Smart & Final has a wonderful product line:
Here are a few products from La Romanella:
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Mediterranean Inspired Cooking
using La Romanella Products
sold at Smart & Final
Smart & Final is having a wonderful Giveaway!
They are promoting their La Romanella products by having an amazing contest/giveaway on Facebook. Enter here for your chance to win a trip for two to Sonoma Wine Country!
Smart & Final sent me a box full of their La Romanella products and asked me if I would like to share a Mediterranean inspired recipe with my friends & followers. Well, of course, I said "yes." It's really wonderful when a company is asking you to try out their products and cook a nice meal for the ones you love! Smart & Final also gave me a $25 gift certificate to buy any additional items for my dinner. Right now they are having a fabulous deal: Buy a bottle of Turning Leaf Wine for $5.99 and get a package of selective varieties (16 ounces) La Romanella Pasta Free! I sure did take advantage of this promotion! (Promotion good through 2/22)
First, I had to investigate what would make a recipe Mediterranean. I checked out this website to get my answers. I was surprised by the wide range of countries that actually made up the Mediterranean area. Mediterranean cuisine is defined by the preparation of food in three regions: North African (particularly Morocco), eastern Mediterranean (Egypt, Greece, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey), and southern Europe (Italy, France, and Spain). As you can see, I could go in many different directions with the recipes! I browsed the internet to find the perfect recipe that was considered Mediterranean that my husband would enjoy. There are so many to choose from so go and explore! I picked a few recipes that I felt would be easy to prepare with the wonderful ingredients from the La Romanella line. I asked my husband to pick from them. His choice:
Penne Pasta with Blue Cheese and Mushrooms (I modified this recipe to our liking)
1 package of La Romanella Penne Pasta 1 Medium onion - finely chopped 2 Clove of garlic - finely chopped 1 Teaspoon of dried tarragon 1lb. Of mushrooms - sliced 1 Cup of vegetable or chicken stock 8ozs. Of good blue cheese - Gorgonzola 1 Bunch of flat leaf parsley La Romanella extra virgin olive oil La Romanella Parmesan to sprinkle Salt and black pepper to taste 10 Cherry tomatoes: cut lengthwise 1 sweet red pepper
Method
First fry the onions, mushrooms, red pepper and tomatoes in some of the olive oil in a non stick fry pan - on a good heat - making sure they are well browned. This takes about 10 minutes.
Turn down the heat and add the garlic - cook for five minutes stirring as you go.
Now add the stock and tarragon and reduce until sticky. About 15-20 minutes.
Meanwhile you can cook the pasta in plenty of salted boiling water for about 8-9 minutes.
Crumble the blue cheese into the sauce - add half the parsley and salt and pepper to taste, giving it a good stir. Drain the pasta, return to the pan and add the sauce - mix well.
Spoon onto 4 dinner plates.
Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan and the rest of the parsley.
This was an easy recipe to make. Although, I really did make a big mess in the kitchen while making it!
P.S. My husband loved it! Worth the mess I made in the kitchen. |
Disclaimer: I was compensated for my time from Collective Bias. All of my opinions are truly mine. I will always share my honest opinions.
