Stuffed Pasta Shells with Tomato Sauce
Our spin on the Italian classic is freshened up by bright parsley, basil and handmade ricotta cheese.
Ingredients:
1 pound lumacone shell pasta
1 jar Nonna Pat’s tomato sauce
3 ½ cups Farm & Larder fresh ricotta cheese
½ cup grated Romano cheese
1 egg
12 basil leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons minced parsley
Farm & Larder Vecchio cheese (for grating)
Method:
1. Cook pasta shells for half the cooking time; make sure not to overcook. Drain and rinse in cool water. Set aside.
2. In a bowl, mix ricotta, Romano cheese, egg, salt and pepper, basil and parsley. Stir until combined.
3. To assemble, coat the bottom of a baking dish with ½ cup tomato sauce. Fill each half-cooked shell with the cheese mixture. Place face down on the sauce. Repeat with shells until cheese mixture is gone. Top shells with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with grated Vecchio cheese.
4. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.
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Gemelli Pasta with Shelled Peas, Lemon & Mint
Adapted from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, this light and lovely pasta recipe sings of spring.
Ingredients:
1 pound fresh gemelli pasta
2 cups fresh shelled peas (from about 1 lb. in the pod)
1 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Zest of 1 lemon
1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
4 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
4 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the pasta, and cook according to package instructions. Add peas to cook during the last 30 seconds of pasta cooking time. Reserve ½ cup cooking water, set aside. Drain the pasta and the peas together.
2. Dry out the pasta pot, and pour in the heavy cream. Bring the cream to a simmer, and cook until slightly reduced, about 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the butter, and stir it until it has melted. Generously season the sauce with black pepper, add a pinch of salt as well as the lemon zest. Add ¾ cup Parmesan, and stir it until the sauce is smooth; then toss in the drained pasta & peas.
3. Cook the pasta in the sauce for 2 minutes, until the sauce has slightly thickened. Add the reserved pasta water by the spoonful if needed to loosen up the sauce. Garnish with remaining Parmesan, chopped parsley and mint and serve immediately.
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Rigatoni Pasta with Nonna Pat’s Marinara Sauce & Capers
Simple and elegant, this lovely pasta packs luscious texture and flavor thanks to the addition of fruity capers.
Ingredients:
1 pound rigatoni pasta
1 jar Nonna Pat’s marinara sauce
1 pound chicken Italian sausage
¼ cup olives, pitted and sliced (optional)
2-3 tablespoons capers, rinsed
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons freshly-chopped parsley
Freshly-grated Grana cheese, for serving
Method:
1. Cook rigatoni for 5-7 minutes in a pot of heavily salted water until al dente, just cooked through with a bit of bite left. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water, and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, cook chicken Italian sausage in a large skillet over medium-high until no longer pink, breaking into bite-sized pieces with a spoon. Add in cooked pasta, marinara sauce, capers and olives (if using), along with butter, tossing to combine. Add a little of the reserved pasta cooking water if pasta mixture is dry. To serve, sprinkle with fresh parsley and grated Grana cheese.
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Artichoke Leaf Pasta with Heirloom Tomatoes & Basil
Using fresh tomatoes, top-notch olive oil and an authentic Grana-style cheese are key to this dish’s success.
Ingredients:
1 pound Casina Rossa Folgie di Carciofo pasta
1 pound (about 2-3) heirloom and/or Roma tomatoes, diced
¼ cup julienned basil leaves
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons finely-chopped shallot
1 garlic clove, minced
Pinch red pepper flakes
Shaved Grana-style cheese, for garnish
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta to the water, stir gently and cook until al dente, 7 to 8 minutes. Drain.
2. In a large bowl, toss together the tomatoes, 2 tablespoons olive oil, vinegar, red pepper flakes, shallot and garlic. Season to taste with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Place the drained pasta on top of the tomato mixture and toss to combine. Stir in the basil and season with additional salt if needed. Transfer to a large serving bowl, drizzle with additional olive oil and sprinkle with Grana-style cheese. Serve immediately.
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Rigatoni with Italian Sausage, Sautéed Kale and Porcini Salt
Also tossed with garlic, onions and a topping of Asiago Pressa cheese, this pasta is incredibly satisfying.
Ingredients:
1 pound rigatoni pasta, or other pasta of your choice
1 pound sweet Italian sausage
6 cups baby kale, stripped of larger stems and torn into large pieces
1 sweet onion, peeled and diced
3-4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons butter, divided
¼ cup Asiago Pressa cheese, grated
½ teaspoon Porcini salt
Method:
1. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil, then add the pasta. Cook until the pasta is al dente, about 7-8 minutes. Reserve ½ cup pasta water, then drain pasta.
2. Meanwhile, cook the sausage in a skillet over medium heat until done, breaking into bite-sized chunks with a spoon. Remove the sausage to a plate and reserve. Wipe any excess sausage grease from the pan and then heat 1 tablespoon each of olive oil and butter in the skillet. Once warm, add the onions and garlic, tossing to coat with oil and butter. Season with salt and pepper, then cover and sweat until onions are tender and translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add in kale and cook until just slightly wilted, about another minute or so.
3. Add drained pasta and sausage to the skillet with the kale mixture, then toss everything together with the rest of the olive oil and butter. If pasta seems a little dry, mix in reserved pasta water. Check for seasoning and add a healthy pinch of Porcini salt and the Asiago Pressa cheese. Serve with additional Asiago Pressa-style cheese to sprinkle over pasta as desired.
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Summer Heirloom Tomato Pasta with Italian Sausage
This light and lovely pasta makes the best of summer heirlooms; we also recommend adding a dollop of creamy chevre to each serving!
Ingredients:
1 pound semolina pasta of your choice
1 pound Italian sausage
1 pound mixed cherry and heirloom tomatoes, cut in half for the cherry tomatoes, and then in bite-sized chunks for the larger heirlooms
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 tablespoons finely-chopped shallot
1 garlic clove, minced
Pinch red pepper flakes
¼ cup julienned basil leaves
Chevre cheese, for garnish
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. In a large bowl, toss together the tomatoes, 2 tablespoons olive oil, red pepper flakes, shallot and garlic. Season to taste with salt and pepper to taste, and allow to sit while preparing the rest of the dish so that the flavors meld.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta to the water, stir gently and cook until al dente, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain.
3. In a large skillet, cook the Italian sausage over medium-high heat, crumbling into bite-sized pieces, until cooked through and no longer pink. Add the tomato mixture and the drained pasta to the skillet and toss thoroughly to combine. Stir in the basil and season with additional salt if needed. Transfer to individual serving bowls and add a generous dollop of chevre cheese to each and drizzle again with olive oil before serving.
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Slow-Roasted Sungold Cherry Tomatoes
Incredibly sweet and juicy, these roasted beauties are wonderful atop crostini.
Ingredients:
1 pound Sungold cherry tomatoes, or a mixture of both cherry tomatoes and diced heirloom tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 300°. Place a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet. Brush the tomatoes with oil, then season with salt and pepper. Transfer the tomatoes to the prepared rack
2. Roast the tomatoes until skins are shriveled but tomatoes are still plump, about 1 1/2 hours. Let tomatoes and their juices cool to room temperature.
Variations: For added punch, toss tomatoes with your favorite fresh herb, such as thyme or oregano, or minced garlic, before roasting.
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Bucatini with Italian Sausage & Marinara Sauce
So simple, so satisfying: Top this week’s bucatini with our housemade sauce and cooked and crumbled Italian sausage.
Ingredients:
1 pound bucatini
1 pound Italian sausage
Nonna Pat’s Marinara Sauce
1 tablespoon butter
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Grana-style cheese
4 tablespoons micro basil
Method:
1. Cook the bucatini for 5-7 minutes in a pot of heavily salted water until al dente, or just cooked through with a bit of bite left. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water, and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, cook the Italian sausage in a large skillet over medium-high until no longer pink, breaking into bite-sized pieces with a spoon. Add in cooked pasta, 1 tablespoon butter and marinara sauce, tossing to combine thoroughly. Serve with a grated Grana-style cheese and a sprinkling of micro basil.
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Roasted Cherry Tomatoes & Sweet Onions
This amazing spread is crafted from farm-fresh tomatoes, onions and hunks of roasted garlic.
Ingredients:
1 pound Sungold cherry tomatoes
1 sweet onion, cut into small wedges
¼ cup olive oil
4-5 cloves garlic, peeled
Sea salt
4-5 slices rustic country bread, sliced
Fresh basil, for garnish
Method:
1. Heat your oven to 400°.
2. Place the onion wedges, along with the tomatoes and unpeeled garlic cloves, onto a baking sheet and toss with the olive oil and two pinches of kosher salt.
3. Toss until everything is coated, slide into the hot oven, and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes or so. (They’re done when the tomatoes have burst and softened, the onions are soft, and both are browned in places.) In the last 10 minutes of roasting, toast your bread slices.
4. Spread each piece of toasted bread with the flesh of one roasted garlic clove. Arrange toasts on a plate or serving platter, and scrape the roasted tomatoes, onions and pan juices over the top. Sprinkle with a tad more salt, to taste, and the basil, if using.
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Pear Sauce
This lovely sauce is amazing on top of freshly-baked scones, or enjoyed with your morning oatmeal.
Ingredients:
4-6 D’Anjou pears, peeled, cored and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Method:
1. Combine pears, water, lemon juice, cinnamon, ginger and vanilla in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until pears have softened, about 20 minutes.
2. Use an immersion blender to process the pear sauce until smooth. If you prefer a chunkier sauce, mash with a potato masher. (You can also transfer the cooked pear mixture to a food processor or blender to process, just make sure the pear sauce has cooled down first.)
3. Once the pear sauce has cooled down, pour into glass or plastic containers. Cover and store in the refrigerator, sauce will keep in the fridge for one week.
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Have our fresh Farm & Larder goods hand-delivered to your home each week.