Cucumber Mint Lemon Garlic Orzo

It's summertime and pasta salads are a great way to cook some orzo.  However, once you've had enough pasta salads to sink a boat, it is time to try something a little different with orzo.  This recipe combines the great, fresh flavors of cucumbers and fresh mint with our Pastamore Gluten-free Lemon Garlic Orzo.  This is another quick and easy recipe to impress your family, friends, and tastebuds!

Ingredients:    serves 4
1 12 oz package - Pastamore Gluten-free Lemon Garlic Orzo (regular is also fine)
1/2 - cucumber
1-2 Tbsp - fresh mint
2 Tbsp - butter
1 cup - water
1/4 tsp - red pepper flakes
To taste - salt and black pepper

Directions:
1. Heat a large pot of water on the stove over high heat.

2.  While the water is heating, rinse the cucumber and dice into 1/4" x 1/4" pieces.  Finely chop the mint.  Heat a medium frying pan or pot on the stove over medium heat.  Add the butter and allow to melt.  Once melted, add the water and red pepper flakes and bring to a strong simmer.

3.  Add the Pastamore Gluten-free Lemon Garlic Orzo to the water and cook until al dente.  Rinse throughly in warm water, and return to the pot it was cooked in.

4.  If the butter sauce is too thin, cook longer or whisk in a tablespoon of rice flour.  If the sauce is too thick add water as needed.  Add the butter sauce, cucumber, and mint to the cooked orzo.  Mix well and season to taste with salt and black pepper.  Add half of the mint at first, and then add the second half if desired after tasting the pasta.

5.  Top with extra cucumber and serve.

Stout Sweet Potato Fettuccine

It can be both fun and delicious using beer in new recipes.  While I might usually play it safe with beer battered something, sometimes it is nice to try something a little different.  This recipe uses our Sweet Potato Fettuccine and pairs it with a stout beer (I used Guinness).  A fair warning, if you don't like stouts then you will either want to back down on the amount of stout used or steer clear of this recipe.  However, if you are a stout fan than you are in luck!

Ingredients:   serves 4

1 12 oz package - Pastamore Sweet Potato Fettuccine (regular or gluten-free)

8 oz - stout beer

8 oz - water

10 oz - mushrooms

2 Tbsp - butter

2 cloves - garlic

2 oz - toasted walnuts, chopped

To taste - salt and black pepper

Directions:

1.  Heat a large pot of water on the stove over high heat.

2.  While the water is heating, wash and slice the mushrooms and mince the garlic.  Heat a large frying pan on the stove over medium heat.  Once hot, add one Tbsp of butter and the mushrooms.  Stir often.

3.  Once the pot of water is boiling, add the Pastamore Sweet Potato Fettuccine.  Cook until al dente and rinse and needed.

4.  While the pasta is cooking, add the garlic to the mushrooms.  Once the the garlic is starting to turn brown, add the beer and water to the pan.  Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.  The sauce should be  finished when the pasta is done cooking.  Add the second Tbsp of butter and season to taste with salt and black pepper.

5.  Mix the sauce with the pasta and stir until evenly coated.  Serve and top with the toasted walnuts.

Double Tomato Quinoa

It is still that time of year where tasty tomatoes can be bought at great prices.  I was at the grocery store picking up a couple of things with no intentions of buying any tomatoes.  Well, I walked by this great looking yellow heirloom tomato and I could not resist writing a recipe around it.  This recipe combines heirloom tomato with chicken, black beans, roasted corn, and our new Pastamore Spicy Tomato Dipping Oil.

Ingredients:  Serves 4-6
1.5 cups - quinoa
3/4 lb - chicken breast
1 lb - heirloom tomato
3 Tbsp - Pastamore Spicy Tomato Dipping Oil
1 qt - chicken broth, no salt added
1 15 oz can - black beans
1/2 cup - roasted corn, frozen
1 tsp - cumin
1 tsp - oregano
To taste - salt and black pepper

Directions:
1.  Place quinoa into a very fine colander and rinse.  Place into a large pot with the chicken broth over high heat.  Bring to a boil, stirring to prevent the quinoa from sticking to the bottom of the pan.  Reduce to a simmer.

2. Heat a large pan on the stove over medium/medium high heat.  Lightly oil the outside of the chicken with vegetable oil and season with salt and black pepper.  Oil pan as needed and add the chicken to the pan.  Cook until the internal temperature reaches 165ºF, turning once.

3.  After the quinoa has cooked for 10 minutes, drain and rinse the beans using a colander.  Add the beans and corn to the pot.  Dice the chicken and tomato into 1/4" x 1/4" pieces.  Add to the pot along with the Pastamore Spicy Tomato Dipping Oil.  Add the cumin and oregano, and season to taste with salt and black pepper.  The quinoa will be done when the sides turn white and it is tender to the bite.  Remove from the heat and stir in the tomato.

4.  Serve in a bowl and garnish with oregano.

Carbonara Risotto

Carbonara is a classic Italian dish that has taken all sorts of shapes and forms over the years.  For this recipe, I decided to use this great set of flavors to make a risotto.  This recipe uses our Pastamore Roasted Garlic Grapeseed Oil to give the garlic flavor needed to round out this dish.  This recipe is a little more intensive, but it is worth every minute once you taste it!

Ingredients:   serves 3-4
6 oz - arborio rice
1.5 Tbsp - Pastamore Roasted Garlic Grapeseed Oil
2 oz - pancetta, cubed
1 - egg, lightly beaten
1 qt - chicken stock, no salt added
1 oz - parmesan cheese, shaved

Directions:
1.  Heat the chicken stock in a medium pot over medium-high heat.

2.  Place a large pot on the stove over medium heat.  Once hot, add the pancetta to the pan and cook until browned.  Next, add the arborio rice to the pot and stir until the rice is evenly coated in the pancetta fat.  Add 1/4-1/3 cup of warm chicken stock to the pot mix well.

3.  Stir often, adding 1/4-1/3 cup of chicken stock to the risotto once the previously added liquid has been absorbed.  Continue adding until the rice is tender but not soft.  After the remaining liquid has been added, remove the pot from the heat.  Add 1 Tbsp of the cooked rice to a bowl with the beaten egg and mix well.  Slowly pour the warmed egg into the large risotto pot and stir well.  Add the Pastamore Roasted Garlic Grapeseed Oil and season to taste with salt and black pepper.

4.  Serve immediately and garnish with shaved parmesan cheese.

Beer and Bacon GTO

Beer and bacon is a great combination that goes together even better with our Pastamore Garlic Toasted Onion Fettuccine (either regular or gluten-free). This recipe uses pancetta which is an Italian style bacon. Regular bacon will do, but I preferred the ease of use and texture of pancetta for this recipe.  This is another quick and tasty recipe that shouldn't take much longer than the time needed to heat the water and cook the pasta.  I used Yuengling in this recipe, but any beer with a good, strong flavor should do.  This recipe will pair well with... the type of beer used in the recipe.

Ingredients:  serves 4
1 12 oz package - Pastamore Garlic Toasted Onion Fettuccine
3 oz - pancetta (diced)
1 12 oz - beer of your choice
12 oz - water
To taste - salt and black pepper

Directions:
1.  Heat a large pot of water on the stove over high heat.  Bring to a boil.  As the water is heating, place a medium frying pan on the stove over medium/medium-high heat.  Once hot add the pancetta and begin cooking.  Stir often.

2.  Add the Pastamore Garlic Toasted Onion Fettuccine to the boiling pot of water and cook until al dente.  Once the bacon is browned, carefully add the beer and water to the frying pan.  Reduce this sauce as the pasta cooks, ideally reducing by half.  If the sauce is too thin reduce further, and if the sauce is too thick or appears to have entirely evaporated add water as needed.

3.  Once the pasta has cooked, drain using a colander and rinse thoroughly with warm water.  Return to the pot it was cooked in.  Add the bacon and beer sauce to the pot and mix well.  Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

4.  Serve immediately, garnishing with shaved Parmesan cheese and a tasty beer!

Spicy Gluten-free Plain Linguini

Our gluten-free plain linguini is a blank canvas that can be a great base for any dish.  Its ability to keep a great texture and flavor really add to a dish.  For this recipe, the gluten-free linguini is paired with our Pastamore Fresh Jalapeno Oil, avocado, fresh tomatoes, and fresh lime juice.  These ingredients come together to make a nice spicy surprise you might not expect from pasta.

Ingredients:  serves 4
1 12 oz package - Pastamore gluten-free Plain Linguini
1 - avocado
3/4 lb - tomatoes
2-3 Tbsp - Pastamore Fresh Jalapeno Oil (depending on heat preference)
1 - lime
To taste - salt and black pepper
As garnish - dried oregano

Directions:
1.  Heat a large pot of water on the stove over high heat.  Once boiling, add the Pastamore gluten-free plain linguini.

2.  While the pasta is cooking, remove the stem and rinse the tomatoes.  Chop into 1/4" x 1/4" pieces.  Slice the lime into 8 segments, and split the avocado into quarters (scoring the flesh into 1/4" x 1/4" pieces.

3.  Once the pasta is al dente, drain using a colander and rinse throughly with warm water.  Return the pasta to the pot it was cooked in over medium heat.  Add the tomatoes, Pastamore Fresh Jalapeno Oil, and season to taste with salt and black pepper.  Heat until warm.

4.  Plate the pasta and top with the avocado.  Garnish with 2 lime segments and dried oregano. Serve immediately, squeeze lime onto pasta, and enjoy!

Plain Linguini and Basil Parmesan Dipping Oil

Sometimes using just a few ingredients and letting them shine goes a long way towards a great dish.  In this case,  our gluten-free plain linguini is paired with heirloom tomatoes and our basil parmesan dipping oil.  This is a quick and tasty dish that takes just as long as it takes to cook the pasta.  The dish can be garnished with fresh basil for a great look and flavor.

Ingredients:   serves 4
1 - 12 oz package gluten-free Plain Linguini
2 Tbsp - Pastamore Basil Parmesan Dipping Oil
3/4 lb - heirloom tomato (any variety)
To taste - salt and black pepper
As garnish - fresh basil

Directions:
1.  Heat a large pot of water on the stove over high heat.  Once boiling, add the Pastamore gluten-free Plain Linguini.

2.  While the pasta is cooking, remove the stem and rinse the tomatoes.  Chop the tomatoes into 1/4" x 1/4" pieces.

3.  Remove the pasta when al dente, drain using a colander, and rinse throughly with warm water.  Return to the pot the pasta was cooked in over medium-low/medium heat.  Add the Pastamore Basil Parmesan Dipping Oil and tomatoes.  Cook, stirring often, until pasta has reached the desired doneness.  Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

4.  Garnish with fresh basil and serve.

Heirloom Tomato Meat Sauce with Gluten Free Plain Fettuccine

Heirloom Tomatoes can be found easily at farmer's markets, and they are becoming more common in most supermarkets.  In this recipe, we used Traditional Barrel Aged Balsamic Vinegar and Barrel Aged Worcestershire.  All of the flavors used in this recipe come together to make a great dish!

Heirloom Tomato Meat Sauce with Fettuccine
Serves 4

 Ingredients:  
1 12 oz package - Pastamore Gluten-Free Plain Fettuccine
1 lb - 80/20 ground beef
1.5 lbs - heirloom tomatoes (any variety)

1/2 - medium yellow onion

1 stalk - celery

1 - large carrot

1 tsp - Pastamore Traditional Barrel-Aged Balsamic Vinegar

1 tsp - Pastamore Barrel-Aged Worcestershire

2 Tbsp - sunflower or vegetable oil

1/2 tsp - garlic powder
1/4 tsp - red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp - thyme

1/8 tsp - smoked paprika

To taste - salt and black pepper
2 cups - water

Directions: 1.  Heat a large pot on the stove over medium heat. 2.  Rinse and clean the celery and carrot, remove skin from onion, and mince all of the vegetables.  Add the vegetable oil to the hot pot, and then add the minced vegetables and red pepper flakes.  Cook until the vegetables are translucent and then add the ground beef.  Cook until the meat is browned. 3.  Chop the tomatoes into 1/4" x 1/4" pieces and add to the pot.  Cook until the tomatoes are broken down (10-15 minutes) and add the Pastamore Traditional Barrel-Aged Balsamic Vinegar, Pastamore Barrel-Aged Worcestershire, and all of the spices.  Add the water and bring to a boil.  Once a boil is reached, reduce to a simmer and and cook for a minimum of 20 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and black pepper.  Cook longer if the sauce is too watery and add more water if the sauce becomes too thick. 4.  Heat a large pot of water on the stove over high heat.  Bring to a boil and then add the Pastamore Gluten-Free Plain Fettuccine.  Cook until al dente, and then drain using a colander.  Rinse thoroughly with warm water and add to the pot of meat sauce.  Mix until evenly coated and serve immediately.