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Trofie or Trenette al Pesto

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. Trofie or Trenette
  • 1 fresh potato
  • 1/2 cup cooked string beans

Pesto prepared as follows:

  • 1 bunch sweet basil
  • 2 tablespoons pinoli
  • 4 shelled walnuts
  • 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
  • 2 tablespoons grated pecorino cheese
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • salt, pepper

Preparation

  • Blend the above pesto ingredients until uniformly creamy**
  • Cut the potato into thin slices.
  • Bring a pot of salt water to a boil and add the pasta and the potato.
  • Cut the string beans into pieces and steam.
  • Add to the pasta and potato 2 minutes before the pasta is done.
  • Strain but save some salt water. Add the pesto and mix.
  • Add some of the salt water if too dry. Serve immediately. Serves four. Fresh ricotta may be added to the pasta and pesto just before serving.
     

**If in a hurry or don’t have the ingredients to make your own pesto, try Pesto alla Genovese sold at our shop
Recipe, courtesy of Italian Harvest

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Traditional Bistecca Alla Florentino

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 T-bone steak (about 2 pounds and 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick)
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 Tbs. Roasted Garlic Oil
  • 2 tsp. Traditional Style Balsamic
  • 1 tsp. dried oregano
  • Coarse salt

DIRECTIONS

  • Preheat grill or a griddle or a cast iron frying pan over medium-high heat. 
  • Sprinkle steak with salt and pepper on both sides. 
  • Sear steak quickly on both sides, then cook just until blood rare, about 5 minutes per side. 
  • Remove to a cutting board and sprinkle with oil and vinegar.  Crumble oregano over the meat. 
  • Let rest 5 minutes, then carve diagonally across the grain into thin slices.  Sprinkle with coarse salt and serve with the meat juices from the cutting board.

Serves 4

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Tacchino Toscano (Tuscan Style Turkey)

Ingredients:·         

½ cup Oli + Ve extra virgin olive oil of your choice
·         4-5 pounds dark and light turkey meat, cut into 1 by 3 inch chunks
·         ½ cup pancetta, minced (sub prosciutto)
·         1 cup crumbled Italian sausage, half sweet, half hot
·         3 cups diced onions
·         2 cups diced carrots
·         3 cups diced celery
·         ¼ cup minced garlic
·         Big pinch crushed red pepper
·         1 ½ T finely chopped fresh rosemary
·         1 ½  T finely chopped fresh sage
·         3 T finely chopped Italian parsley
·         Salt
·         Freshly ground black pepper
·         1 Cup dry red wine or white wine
·         8 cups canned whole tomatoes, with their juice, crushed
·         1 pound penne or rigatoni pasta
·         1 cup grated parmesan cheese
Preparation:
Prep time: 60 minutes
Coat the bottom of a large skillet with the extra virgin olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add the turkey meat, pancetta and sausage and cook until the meat begins to brown. Add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, rosemary, sage and 1 ½ teaspoons of the parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste and cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until reduced by half. Add the tomatoes to the pan with enough water to cover all the ingredients. Bring to a simmer and cook the sauce for 1 ½ hours, adding more water if needed.
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until very al dente, do not overcook! Drain, reserving 2 cups of the cooking water. Add the pasta to the sauce with ½ cup of the cooking water. Simmer 2 to 3 minutes for the pasta to absorb some of the sauce. If the mixture seems dry, add a little more pasta cooking water. Adjust the seasonings. Toss and serve sprinkled with the grated parmesan and the remaining parsley.
Courtesy of Stonesthrow Winery – check them out at www.stonesthrowwinery.com!

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Sugo di Carne

Ingredients:

·         ½ lb. ground sirloin

·         12oz. can Italian plum tomatoes

·         1 onion

·         1 carrot

·         1 stalk of celery

·         ¾ cup red wine

·         Oli + Ve Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

·         Salt

·         1 lb. Pappardelle pasta (sold at Oli + Ve)

Directions:

(1)    Finely chop carrot, onion, celery. Place in a pot and sauté in Oli + Ve EVOO until it almost starts to burn (this sweetens the carrots and onions and gives the sauce a true homemade flavor). Take your time on this step, please.

(2)    Add the sirloin and raise the heat stirring until browned.

(3)    Splash with wine and let the wine evaporate.

(4)    Salt to taste.

(5)    Add the tomatoes, break them up, lower the heat and cook for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. (If sauce seems too thick, add some of your pasta water.)

(6)    Cook pasta keeping it al dente.

(7)    Serve with grated parmesan. 

Courtesy of Stones Throw Winery

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Spring Rolls

Ingredients:

  •  Red Peppers (thinly sliced/julienned)
  •  Carrots (peeled and julienned)
  •  cucumber (thinly sliced/julienned)
  •  avocado (sliced)
  •  purple cabbage (chopped)
  •  cilantro (chopped)
  •  spinach leaves (washed)
  •  shrimp ( peel, devein, toss with EVOO, salt and pepper –roast until done)
  •  sesame seeds (to garnish)
  •  package of spring roll wrappers

Preparation:

  •  Make sure all the ingredients are prepared/chopped/cooked before you assemble
  •  Prepare the rice paper wrappers according to directions (you want the wrapper to be soft, yet still slightly firm and pliable.)
  •  Fill the rolls by placing a few sticks of carrot, cucumber, red pepper, and a sprinkle of purple cabbage on top of the bottom 1/3 of the rice paper.  Then, a slice or two of avocado and a bit of cilantro.  Lay spinach leaves on top and finish with slices of shrimp on top. 
  •  Don’t overstuff roll
  •  Roll everything up tightly by gently pulling up the bottom of the roll and roll over the filling.  Use your hands to tuck the filling in as you roll — like you are rolling a burrito (you can fold in the sides of the rice paper if you wish.
  •  Place on a serving plate and cut in half, sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve with peanut sauce or drizzle  with  Oli+Ve Traditional balsamic, or both! 

Peanut Sauce  (adapted from naturalmond.com)

  •  1/2 cup NaturAlmond almond butter (or Georgia Grinder’s peanut butter)
  •  1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
  •  3T low-sodium soy sauce (Den Chan Shoyu)
  •  2 1/2T minced fresh ginger
  •  1T freshly squeezed lime juice
  •  1T minced garlic
  •  1/2 t red pepper chili flakes (more or less based on desired heat)
  •  1 shallot, peeled
  •  1 1/2T rice wine vinegar (or try Oli+Ve honey ginger balsamic)

Place all ingredients in a high powered blender and blend until smooth and creamy (keeps 3-4 days in the refrigerator)

Spring roll recipe shared by Kathy White