Italian Herb Pasta Salad

Sometimes all your meal needs is a great side dish to make it complete.  This pasta salad was served beside grilled chicken, and it was a fantastic match.  This recipe only utilizes a few ingredients, and the hardest part of making it is waiting for the pasta to cool.

This recipe utilizes our Pastamore Roasted Tomato Dipping Oil.  This was used as the dressing for the pasta salad, and it imparted a nice depth of flavor throughout the entire dish.  This recipe also used fresh baby spinach, and this added a nice touch to the overall flavor and look of the pasta salad.

Ingredients:   Serves: 4-6
1 - 12 oz package Pastamore Italian Herb Penne
3 Tbsp - Pastamore Roasted Tomato Dipping Sauce and Marinade
3/4 cup - shaved Parmesan cheese
2 cups - baby spinach
2 - red bell peppers
1 pint - cherry tomatoes
1 can - quartered artichoke hearts
To taste - salt and black pepper

Directions:
1.  Preheat the oven to 375° F.  Once the oven is hot, place the bell peppers onto a baking sheet and place in the oven.  Time to roast the peppers will depend on size and thickness of pepper flesh, but cook time should be between 25 and 45 minutes.  The peppers should be rotated a quarter turn every five-ten minutes.  The peppers will be done roasting when they are soft when squeezed.  Do not overcook, as it will be difficult to remove the skin.  If they are undercooked, the peppers will have too much bite.  Once they have been removed from the oven, place into a medium-sized mixing bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap or tin foil.  This will steam the peppers, and make it easier to remove the flesh.  Place to the side.

2.  Place a large pot of water on the stove over high heat (minimum 1 gallon).  Once boiling, add the Pastamore Italian Herb Penne.  Cook until barely still al dente, and drain in a colander.  Rinse with cold water to shock the pasta, and place into a large mixing bowl.

3.  Add the Pastamore Roasted Tomato Dipping Sauce and Marinade to the bowl.  Mix well.

4.  Remove the roasted red bell peppers from the mixing bowl.  Peel the skin off of the skin of the peppers, and dispose of the stem and seeds.  cut into 1/4" x 2" strips.  Place inside the refrigerator.

5.  Allow the pasta to cool in the refrigerator.  This can either be done overnight or until all the pasta has become cool to the touch.

6.  Once cool, add Parmesan cheese, baby spinach, roasted red peppers, and cherry tomatoes.  Open the artichoke hearts, and drain.  Add to the mixing bowl, and season the pasta salad with salt and black pepper to taste.  Mix until even distributed.

7.  Place inside the refrigerator until time to serve. 

Carolina BBQ Burger

I recently had some chicken wings with Carolina BBQ on them, and I have been dying to make my own ever since.  Carloina BBQ sauce is unlike most others in the United States because it is mustard based instead of ketchup based.  If you find mustard and vinegar to be a little to tangy, using half ketchup and half mustard is a perfectly acceptable alteration to the recipe.

 

I will warn you, both this coleslaw and BBQ sauce are hard to stop eating.  The pork in this burger adds a little depth of flavor, and matches well with the Carolina BBQ sauce.  The coleslaw is super easy, and can be modified in any way you prefer.  This burger is a mouthful of flavors, and all of the ingredients manage to compliment instead of overpower each other.  This recipe will make a lot of extra BBQ sauce, but you won't mind having it on hand.

 

Ingredients:     Serves:  4

Carolina BBQ Sauce:

1 cup - yellow mustard

4 oz - Pastamore White Balsamic Vinegar with Pear

2 Tbsp - Pastamore Fresh Jalapeno Oil

3 Tbsp - brown sugar

2 tsp - liquid smoke

To taste - salt and black pepper

1 tsp - chili powder

 

Coleslaw:

1/2 head - cabbage

2 - carrots

1/4 cup - mayonnaise

3 Tbsp - Pastamore White Balsamic Vinegar with Pear

1/2 Tbsp - sugar

1/2 tsp - salt

To taste - black pepper

 

Burger:

4 - onion buns

1/2 lb - ground pork

1/2 lb - ground beef

1 Tbsp - Carolina bbq sauce

1/2 tsp - salt

1/4 tsp - black pepper

 

Directions:

1.  Place a medium-sized saucepan on the stove over medium-high heat.  Add the mustard, Pastamore White Balsamic Vinegar with Pear, brown sugar, salt, black pepper, and chili powder to the pan.  Use a whisk to mix well.  Bring the sauce to a simmer, and cook for approximately 10 minutes.  Once the pot has been removed from the heat, add the liquid smoke and Pastamore Fresh Jalapeno Oil.  Place to the side to cool.

 

2.  Add the mayonnaise, Pastamore White Balsamic Vinegar with Pear, sugar, salt, and black pepper to a medium-sized mixing bowl.  Use a whisk to throughly mix the ingredients.

 

3.  Place the flat side of the half cabbage head onto a cutting board.  Use a knife to cut down the middle of the cabbage from the stem to the top.  Next, shred the cabbage perpindicular to the first cut.  Peel and the carrots, and cut into 2 inch long, thin strips.  Add the shredded cabbage to the mixing bowl containing the mayonnaise mixutre.  Toss until throughly mixed.  Place inside the refrigerator to cool.

 

4.  Add the ground pork, ground beef, 1 Tbsp bbq sauce, salt, and pepper to a medium-sized mixing bowl.  Mix until all of the ingredients are evenly distributed.  Form the meat into four patties.

 

5.  Turn on the grill to medium-high heat.  Once the grill is hot, add the burger patties.  Cook the burgers until the desired doneness has been reached, turning only once during the cooking process. 

 

6.  Plate the bottom half of the onion bun.  Top with the burger, and then add 1/2-1 Tbsp of Carolina BBQ sauce on top.  Add a geneous portion of the coleslaw on top, and then finish with the remaining half of the bun.  Serve and enjoy!

Bolognese with gluten-free Garlic Toasted Onion Pasta

Bolognese is a traditional Italian dish that can be found at many restaurants.  It offers delicious flavors with only a few ingredients, and the only difficult part about the recipe is waiting.  More often than not, this dish is made with canned tomatoes.  However, with it still being cheap fesh vegetable season, I decided to write this recipe with fresh tomatoes.

The two keys this recipe are patience and stirring.  I can't emphasize enough how important it is to stir this every time you walk past when it is cooking.  If the sauce gets burnt to the bottom of the pan, it will most likely ruin the sauce.  You don't need to stand over the pot the entire time it is cooking, but just keep an eye on it as it cooks.

Ingredients:    Servings - 3-4
1 - 12oz package, Pastamore Gluten-Free Garlic Toasted Onion Pasta
1/2 lb - ground beef
1/4 lb - onion
1/8 lb - celery
1/8 lb - carrot
2 lb - tomatoes
1 cup - water
1/2 Tbsp - Pastamore Traditional Barrel-Aged Balsamic Vinegar
(Optional) 1 Tbsp - Olive oil
1 - bay leaf
As needed - 
To taste - salt and black pepper

Directions:
1.  Mince the onion, celery, and the carrots.  This can be done by hand, or it can be done quickly and easily with a food processor.  Dice the tomatoes into 1/4" x 1/4" pieces.  Place to the side.

2.  Place a large pot on the stove over medium-high heat.  Once the pan is hot, add the ground beef.  Cook until the ground beef has been browned.

3.  Add the mirepoix (onions, carrots, and celery) to the pot.  Sweat the vegetables until the onion begins to become translucent.  If the mirepoix is becoming brown, reduce the heat to medium.  If the vegetables are sticking to the pot, use enough olive oil to keep them from sticking to the pot.  Stir often.

4.  Once the vegetables have been sweat, add the tomatoes to the pot.  Cook the tomatoes until they have broken down almost all the way.  Add the Pastamore Traditional Barrel-Aged Balsamic Vinegar, bay leaf, and water.  Stir well.  Bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. 

5.  The sauce will need to simmer for approximately 45 minutes.  During this time, season the sauce to taste with salt and black pepper.  The longer the sauce cooks the better the flavor will be.  If the sauce is too thin cook it longer, and if the sauce is too thick add more water.  Stir often.

6.  When the sauce is around 15 minutes away from being finished, place a large pot of water on the stove (minimum 1 gallon).  Bring the water to a boil.  Once boiling, add the Pastamore Garlic Toasted Onion Pasta.  Cook until the pasta has reached al dente, and then rinse extremely well.
 
7.  Plate the pasta, and then top with the Bolognese.  Finish the plate with fresh grated Parmesan cheese, and serve.

Pineapple Salsa and Guacamole with Passion Fruit Balsamic

The heat this summer has been nonstop, and it is still being persistent.  To combat the heat, I have whipped up a few quick, refreshing side dishes/snacks to cope with the heat.  Both of these recipes utilize our Pastamore Passion Fruit Balsamic Vinegar, and this gives both recipes a fantastic depth of flavor.

Both of these recipes are unique, and they are hard to stop eating one you get going.  Both recipes only use a few ingredients, and this allows all of the ingredients to shine.  If you're somewhere hot and you need to cool down, this pineapple salsa is just what the doctor ordered.

Pineapple Passion Fruit Salsa
Ingredients:   Yield: 1 pint+
1 - fresh pineapple
2 - medium/large tomatoes

1 Tbsp - Pastamore Passion Fruit Balsamic

1 Tbsp - Pastamore Fresh Jalapeno Oil

3 sprigs - fresh cilantro
To taste - salt and black pepper
1 - jalapeno, seeded and deveined (optional)

Directions:
1.  Rinse the tomatoes, cilantro, and jalapeno.  Cut open the jalapeno, and remove the seeds and veins.  Rough chop the ingredients, and place to the side.

2.  Cut the top and the bottom off of the pineapple.  Place the pineapple on a cutting board, and remove the skin from the flesh.  To do this, run the knife from top to bottom, following the contours of the fruit.  Rough chop and place into a food processor.

3.  Add the Pastamore Passion Fruit Balsamic Vinegar, Pastamore Fresh Jalapeno Oil, and all other ingredients into a food processor.  Run the food processor until all of the ingredients have been evenly processed and distributed.  Season with salt and black pepper.

4.  Serve with tortilla chips, on fish tacos, on top of grilled chicken.

Passion Fruit Guacamole
Ingredients:
3 - ripe avocados

1/2 Tbsp - Pastamore Passion Fruit Balsamic Vinegar

1 tsp - lemon juice
To taste - salt and black pepper
2 sprigs - cilantro (optional)

Directions:
1.  Cut the avocados in half, and remove the flesh from inside.  Place into a medium-sized mixing. 

2.  Add the Pastamore Passion Fruit Balsamic Vinegar, lemon juice, and the diced cilantro.

3.  Use a fork to mash the avocados, being sure to evenly mix all ingredients.  Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

4.  Serve with tortilla chips, as a side to tacos or fajitas, or on top of your favorite hamburger.

September Seasonal Recipe



Seared Salmon with Gluten Free Orzo
Servings: 4
 
Ingredients:
1 lb - fresh salmon, deboned and skinless
1 12 oz package - Pastamore gluten-free Lemon Garlic Orzo
1 lb - yellow squash
1.5 Tbsp - Pastamore Blackberry Balsamic Vinegar
.5 Tbsp - olive oil
As needed - salt and black pepper
As needed - vegetable oil


Directions:
1.  Clean the squash, and then cut off the tops and bottoms.  Chop the squash into 1/2" x 1/2" pieces.

2.  Place a large pot of water (minimum 1 gallon) on the stove over high heat.  Bring to a boil.

3.  Place the salmon onto a large plate.  Lightly drizzle the salmon with vegetable oil.  Rub the salmon so the oil has been evenly distributed on the fish.  Generously season the salmon with salt and black pepper.  Be sure to season both sides of the fish.

4.  Place two large saucepans on the stove over medium-high heat.  When the pans have become hot, place enough vegetable oil in the pans to keep the food from sticking.  Once the oil becomes hot, place the squash in one pan, and the salmon in the other pan.  Place the presentation side of the salmon down to begin with. Add the Pastamore gluten free Lemon Garlic Orzo to the boiling water.  Season the yellow squash to taste.

5.  Cook the squash until it has become tender.  Cook the salmon until the desired doneness has been reached.  The salmon should only be turned once during cooking.  If the fish is browning to quickly, reduce the heat to medium.  The orzo will cook in approximately 12 minutes, but cooking times will vary depending on altitude.  The orzo is cooked when it is al dente.  Do not overcook the pasta, as it will become mushy.  Once the pasta has cooked, strain through a fine colander and rinse EXTREMELY well.

6.  Place the orzo in a medium-sized mixing bowl.  Add approximately 1/2 Tbsp of olive oil to the orzo, and season to taste with salt and black pepper.  Mix well.

7.  To plate, begin by creating a bed of lemon garlic orzo and yellow squash (squash on one half and orzo on the other half).  Top with the seared salmon fillet.  Drizzle the Pastamore Blackberry Balsamic Vinegar over the salmon.