Cooking With Truffles

Name: Anna Wallach

Position: Executive Chef, Truffles Grille & Wine Bar

What was the moment you knew you wanted to be a Chef?
I always knew. I grew up with my mom and three sisters cooking in the kitchen. People tell you not to make your hobby into your career path but after being an accountant for 20 years, I looked at my husband one day and told him, I wanted to be cooking. I didn't want to live with the "what-ifs." Thankfully, he was on board.

What was your career timeline?
I started culinary school later than most of my classmates. I graduated from Johnson & Wales and my first  job was as a line cook at the Castle Restaurant in Leicester with Dr. Stanley Nicas. I did some corporate dining work and then moved on to the Oyster Cabin in Uxbridge and the Sherborn Inn. My husband, Howard, and I opened Truffles eight-and-a-half years ago.

3 Ingredients you can't live without?
Garlic, wine and my garden. I bring in lots of fresh ingredients from home: carrots, beets, herbs, cabbage, broccoli, strawberries and blueberries.

Food flop?
When my husband and I were living in New Hampshire, I made him fettucini alfredo for dinner one night, but I must not have been paying attention because I stuck in a spoon to stir it and the spoon snapped right off in the sauce. It broke in two pieces because the cheese was so thick. My husband said he'd still eat it. I told him that was nice, but I'd make him something else.

Best thing you ever ate?
My mom's meat ravioli and tomato sauce.

What do you cook at home?
It depends on the season. In the summer I grill everything from  burgers to ribs to  duck and pizza. When it's colder, I do dishes like pot roasts. And when I travel home to visit my parents in Buffalo, I always make my dad risotto.

Describe your food in 5 words.
Fresh, simple, tasty, loving and shining.

#1 Cooking Tip
Enjoy, relax and have fun with cooking.  Especially with Thanksgiving around the corner, it's easy to get wound up about the food and the sides and the work of it all. But eating is about family and friends and nurturing your soul. Julia Childs tried to teach us that anyone can be a cook and that's true. Enjoy it.


Butternut Ravioli

Ingredients:

1 Butternut Squash- large
1/2 c. mascarpone cheese
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese
1 egg
dash of nutmeg

3 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
3 eggs
1 Tbl. olive oil
As needed, water

Butter
Sage leaves

Roast Butternut until soft; in food processor- process it with next four ingredients. Let cool.

Make pasta:
Make a well in the flour; add eggs, salt and olive oil; Mix together with a fork until well incorporated; knead dough, add water as needed to make a firm and pliable dough; wrap in plastic, let rest for 30 minutes.

Roll out dough until thin, either by hand or with a pasta roller; places rounds of the butternut mixture on 1/2 the sheet of pasta; fold over the empty side on top; using a roller cutter or ravioli cutter, cut into shape, press edges; place completed ravioli on a flour dusted tray.

Bring a pot of salted water to boil, drop ravioli into boiling water, cook about 5 minutes.

Over medium-high heat, place butter and sage leaves in pan, cook until butter is browned, making it nutty in flavor and sage leaves will start to fry.

Toss cooked ravioli with butter, plate and top with Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!