There is nothing like firing up the grill for Father’s Day. With Colavita products, you can bring authentic Italian taste to your outdoor event. Try these delicious recipes that will make the day happy for fathers and happy for all of your friends and family!
Grilled Polenta with Mascarpone and Roasted Peppers
Make these grilled polenta cakes with mascarpone and roasted peppers as a starter for your outdoor Father’s Day event. Serve with lightly dressed arugula.
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus more for the arugula
- 3/4 cup mascarpone cheese
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- Rachael Ray Pink Salt
- Rachael Ray Black Peppercorns
- 2 jarred roasted red peppers, quartered and thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup sweet onion, minced
- 1 tbsp Colavita Balsamic Vinegar
- 2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
- 2 16 oz logs of polenta, cut into twelve ½” slices
- ½ cup toasted pine nuts
- Colavita Balsamic Glace, for finishing
- 2 cups arugula
Preparation
In a small bowl, stir the mascarpone with the heavy cream until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. In another bowl, toss the red pepper and onions with 2 tablespoons Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Colavita Balsamic Vinegar and thyme.
Brush the slices of polenta all over with Colavita Extra Virgin Olive. Grill over medium heat until browned around the edges, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook the other sides until browned, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a large platter. To serve, spread the mascarpone on the polenta and top with the peppers and the oil-vinegar mixture. Sprinkle with pine nuts, drizzle with the balsamic glaze and serve with arugula.
The Colavita Cheeseburger
Turn your burgers from ordinary to extraordinary with using authentic Colavita products.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 8 slices prosciutto
- 1 red onion, sliced
- 3⁄4 cup grated Parmigiano cheese
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 2 tbsp Rachael Ray Buon Appetito Italian Seasoning
- 6 slices Asiago cheese
- 6 ciabatta rolls, sliced
- ½ cup Colavita Spicy Marinara Tomato Sauce
- ½ tsp Colavita jarred basil
- 2 cups arugula
- 2 tomatoes, sliced
Preparation
Mix together the ground beef, Parmigiano, egg and Italian seasoning; form hamburger patties. Grill over a medium flame until cooked. Place sliced Asiago on top of burgers when each is almost done and close the lid to melt the cheese. Place the Colavita Spicy Marinara Tomato Sauce, basil, arugula, red onion, tomato slice and a piece of prosciutto onto the bottom of the ciabatta roll, then add the burger, the top of the roll and enjoy!
Spiced-Up Chicken Legs and Wings
Before grilling the chicken, crust each with a simple and delectable combination of garlic, bread crumbs and parsley; then add two special ingredients – anchovy fillets, which add a salty, complex flavor and Colavita Crushed Hot Chili Pepper Spread, which gives it just the right amount of spiciness.
Ingredients
- 4 oil-packed anchovy fillets, drained and chopped
- 2 cups fresh bread crumbs
- 12 garlic cloves, smashed
- ½ cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
- ½ cup plus 3 tablespoons Colavita extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp Colavita Crushed Hot Chili Pepper Spread
- 2 ½ pounds chicken wings & legs
- Rachael Ray Pink Salt
Preparation
In a food processor, combine ½ cup of Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil with the anchovy fillets, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley and 3 tablespoons of Colavita Crushed Hot Chili Pepper Spread. Process until evenly blended.
Season the chicken with Rachael Ray Pink Salt. In a large bowl, toss the chicken with the bread crumb mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Grill the chicken over a medium-high flame until they are lightly charred, crisp and cooked through, 8-10 minutes per side. Transfer to a platter and serve.
Beef Spiedini
The Italian version of savory skewers are known as spiedini, which use sticks of metal or wood, but in Italy long twigs of rosemary are often used.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup currants or raisins
- 2 tbsp Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1 small white onion, finely chopped
- 2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped
- 1 cup breadcrumbs lightly toasted
- 1 cup breadcrumbs not toasted
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 1 cup grated Romano cheese
- 1 cup loosely packed parsley and mint leaves, finely chopped
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
- 1 pound boneless rib eye, very thinly sliced
- Rachael Ray Pink Salt
- Rachael Ray Black Peppercorns
- thin wedges of red onion and fresh bay leaves
- 1 tbsp Colavita Balsamic Vinegar Aged balsamic
- lemon wedges
Preparation
Soak currants in hot water to soften, then drain. Heat the Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil in small skillet and cook onions and garlic over a medium flame for 5 minutes to soften, then add tomatoes and cook an additional minute. Allow to cool completely.
In a bowl, combine the onion mixture with the toasted breadcrumbs, currants, pine nuts, half the cheese, half the parsley and mint, the lemon zest and chili flakes. Season the sliced beef with salt and pepper. Place mounds of stuffing on one end and roll the meat. Use a toothpick if necessary to hold the rolls together until skewering. Combine the remaining breadcrumbs, cheese and parsley and mint in shallow dish. Drizzle beef rolls with olive oil and press into breadcrumbs.
Skewer the meat with red onions and bay leaves. You can use a metal skewer, or ideally, use a long rosemary twig. Cook on a grill over a medium-high flame to get sear marks all the way around the beef and then lower the flame to medium, close the lid and allow the meat to cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from the grill and allow the meat to rest for 3-4 minutes before serving. Serve with balsamic vinegar and lemon wedges.
Crispy Pancetta and Chickpea Pasta Salad
Say goodbye to boring salads! The savory taste of pancetta will wake up your taste buds, mixed with protein rich chickpeas.
Ingredients
- 1 lb Colavita Farfalle Pasta
- 8 pieces, thinly sliced pancetta, roasted
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano cheese
- 1 15 oz can of chickpeas, drained
- 4 freshly chopped scallions
- 1 cup shaved carrots
- 1 zucchini, sliced and quartered
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 small bunch Italian parsley, chopped
- salt
- black peppercorns
- Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Preparation
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Once the water is boiling, add a healthy pinch of salt. Add the Colavita Farfalle to the pot and cook according to the instructions (about 8 minutes). Drain the pasta and place it in a large bowl along with 2 tablespoons of Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Toss to combine.
You can use the grill to cook the pancetta. Place foil on the grill and evenly space the pancetta. Cook at 425°F for about 7 minutes, until the pancetta is crispy. Remove it from the grill and allow to cool, then break it apart and crumble into the pasta bowl. Add the Parmigiano cheese, chickpeas, carrots, zucchini, tomatoes and scallions to the pasta bowl and mix well. Garnish with chopped parsley, salt and pepper.
Sautéed Cherry BBQ Sauce
Make this Cherry BBQ sauce on its own or pair it with delicious shrimp or chicken skewers and have the best cookout of the season.
Ingredients
For the sauce
- 2 lbs cherries, halved and pitted
- 2 tbsp Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 4-5 Colavita Sun-Dried Tomatoes, chopped
- 1/4 cup Colavita Balsamic Vinegar
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar
- freshly squeezed lemon juice
For the skewers
- 1 ½ lbs shrimp or chicken
- 16 bamboo skewers, soaked in water for about 10 minutes
- 2 tbsp Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 4 finely chopped scallions
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- sea salt, smoked paprika and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Preparation
For the sauce
Heat the Colavita Olive Oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots, sun-dried tomatoes, a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper and sauté until the shallots are translucent (around 5 minutes). Add the sugar, stir, then add the balsamic vinegar and cherries and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cherries are tender and hot through and the mixture is thickened—about 10-15 minutes. While the sauce is simmering, stir it every now and then. Feel free to break up the cherries a bit. Add the lemon juice, stir, then remove from the heat. Place the sauce in a bowl and set aside. You can make this a day ahead and store it in the refrigerator.
For the skewers
Cut the chicken into large chunks. Keep the shrimp whole. Carefully thread each piece of chicken or shrimp through the center with a soaked skewer. Season with salt, pepper and smoked paprika and brush with Colavita Olive Oil on both sides of the chicken or shrimp.
Take half of the sautéed cherry mixture and purée it in a blender. This is the BBQ sauce. Using a pastry brush, apply the sauce to both sides of the chicken or shrimp. Fire up the grill and cook over high heat for 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Let the meat skewers rest for 5 to 10 minutes, then spoon on the extra sautéed cherries; sprinkle with chopped scallions and freshly chopped parsley and serve!
