Alexa’s dad, John David Von Strolley, is suitably impressed with his daughter and shares this with Thursday Life: “Just the fact that someone takes the time to make pasta dough from scratch leaves me in absolute awe. She is very passionate and does everything wholeheartedly. As a father, that is all you can wish for: for your child to find their niche. Everything she puts her hands on is done with love and attention to detail when it comes to authentic cuisines and it shows (I clean my plate every time). I am so proud of my Tooksie and all she has accomplished in such a short amount of time. The only downfall is my clothes feeling it!”

Oxtail Ravioli

Ingredients:

o For the Ravioli:

o Ingredients:

o Kosher salt

o 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

o 2 large red onions (sliced)

o 1 cup fresh ricotta

o 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

o Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

o Pasta sheets

o For the Oxtail Ragù:

o 5lbs pounds oxtail (cut into 2″ thick pieces)

o Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

o 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

o Flour (for dredging)

o 2 medium onions (sliced 1/4″ thick)

o 4 cups red wine

o 2 cups brown chicken stock

o 2 cups basic tomato sauce

o 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves

Pecorino Romano for grating

For the Ravioli:

In a 12- to 14-inch sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook slowly till softened.

Add onion to the ricotta, nutmeg, and salt and pepper. Mix well.

Divide the pasta dough into 4 equal portions and roll each out to the thinnest setting on a pasta machine. Lay 1 sheet of pasta on a work surface and use a pastry cutter to make 12 21/2 by 1-inch rectangles. Place 1 rounded tablespoon of the filling on one side of each rectangle and fold the dough in half to form a square.

Press firmly around the edges to seal; brush with a little water if necessary.

Continue with the remaining pasta and filling. These can be set aside on a baking tray, the layers separated by dish towels, and refrigerated, for up to 6 hours.

For the Oxtail Ragù:

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Trim the excess fat from the oxtail and season liberally with salt and pepper.

In a 6- to 8-quart, heavy-bottomed casserole or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over high heat until it is just smoking. Quickly dredge the oxtails in the flour and sear on all sides until browned, turning with long-handled tongs. This should take 8 – 10 minutes. Remove the browned oxtails to a plate and set aside.

Add the onions to the same pan and, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, cook them until lightly browned, 5 – 7 minutes. Add the wine, stock, tomato sauce, and thyme and bring the mixture to a boil. Return the oxtails to the pot, submerging them in the liquid, and return the pot to a boil. Cover the casserole and cook in the oven for 1-11/2 hours, or until the meat is falling off the bone.

Remove the pan from the oven and carefully remove the oxtails with long-handled tongs. When they are cool enough to handle remove the meat from the bones and shred into small pieces with a fork. Discard the bones.

With a small ladle, skim the fat from the surface of the sauce. Return the shredded meat to the casserole. Place the casserole over medium-high heat, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and allow to reduce to a very thick ragù. Season with salt and pepper.

To Prepare Dish:

Bring about 6 quarts of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons of salt. Meanwhile, in a 12- to 14-inch sauté pan, heat about 3 cups of the ragù. Gently drop the ravioli into the boiling water and cook at a gentle simmer for 3 minutes. Drain, reserving some of the cooking water. Add the ravioli to the sauté pan with the ragù. Toss very gently over medium heat to coat the ravioli with the ragù, 1 to 2 minutes. Divide among six heated bowls and grate Pecorino over each bowl. Serve immediately.

Coconut Cake

Total Time:1 hr 55 min

Yield:10 to 12 servings

Ingredients:

11/2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pans

2 cups sugar

4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

11/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

11/2 teaspoons pure almond extract

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pans

1/2 cup of milk

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

4 ounces sweetened shredded coconut

Powdered sugar for dusting

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease (9-inch) round cake pans, then line them with parchment paper. Grease them again and dust lightly with flour.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until light yellow and fluffy. Crack the eggs into a small bowl. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl once during mixing. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well. The mixture might look curdled; don’t be concerned.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients and the milk to the batter in 3 parts, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Fold in the 4 ounces of coconut with a rubber spatula.

Pour the batter evenly into the 2 pans and smooth the top with a knife. Bake in the center of the oven for 45 to 55 minutes, until the tops are browned and a cake tester comes out clean. Cool on a baking rack for 30 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto a baking rack to finish cooling.

Sprinkle the top with powdered sugar. Serve at room temperature.