Pasta Artistica

Extreme Habanero with Jamaican Jerk Chicken and Mango Salsa (serves 4 - 6)

Pappardelle's Extreme Habanero Radiatore needs a warning label...aya caramba! I may be a lightweight in the spice department, but by the time I was done eating my plated portion, my mouth was on fire! I was frantically searching for more mango salsa to cool it down. Aside from it's spiciness, the dish as a whole danced on my palate. The fire of the pasta below gave way to the cool mango salsa on top. What a great twist on a pasta sauce. The color of the dish had me reminiscent of a Caribbean sunset. Want a vegetarian makeover? Try using grilled eggplant and onion in place of the chicken (see picture below).

Ingredients

1 lb. Pappardelle's Extreme Habanero Radiatore
2 cups chopped pitted peeled mango
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
2/3 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
4 teaspoons olive oil

Method

1. Place all of the ingredients in a food processor, or blender. Process until almost smooth.

2. Cover and chill the salsa for 2 hours.

3. Rub chicken breasts lightly with oil. Dust with dry Jamaican Jerk seasoning. Marinade for one hour. Grill and slice.

4. Cook and toss the Extreme Habanero Radiatore with extra virgin olive oil.

5. Mix the sliced chicken with the radiatore. Top with the mango salsa.

Use grilled eggplant and onion instead of chicken!

Additions/Suggestions

Make it vegetarian! Slice up one medium size eggplant and one medium size onion in 1/2 inch slices. Prepare the same way as you would the chicken.

Source of Inspiration

The recipe comes from none other then Pappardelle's Pasta! The photo and description come courtesy of the Pasta Artistica Test Kitchen!

Cubano Orzo with Sautéed Corn and Tomato Salsa (serves 4 - 6)

We can't get enough of eating orzo especially as the mercury rises. Here we put Pappardelle's new Cubano Orzo to the test. I'm originally from Colorado, so the Southwest flair of this recipe piqued my taste buds. It didn't produce what you would think of as a traditional "salsa," but it was still tasty. I prefer my "salsas" spicy, so I sprinkled in some crushed red pepper flakes. The corn and cilantro flavor combination was my favorite in this dish. Next time, I'm using roasted corn!

Ingredients

1 lb. Pappardelle's Cubano Orzo
3 Tbsp. olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups frozen corn, thawed

1 cup chopped tomato

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 tsp. dried basil leaves

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1. Cook pasta in a pot of rapidly boiling salted water until al dente (about 8-10 minutes). Drain and rinse.

2. Heat oil in large skillet and saute garlic for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.

3. Drain corn well and add to garlic with tomato; cook and stir until hot.

4. Add basil, salt, and pepper and toss to coat well. Sprinkle with cheese and cilantro. Serve.

Source of Inspiration

The recipe comes from none other then Pappardelle's Pasta! The photo and description come courtesy of the Pasta Artistica Test Kitchen!

Lemon Garlic Orzo Salad with Farmers’ Market Tomatoes and Fresh Herbs (serves 6)

I was a little skeptical of how this recipe would taste, but WOW was I pleasantly surprised! It is Greek tasting through and through. All of the fresh herbs are well-balanced. The saltiness of the olives round out the tartness of the lemon juice and lemon pasta. It's light in flavor making this a great lunch option. In addition, the color of each ingredient adds to its visual appeal.

Ingredients

½ lb. Pappardelle’s Lemon Garlic Orzo
2 tablespoon Sherry wine vinegar (we used red wine vinegar)

Juice from 1 lemon (we used 3 Tbs of bottled lemon juice)

½ cup olive oil (we used 1/4 cup)
1 ¼ pounds heirloom (or other fresh tomatoes) tomatoes cut into ½ inch pieces (we used 1/2 cup of Roma tomatoes because that's all we had!)
¾ cup chopped green onions* (we used 1/2 cup)
1 clove garlic, finely minced*
½ cup sliced pitted oil-cured black or green olives* (we used Kalamata olives)
½ cup thinly sliced fresh basil
½ cup chopped fresh mint (we used 1/4 cup)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley (we omitted this)
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Method

1. Cook orzo in large pot of lightly salted boiling water until done, about 12 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water and drain thoroughly. Transfer to a medium bowl; cool.

2. Whisk vinegar and lemon juice in small bowl; gradually whisk in oil. Pour dressing over orzo. Mix in remaining ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Can be made 2 hours ahead. Mix well before serving.

Additional Suggestions

-- Replace the “*” items with ¼ cup Pappardelle’s Basil Pesto and cut back the amount of olive oil to ¼ cup
-- Add 2 pounds of lightly sauteed veggies (onion, bell pepper, zucchini, yellow squash, etc.) at the end
-- Serve with sprinkled feta cheese on top, warm pita bread, and hummus

Source of Inspiration

The recipe comes from none other then Pappardelle's Pasta! The photo, description, and substitutions come courtesy of the Pasta Artistica Test Kitchen!

Drag-it-Through-the-Garden Pasta Pomodoro (serves 4-6)

There's nothing like the spring harvest to bring in the freshest veggies and herbs after enduring a long winter. This dish is light and spicy, perfect for a spring dinner on the patio. Choose any combination of veggies that are in season from your garden or that you find at your local farmers' market. A mix of colors is pleasing to the eye and to the palate. You can also be creative with your pasta flavors. We selected the Basil Garlic for its traditional Italian flavor and turned up the heat with the Spicy Thai.

Ingredients

1/2 pound of Pappardelle's Basil Garlic Fettuccine
1/2 pound of Pappardelle's Spicy Thai Linguine
1 Tbsp of olive oil
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
6 cups of fresh vegetables (yellow squash, zucchini, snap peas, eggplant, etc.), chopped into large, but similar sizes
3 cups of cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup of packed, fresh basil, chopped
1/8 cup of packed, fresh oregano, chopped
1/4 tsp of sea salt
1/4 tsp of black pepper
1/4 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes

Method

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes; drain and return to pot.
2. While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil over medium-high heat and saute garlic and onions for 5 minutes, or until slightly browned.
3. Add the fresh vegetables to the garlic and onions and continue sauteing for an additional 3-4 minutes until slightly softened, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the remaining ingredients (tomatoes, basil, oregano, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes) to the veggie mixture and heat for 1-2 minutes.
5. Combine pasta with veggies and serve.

Source of Inspiration

This comes compliments of the Pasta Artistica Test Kitchen. We found this dish to be even better the next day. Serve chilled if it's a warm evening. This is an ode to everything springy!

Pappardelle's Four Cheese Salmon Ravioli in Parsley Fleck Dough with Pappardelle's Salsa D'Inverno (serves 2-3)

A long title for such a quick and simple meal. My husband LOVES Pappardelle's Salsa D'Inverno (Winter Tomato) sauce. It has a ton of chopped tomatoes and other fresh veggies with a little bit of crushed red pepper to give it just the right amount of kick! It is his "go-to" sauce for just about every pasta dish. Here, he's using it as a simple compliment to the Four Cheese Salmon ravioli. Pure genius!

Ingredients

1/3 15.5 ounce container of Pappardelle's Salsa D'Inverno Sauce

1 12 ounce box of Pappardelle's Four Cheese Salmon with Parsley Fleck Dough Ravioli

Method

1. Bring four quarts of water to boil. Once water is at a full roiling boil, reduce heat to medium and then add frozen ravioli. If you add ravioli when the water is at a robust boil you risk having the ravioli split open. Stir gently to prevent ravioli from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Once water returns to a gentle rolling boil, stirring is no longer necessary. Continue to cook about 8 - 12 minutes, just depending on how firm you like your ravioli.

2. While the ravioli is cooking, place frozen sauce in a small saucepan and set the heat to medium-low. Occasionally stir the sauce until it is defrosted and heated all the way through.

3. Once ravioli is done, drain carefully or simply use a slotted spoon to remove the ravioli individually from the pot. If you are not serving immediately, coat with a thin sheen of olive oil to prevent the ravioli from sticking. Otherwise, plate your ravioli and top each on with a good helping of the sauce.

Source of Inspiration

We needed a quick meal during the week and didn't have the time or energy to go out to eat, much less prepare a gourmet meal. This did the trick in just 15 minutes!

Saucy, Spicy Pappardelle's Southwestern Blend Pasta with Black Beans and Cotija Cheese (serves 4-6)

This recipe is a flavor explosion! Now, I’m not a big fan of leftovers, but this pasta is even better the next day. The flavors meld together and become even more intense.

Ingredients

1 lb Pappardelle’s Southwestern Blend Pasta
1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
1, 10 oz can of enchilada sauce
8 oz Cotija cheese, crumbled (or feta)
1 bunch scallions, chopped
1 bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup green olives, cut in half
1 avocado, cut into cubes

Method

1. Cook pasta in 6-8 quarts of rapidly boiling salted water until al dente (about 8-10 minutes). Rinse with cold water.
2. While pasta is cooking, in a heavy saucepan cook onion and garlic in olive oil over medium-high heat. Add beans and enchilada sauce, simmer gently, stirring occasionally until thickened, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream and salt to taste.
3. In a large serving bowl add pasta. Pour sauce over the top. Add cheese, scallions, cilantro, green olives and avocado. Mix well.

Serve at room temperature.

Source of Inspiration

The recipe comes from none other then Pappardelle's Pasta! The photo and description come courtesy of The Eclectic Connoisseur's Weblog.

Pasta & Walnut Fruit Salad with Pappardelle's Fanciful Fruit Blend (serves 6-8)

This salad has loads of flavor and texture without being overly fussy or sweet. If you want to dial the sweetness up a notch, a drizzle of honey would be a nice addition. I cut back on the apple, knowing I would have to eat around those delicious, juicy morsels. It worked out well enough since my partner in crime isn’t enthralled with celery or mandarin oranges. We were reminiscent of children trading snacks in the cafeteria.

Ingredients

1/2 lb Pappardelle’s Fanciful Fruit Blend Pasta
8 oz non-fat plain yogurt
1/4 cup thawed frozen orange juice concentrate
1-15 oz can drained mandarin oranges
1 cup seedless red grapes, halved
1 cup seedless green grapes, halved
1 Fuji apple, cored and chopped (* I used 3/4 of a Fuji apple)
1 stalk celery, sliced
1/2 cup walnut halves

Method

1. Cook pasta in 6-8 quarts of rapidly boiling salted water until al dente (about 8-10 minutes). Drain and set aside.

2. In small bowl, blend yogurt and orange juice concentrate.

3. In large bowl, combine pasta and remaining ingredients.

4. Add yogurt mixture and toss to coat. Cover and chill thoroughly.

Source of Inspiration

The recipe comes from none other then Pappardelle's Pasta! The photo, description, and substitutions come courtesy of The Eclectic Connoisseur's Weblog.