingly smooth, there was no dry feeling, and it had a hint of sweetness. From that point on, I was sure that I had accidentally ordered one of the $300 bottles.




We split the special to start – deep fried ravioli filled with goat cheese and wild mushroom purée. These were so tasty and great finger food. The earthiness of the mushrooms, the creamy melted goat cheese, and the crispy, savory dough went together perfectly.




For my main course I ordered the cavatelli with a red wine braised short rib ragu, pomegranate, and parmesan cheese. I was curious about the pomegranate, but it actually worked well. The bright burst of the pomegranate seeds cut the richness of the short rib. The portions were big, so I got to eat it again for lunch!

The bill came, and the wine was in fact the original $36 bottle I had ordered – thank God. I’ve now marked it as a new favorite. Another little bonus was since I’d booked the reservation with Village Vines the whole bill was 30% off!

All in all, this is a great little spot to grab a week night dinner with a friend, and would also be a good date spot.