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Basil Scalloped Potatoes

Celebrate Heritage with 6 Delicious Colavita Recipes on Columbus Day

In keeping with the spirit of discovery, Colavita honors the accomplishments of Christopher Columbus by presenting traditional recipes of the city and region that Columbus called home. These authentic recipes are from the region of Liguria and city of Genoa and bring the tastes of Italy to your table. Using Colavita products will always ensure that your recipes are prepared using the finest ingredients.

Columbus’ hometown of Genoa is famous for pesto, usually served over pasta with potatoes and green beans. As a port city, Genoa also has outstanding seafood dishes such as a fish stew called Buridda and a favorite is the wonderful chickpea flat bread known as Farinata. Enjoy these fine dishes as you navigate these recipes brought to you by Colavita.

Farinata Genovese

One of the iconic breads of Ligurian cuisine is the chickpea flatbread known as Farinata Genovese. It has a mild, nutty flavor that marries well with just about anything .It is perfectly delicious on its own, as an antipasto or a snack. It is easy to make, but it does take some time due to the time the batter must rest.

Ingredients

  • 8 oz of chickpea flour
  • 27 oz water
  • ¼ tsp Rachael Ray Salt from the Sea, ground
  • 2 oz Colavita Olive Oil

Preparation

Place the flour and salt in a large bowl, then slowly whisk in the water until you have perfectly smooth, rather thin batter. Let the batter rest for at least three hours, but it’s even better if you can let it rest overnight. When you are ready to make your farinata, mix in the oil. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Pour the batter into a greased baking sheet. It should just cover the bottom by no more than ½ inch at most. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown on top. Cut into pieces and serve hot.

Linguine with Pesto Genovese

  • 5 oz Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 jar Basil Colavita Pesto
  • 6 potatoes, boiled and halved
  • 1 cup green beans, blanched and refreshed
  • 1 lb Colavita Linguine
  • 1 tsp Rachael Ray Salt from the Sea, ground

Preparation

Place a medium-sized pan in the refrigerator to chill. Prepare a pot of water for boiling, grind Rachel Ray salt into the water. Peel 6 medium-sized potatoes, cut in half. Before boiling the potatoes, add the green beans for a minute to blanch and then remove. Add the potatoes and boil until cooked through and tender. In a separate pot of water, cook the Colavita Linguine until al dente. Add pasta to a cold pan along with the beans. Toss with pesto, potatoes and let the hot pasta and beans warm the pesto and potatoes. Do not reheat. Add more Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil to taste.

Buridda

With Genoa’s location on the water, it is no surprise that fish dishes are creative and bursting with flavor. Buridda, a traditional stew, is a variety of fresh fish gently stewed in an aromatic tomato sauce flavored with garlic, herbs, carrots, onion and olive oil and is boasted as the region’s tastiest dish.

  • 1 tablespoon Colavita Olive Oil
  • 2 carrots, finely diced
  • 1 onion, finely diced
  • 3 sprigs thyme leaves
  • 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 4 ½ pounds plum tomatoes, skinned, seeded and chopped
  • 3 ½ cups fish stock
  • ¼ Rachael Ray Salt from the Sea, ground
  • ¼ Rachael Ray Malabar Black Peppercorns, ground
  • 6 monkfish steak fillets
  • 12 squid rings
  • 12 raw jumbo shrimp, deveined and peeled
  • 6 small bass fillets
  • 12 mussels

Heat the Colavita Olive Oil in large heavy-based saucepan or casserole dish. Add the carrots, onion, thyme and garlic and sauté gently over a low flame for five minutes. Add in tomatoes and fish stock. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Cover the tomato mixture with a cartouche (a lid made from baking paper) and simmer very gently for two hours, stirring now and then. Add in monkfish, squid, shrimp, bass and mussels and simmer for five to 10 minutes until the fish and seafood is cooked through. Serve over slices of toasted garlic bread.

Pappa al Pomodoro

As the weather gets chillier, there is nothing like tomato soup to warm the body and spirit.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 3 – 6 cloves of garlic, halved
  • 2 – 3 leeks, white and light green parts thinly sliced
  • 28 oz whole peeled plum tomatoes
  • 1 cup Colavita Crushed Tomatoes
  • 1 loaf (1 lb.) stale Italian bread cut into slices
  • 8 cups Rachael Ray All-Natural Chicken Stock
  • salt to taste
  • red pepper flakes to taste
  • fresh basil leaves chopped

Preparation

Warm the olive oil in a heavy bottomed pot over medium heat and lightly sauté the garlic and leeks until fragrant. Once softened, add the tomatoes and break up whole tomatoes with the back of a spoon. Add the slices of bread and stock and stir to break up the bread. Add salt, red pepper and fresh basil leaves to taste.

Cook covered on low heat for about an hour, stirring often so that the bread dissolves and doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot. The bread will create a thick, creamy consistency. Serve topped with some chopped fresh basil leaves and a drizzle of Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Basil Scalloped Potatoes

Columbus brought potatoes to Europe and soon thereafter scalloped potatoes were created. The addition of basil will make them a favorite on your table.

Ingredients

To make the basil oil

  • 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
  • 1 cup Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil

For the Basil Scalloped Potato

  • 4 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
  • ½ cup basil oil plus 2 additional tbsp.
  • 2 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

Preparation

To make the basil oil: Bring a pot of water to a boil. Prepare a large bowl of ice water. Blanch basil leaves for ten seconds and then place in bowl of ice water to prevent basil from cooking further. Remove and pat dry with a paper towel, making sure the basil is completely dry. Blend basil leaves and Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a high-powered blender until smooth and then set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Peel the potatoes and slice to a thickness of 1/8 inch using a mandolin, sharp knife or the slicer blade of a food processor. Mix the basil oil, salt and pepper together in a bowl. Add potatoes to the bowl and coat evenly with oil. Brush two tablespoons of basil oil onto a 9-inch baking dish. Place the potatoes vertically in the prepared dish and wedge garlic slices in between potato slices.

Cover the dish and bake at 400˚F for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 30 minutes or so, until the top gets golden brown. Keep in the oven at 200˚F for until ready to serve.

Zaza’s Perfect Strawberry Balsamic Pie

Sweet strawberries are complemented by tangy balsamic glaze and smooth mascarpone cheese in Zaza’s Perfect Strawberry Balsamic Pie “dessert” pizza. Try it for breakfast too!

Ingredients

  • 1 pint fresh strawberries, stems removed and quartered
  • 8 oz mascarpone cheese
  • 1/4 cup Colavita Balsamic Glace
  • 2 tbsp Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided – one per pizza
  • fresh basil
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 rounds store-bought or homemade pizza dough

Preparation

Heat your oven to 500°F. If you’re using a pizza stone, allow the stone to heat up for 30 minutes prior to cooking. Dust a pizza peel with flour and stretch your dough onto the peel. Smooth on a layer of mascarpone cheese and top with quartered strawberries.

Add a drizzle of Colavita Balsamic Glaze and Extra Virgin Olive Oil over the top of the berries and sprinkle with sea salt.

Slide your pizza from the peel onto the pizza stone and bake for 8-10 minutes until the crust is golden brown. Remove from the oven and garnish with fresh basil and serve!