Pasta Serving Suggestion #4

This is another in our series of ‘mix & match’ ideas for making great and fun meals with your flavored pasta.  As always, remember the mix and match concept: you can change any aspect of this to your liking or even to what you have in your fridge at the time.  Obviously other seafood combos will work: clams, mussels, scallops, tilapia, etc.  We went with a 50/50 ratio of Meyer Lemon Oil to regular olive oil as we did not want the lemon flavor to overpower, but you may find a different proportion to work better.

While this combo will work great with most of our flavored pasta, for this we chose our Artichoke Lemon Tagliatelle, which pairs well with seafood.  Here are a few others which we recommend highly:

• Meyer Lemon Trenette
• Garlic Chive Pappardelle
• Lemon Pepper Linguini
• Garlic Toasted Onion Fettuccine

ingredients

• 6 ounces cooked shrimp
• 6 ounce imitation crab, ‘chunk’ style
• 2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tablespoon Pastamoré Meyer Lemon Olive Oil
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
• package of Artichoke Lemon Tagliatelle
• freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to taste

Combine shrimp, crab, tomato and garlic in a small bowl.  Drizzle both oils over the mixture along with the salt & pepper.  Mix thoroughly and refrigerate for at least one hour to meld flavors.  Allow to come to room temperature before serving.

Cook pasta to al dente according to instructions on package and strain.  Divide pasta into pre-heated individual pasta bowls.  Spoon seafood/tomato mixture evenly over each pasta dish.  Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve.

Serves four to six as an entrée.

Basil Oven-Grilled Flatbread

Here is a simple idea to be used as a snack or as a side to soup or salad.  Prepared flatbreads are more common these days in higher end grocery stores, and you can also use pitas or 'naan' for this recipe.

This recipe demonstrates the use of our Basil Pesto Olive Oil, but any of our oils will do, especially our Herbes de Provence Olive Oil or our  Meyer Lemon Olive Oil. 

 ingredients

• one package flatbread
• a leafy herb such as Italian parsley or basil, chopped & to taste
• Nan's Basil Pesto Olive Oil
• course sea salt, to taste
• freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350°. Using a purchased flatbread or ‘naan’ (pictured is a Safeway brand), drizzle/brush a small amount of Basil Pesto Oil over the surface. If you have a leftover herb in the fridge, chopped and sprinkle on top (we used Italian parsley here). 

For more richness add a generous sprinkle of Parmesan. Last, add a pinch of course salt for texture and flavor, and a grind of black pepper. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until golden. Cut into random triangles and serve.

Honey Ricotta Mousse with Balsamic Black Pepper Marinated Cherries

Our philosophy with food at Nan’s is to create ‘simple but elegant’ dishes. The following is a great example: we have taken a sophisticated dessert and made it very easy to make. The intention is for you to make something magical for your loved one in very little time.

Please do not let the black pepper/balsamic vinegar/fruit combo scare you. Believe it or not, it is a common dessert combination in Italy. The next time you have some extra fresh strawberries, slice and place them in a bowl. Drizzle with a small amount of a high quality aged balsamic vinegar like our Nan's Barrel-Aged Balsamic Vinegar, grind some fresh pepper on the top and serve. It is a delightful and surprising taste sensation – special, grown-up and not too sweet.

We used frozen cherries for this, but strawberries, raspberries or even blackberries will work just as well. Pair with our other flavored balsamic vinegars, like our Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar. Normally we are advocates of fresh ingredients, but as you know Valentine’s Day falls in winter, not summer, so frozen will do just fine.

ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) fresh ricotta
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
• 1 1/2 cups whole frozen sweet cherries, thawed and halved
• 1 tablespoon Nan's Barrel-Aged Balsamic Vinegar
• freshly ground black peppercorns
• fresh mint leaves (optional as garnish)
  

For the mousse, place the ricotta, honey, and vanilla bean scrapings in the small bowl of a food processor and process/pulse until smooth. Cover and refrigerate minimum 1 hour to meld flavors.

Place the cherries in a small bowl with the balsamic vinegar and add a small amount of ground pepper. Stir to combine. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

To serve, divide the cherry mixture between two glasses (we recommend martini glasses) or bowls and top with a scoop of ricotta mousse. Garnish with mint and a light dusting of black pepper, if desired.

Serves 2.

Cajun Pancetta Wrapped Scallops with Pear Balsamic Reduction

As we continue our theme of using flavored balsamic vinegars as a secret ingredient, here is a decadent recipe for one of our favorite food items, sea scallops. Don’t let the components intimidate you, this is an easy recipe to prepare, and the prep time should be no more than 15 minutes.

What is fun about this recipe is that you can vary it in different ways simply by using a different variation of our flavored balsamic vinegars. Here some quick thoughts: 

• Pear White Balsamic: obviously this is the one we choose to publish. White balsamic vinegars tend to be lighter and more delicate than traditional balsamic vinegar. The flavor of the pear is subtle, but marries well with the richness of the sweet scallops.  
• Nan's Traditional Barrel-Aged Balsamic Vinegar: this is a classic pairing. The balsamic flavor here is more robust and pronounced. You will not need as much time to reduce this as it is quite thick already.  
• Nan's Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar: we found this version to be fun and a bit eclectic. The raspberry balsamic matches the best with the spinach, and it too is more robust. We think this would be nicely paired as a summer outdoor dish warm or cold.
• Nan's Passion Fruit White Balsamic: another 'white and lighter' option, but the passion fruit comes through in spades. This changes the entire dish to be more exotic, tropical and Caribbean.

for the scallops

• 10 large sea scallops
• 10 thin slices Pancetta
• Cajun seasoning (we used Bayou Magic)
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

for the spinach salad

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 bunches spinach
• 1 shallot finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove finely chopped
• ¾ cups Nan's Pear White Balsamic Vinegar 
• ¼ cup dry white wine 

Prepare balsamic reduction: Pour pear balsamic vinegar in sauce pan and simmer over low heat reduced by about ½. Set aside and let cool.

Wrap each scallop individually with one slice of pancetta and secure with a toothpick. Dredge scallops wrapped in pancetta in Cajun seasoning. Heat a skillet over medium heat with ¼ cup olive oil. Cook sea scallops on each side for about two minutes or until done (seared golden). In a second sauté pan over high heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and quickly sauté spinach, shallots and garlic for about one minute. Add white wine and cook for another minute, until spinach is tender. Place small amount of spinach on a plate and place 2 scallops on top. Drizzle balsamic reduction on top.

Serves 5 as appetizer.

Dark Chocolate Balsamic Martini

If you haven't heard, gourmet cocktails are a big. Just like with gourmet food, the quality of the ingredients is key. This simple concoction is an amazing combination and a wonderful offering for a holiday cocktail party.

Tools and ingredients necessary include martini glasses, a cocktail shaker, a high quality vodka, an aged dark chocolate balsamic vinegar and lavender sugar to rim the glass - another option is shaved dark chocolate.

• Rim two chilled martini glasses with lavender sugar
• Chill approximately 3 ounces of vodka in the cocktail shaker
• Add 1 tablespoon of Nan's Dark Chocolate Balsamic Vinegar
• Shake all ingredients and strain into glasses