Hand made pumpkin ravioli drizzled with sage-infused olive oil (see below for how to’s), served with a few slices of silken prosciutto, a handful of crushed walnuts.
Hand made pumpkin ravioli with roasted onions and roasted rosemary mushrooms (see below for how to’s). Who needs meat with this?
A bowl of Salsa robusto, a spoon, and a chunk of toasted ciabatta (toast thin slices and you can chuck the spoon!)…A good movie or trashy tv, your “buffet” pants and red wine. A chocolate truffle to finish off the wine.
Big burgers slathered with cipolini agridolci and melted blue cheese on toasted ciabatta. Add a handful of fresh spinach or arugula and call it healthy!
Peppery Bucatini Pasta Carbonara with Poached Egg (”lifted” from Gourmet magazine but they’re gone so what can they do?)…recipe below, hint, THERE IS BACON!
If you are lucky enough to be invited to dinner, what’s the perfect hostess gift? Nope, not wine (unless of course you are coming to MY house.) A bottle of oil, a loaf of rustic bread wrapped in old World fashion, or a box of truffles (a lesson I’ve learned on my own: buy 2 extra for yourself, it’s never cool to give a box with one or two spaces EMPTY!).
Vibernum Valley Artisan chocolatiers are not just about chocolate.
Elaine and Marianne are still making their amazing truffles (my name is Lea Ann Vessels and I may be a chocoholic! because of them) but they are also offering much more. Last week there were miniature cupcakes filled with authentic French Buttercream (great butter mixed with egg yolks) that were as beautiful as they were delicious (or so I “heard”…).
Saturday they will have French Apple cakes and Belgian Kisses (meringues), you can’t say we aren’t global here at Oliva Bella.
It’s getting colder, it’s already darker, EVERYbody’s busy, stop by on your way home from work and we’ll put dinner together for you. Call ahead and we’ll bring it out to your car.
Eat well, love the folks around you, and be good to your belly. Thank you for letting us serve you.
(how to’s below….)
1. sage infused olive oil: simmer fresh sage leaves in olive oil (ours) over low heat
2. roasted onions and rosemary mushrooms: quarter sweet onions, halve the mushrooms, place in oven proof dish, drizzle olive oil (ours), sea salt and plenty of black pepper. roast in a 450 degree onion for up to 45 minutes, check every 10 minutes and shake the dish. snip a sprig or two of fresh rosemary leaves over the dish the last 10 minutes of cooking
3. pasta carbonara for one:
2 bacon slices cut into 1 inch pieces, 1/4 lb bucatini pasta(ours), 1/2 tabspoon butter, 1/3 cup grated parmigiano reggiano cheese, 2 tabspoon chopped tarragon or parsley, 1 large egg (free range if possible).
cook bacon over med heat in nonstick skillet until crisp, drain on paper towels.
boil bucatini in saucepan of salted boiling water until al dente (still alittle chewy), reserve 1/3 cup of the cooking water in the pan and keep it simmering. with tongs, add the bucatini to a small bowl.
pour off all but 2 tsp of the bacon fat from the skillet, then whisk the butter into the fat in the skillet over medium heat. add pasta, reserved water, cheese and a healthy shake of black pepper. cook stirring until sauce is thickened, 2 to 3 minutes..
add bacon and 2 tabspoon tarragon and toss. season with salt and pepper.
break egg into a small cup and gently slide into a pan of water. poach at a bare simmer 2 to 3 minutes (this will produce a firm white with runny yolk.).
serve pasta topped with egg, sprinkle with remaining tarragon.