I was so excited to find out I had won the “Wine and Dine on Nella’s Dime” contest, as I had been dying to host a dinner party for all my girlfriends!  Slowly but surely each of my friends have been moving to Boston so this contest provided a perfect excuse to finally get everyone together.

The party consisted of a combination of 7 friends, old and new: college friends, study abroad friends, and new people I had met since moving to Boston 2.5 years ago.   The prep work for the ravioli and dessert was relatively minimal, as a lot of the ingredients were things lying around the house and all my friends were great in offering to provide pieces of the meal.

The evening started off with a bit of sangria to get the party started, provided by my self-proclaimed “mixologist” roommate, Kerry.  She certainly has a way with her sangria! 

Marwa is a whiz with appetizers and got together one of her specialties, Red Pepper Bruschetta with Goat Cheese and Capers.  She started off by sauteeing the peppers with a bit of olive oil, toasted up the baguette, and topped each slice with peppers, capers and goat cheese.  Once assembled, she popped them under the broiler and voila, we have delicious red pepper bruschetta that everyone LOVED!

After enjoying the bruschetta and sangria it was time to bring out the salad and entrée! We had Annie in charge of the salad, who is famous for her fabulous salads that are sure to delight every guest.  She used baby arugula, candied walnuts, dried cranberries, strawberries, and goat cheese and mixed it all with a creamy balsamic vinaigrette.  The salad sure went quickly!

For the ravioli, I chose to make a simple Beurre Blanc sauce to go along with the broccoli ravioli, as a relatively healthy variation of Chicken Broccoli Ziti.  Along with the sauce, I cooked up some garlic, shallots, and chicken to jazz it up, and finished it all with a squeeze of lemon and fresh basil.

Once the ravioli and salad were ready, we all clambered to get our plates together.  Everyone raved about how the delicious entrée and I was delighted to have everyone together having such a great time!

Of course we can’t forget our delicious white wine pairing, Cline Viognier, that perfectly complimented the flavors of the ravioli and Beurre Blanc sauce. 

While I do love to cook, baking is really my specialty.  I whipped up my famous Lemon Bars, per a few friends’ requests.  This recipe has been tweaked over the years and I finally found the perfect combination that delighted everyone.  I mixed them up this time and used Meyer lemons rather than standard lemons, and it really kicked the bars up a notch!

After we enjoyed dessert (and every last drop of wine!), it was on to catch up time with all the girls.  With everyone’s hectic schedules, finding the time to get together with everyone proves to be very difficult.  It was wonderfully refreshing to gather everyone in one place with such amazing food and fantastic company.  All in all, the party was a success and everyone left happy and satisfied.  Thank you so much to Nella for providing me with the opportunity to host this party for my friends, fun was had by all!

Thank you Kelsey for this fantastic write-up– looks like you had a great time and boy did you make a delicious meal with our Broccoli Ravioli! If you’re looking for this variety, please check out the Where to Find section of our website and visit a farmer’s market or specialty store near you.

So without further ado this month’s variety is: Broccoli, Feta & Toasted Cashew. This ravioli features lightly blanched broccoli with salty feta, rich, toasted cashews and a fresh squeeze of lemon juice for a truly unique flavor. We like to pair our Broccoli, Feta & Toasted Cashew Ravioli with a bit of butter and some fresh basil, grilled chicken for a healthier take on the classic “chicken ziti broccoli” or with spicy italian sausage. But don’t take it from us, we want to hear your ideas!

Also, this month we’re doing things a bit differently in terms of wine pairing. This month we’ll have both a red and white pairing option for our winner to decide upon based on their preparation.

Although we had previously mentioned that we would be running this contest on a monthly basis, due to all of the holiday festivities during the month of December, we decided to take a month off.  So the contest will be back up and running at the beginning of January….and we cant wait to see what you have in store for us!

So, please enjoy all the pictures and details of Ali’s Party….and try not to drool too much!

La Vita e Bella with Nella

On November 30, 2012, I hosted my very first apartment-warming party with 14 new and old friends, thanks to Nella! I’ve been craving a dinner housewarming party since moving into my adorable apartment in May, so winning the “Wine and Dine on Nella’s Dime” provided the perfect excuse to do so.

The party featured my favorite dishes and ingredients from my previous home cities, and also my favorites from my new home in Boston, which of course includes Nella Pasta.  There wasn’t a “type” of cuisine—the theme was “my favorite foods from my favorite places… including my new home.”

The preparation took many trips to the grocery store (cardamom pods weren’t sold at Trader Joes, but tahini paste was!), a trip to Crate and Barrel to buy new glasses (they have these really cute stemless wine glasses for $3 that you can put in the dishwasher—perfect), a visit to my favorite Christmas decoration flower shop (Leonard’s in Beverly) and borrowing extra tables from my favorite sister and parents, in order to create a space in the entryway for people to refill on drinks and food (I have a small apartment, so I needed to use every square foot!).  I was pretty happy with how the entryway and the décor turned out…

For apps, we started with crackers, honey chevre (labeled by the cheese labels sold at Sur La Table), pita chips (I like the kinds sold at Trader Joe’s), carrots, celery, multiple kinds of hummus, grapes, spinach and artichoke dip (that empty bowl I the pic above!), as well as a carrot salad from Rose Bakery, my favorite hole-in-the-wall bakery in the 9^th arrondissement in Paris.  The cookbook from Rose Bakery, Breakfast, Lunch, Tea, is one of my favorites.  The carrot salad is super easy to do—we actually made it at the last minute, after learning that two guests were gluten-and dairy-free!  We happened to have the ingredients around the house, so it worked out perfectly.

After mingling for a while (and by mingling I mean drinking champagne while watching the Stanford football game (I’m a proud alum) and listening to Christmas music on Pandora station “Mariah Carey Christmas”), we brought out dinner!

Nella Pasta, with simply olive oil, was definitely everyone’s favorite part of the night.  We ate ALL of it.

In addition to Nella Pasta, we served “Roasted Butternut Squash with Sweet Spices, Lime and Green Chilli” from the Plenty cookbook, a best-selling cookbook in England. The chef leads one of my favorite restaurants in London, called Nopi.  Think delicious, creative, surprisingly healthy small plates, farm to table, in a very hip atmosphere. Ah I miss it!  I chose the salad to complement the pasta—very New England fall (with a spicy twist), in my opinion.

We also enjoyed a simple arugula salad (50% lemon juice, 50% olive oil) with shaved parmesan.  It was all yummy, and I need to give Greg the credit for doing most of it!  I put little cards in front of the dishes (included the DELICIOUS wine pairing) to describe what everything was.

For dessert, I went back to the Rose Bakery cookbook… The bakery is actually well-known to the Parisian locals, and it’s famous for carrot cake.  So we made the carrot cupcakes! They were fun to make, they looked pretty, and they were delicious!

The food was yummy at my party, and Stanford’s football win coupled with Christmas music certainly helped keep my spirits high, but my absolute favorite part of the party was the people that were there.  We all stayed until midnight chatting, eating, laughing.   Here are some pictures of the fantastic friends that warmed my apartment…

Newly engaged Katie, my friend from boarding school, was the first to attack the pasta!

Ana Maria, my roommate in college who lived in Florence with me while I was abroad, went back for seconds later on!

The wine pairing was delicious. Whitney (left, friend from Stanford who lived in Paris with me), Brandon (right, new friend/ Elizabeth’s boyfriend!), and Elizabeth (next to Brandon, friend from work) are all major foodies, and they licked their plates clean!

On the right is Katherine, my friend from boarding school, and next to her is her lovely sister Annie, aka my new dance partner.

On the right is Nick (a friend who went to Brown with Greg) and next to him is Cole (another Brown crew friend!).  I guess they needed guy time in the kitchen, away from the girly Christmas music.  :)

I don’t have any pictures of Pumi and his two friends, but they brought the party too!

Ending with chocolate truffles and some dancing, I can truly say that my apartment has been warmed with wonderful friends and food.

Grazie mille Nella for the pasta and wine!

And that’s a wrap! Again, a huge thank you to our winner and to Mike from Rooftop Gourmet for his excellent Wine choice. We look forward to receiving a new batch of submissions in January!

What does that mean?

Nella will provide you with a featured ravioli flavor of the month to share with up to 12 of your closest friends and family, along with the perfect wine pairing chosen by our friend Mike O’Connell, the expert from Upper Falls Liquors in Newton with the renowned food blog, Rooftop Gourmet.

How to Win:

Submit your proposal detailing your ideal dinner party start to finish! (ie: who will you share this meal with? what other food items will be served? What’s the overall feel/ theme? etc.)

Details:

You have until November 6, 2012 to submit your detailed proposal and agreement via email and Nella Pasta will chose the winner on November 7.  The lucky winner will receive ravioli and wine for up to 12 guests (to be picked up at our kitchen in South Boston) and have until the end of this month to host their dinner party.  The menu must consist of an appetizer, Nella Pasta entree and dessert of your choice.  After the celebration, we ask you to send us a brief summary of the details of your night including the menu and a minimum of 6 photos documenting all the food and fun! Your dinner party will be shared on our blog and through media channels inc. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Ravioli of November: Roasted Cauliflower, Rosemary & Gruyere Cheese. A brand new variety that makes you welcome the colder months with the rich, nutty flavors of roasted Cauliflower and Gruyere.

Wine Pairing: 2010 Bibi Graetz Casamatta Bianco from Tuscany. This wine is 90% Vermentino, 10% Moscato Bianco and has lovely aromas of stone fruit, peach blossom, and wild herbs, with a full rich mouthfeel and zingy acidity.

How to Enter:

Please fill out the documents below and email them back to us at nellapasta@gmail by Nov 6, 2012. Winner will be notified November 7th.

Dinner Proposal Document

Proposal Agreement

So get your creative thinking caps on! We can’t wait to see what delicious ideas you all can come up with!!

-The Nella Team

We all set certain quotas for ourselves to know when we’ve made it. Sometimes, it can be a dollar amount to purchase a new bag/ mortgage/ vacation/ etc. Sometimes its a title like “Executive” or “Head.” Other times, its finding your product in a place that you have immortalized your entire life. For us, that’s Dean & DeLuca.

The black lettering on the stark white sign behind the Today show, Felicity’s place of work, and the decadent hors d’oeuvres we savor on Christmas Eve. It’s a name that few don’t recognize, and we can’t begin to express how excited we are to be a part of it. Today we shipped off our locally sourced and made ravioli, a product with three years of hard work behind it, in a frozen truck destined to the Dean & DeLuca headquarters where it awaits orders from all over the country. For the very first time, we’re happy to say yes, you can order our products online! For all the very patient people who e-mailed us in the midst of our DailyCandy “Start Small, Go Big” win, our friends and family outside of MA who have cheered us on despite never having a taste, and everyone else, everywhere, this is for you! Finally, an opportunity to purchase our ravioli online and have it shipped right to your door. We couldn’t be happier about our new venture with Dean & DeLuca and can’t wait to hear feedback from new customers. Shop away!

Then there are those of looking for a big kick. If you’re on the same page, give this recipe a try…

Bring pot of water to boil. While you’re waiting, heat a large saucepan with a bit of olive oil. Add hot italian chicken sausage (really any sausage you like) and cook until browned. Add chopped garlic and crushed red pepper and sauté until fragrant. Next, add a large bunch of broccoli rabe, washed and chopped, and cover pan with a lid. While the broccoli rabe wilts, place frozen linguine in boiling salted water and cook for 2 minutes. Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Add pasta right to the saucepan, adding reserved pasta water as needed. Serve with a bit of grated parmesan and get ready to feel the heat!

Variations: If spicy isn’t your thing, try our Wheat & Ground Flaxseed Linguine with sweet chicken sausage and broccoli rabe. If you don’t eat meat, leave out the sausage all together. Broccoli Rabe too bitter? Swap it for some spinach, kale, arugula or other leafy green.

Last weekend we held a special for 1 linguine and 1 ravioli for $15 (regularly $19). Make sure to like us on Facebook so you can take advantage of all of our market specials!

Description: Nella Pasta is seeking highly motivated and responsible self-starters to represent our brand at local Farmers Markets in and around Boston.

We seek individuals who are skilled in customer relations, have a positive demeanor and are enthusiastic about food.  The potential applicant should have sales experience as well as a passion for sustainable agriculture and local food.

Driver’s License and a vehicle a MUST (SUV a plus)

The job requires long hours, some heavy lifting and standing for 6+ hours at a time.

The position requires a minimum commitment of 3-4 days per week, and 1 weekend day

A workday averages 8-10 hours including driving.

Position times currently run from May through the end of October

Initially, this is a part time position but could evolve into a full time position.

Hourly wage, based on experience

Job Duties include, but are not limited to:

·         Drive from our kitchen to market and back during scheduled market days

·         Be responsible for all packing, loading and unloading of products and supplies

·         Set-up and break down of the stall at the market (tent, table, cooler, accessories)

·         Coordinate and facilitate farmers’ market sales

·         General sales of our ravioli, linguine & olive oil products

·         Represent the company by having a strong knowledge of the history of the business,           products, and mission

·         Ensure quality standards and health safety

All applicants must:

Be well organized

Possess a positive, diligent work ethic

Have a love of the outdoors and be prepared to work in all weather conditions (wind, rain, heat, you name it!)

Be friendly, outgoing, and knowledgeable

Be willing to learn about our product and undergo intense training, which will include studying and testing to ensure adequate product knowledge

Present a professional, clean, and approachable appearance

Have excellent communication skills

Be capable of lifting 50lbs repeatedly throughout the day’s work: loading and unloading product and supplies (and when necessary, be able to ask for help)

Be extremely honest and have a strong attention to details when handling cash and recording market details

Be familiar with sustainable agriculture topics and local food matters

Ability to interact with customers to increase sales and engage local chefs and other interested supporters

Have some management experience preferably in customer service and/or sales

Come join the Nella team, spend some time outdoors and represent a great brand dedicated to supporting the local food movement!

If interested, please email nellapasta@gmail.com with cover letter and resume

The idea arose while planning for an epic New Year’s Eve feast defined by “indulgence.” The initial idea was to fly in a white truffle from Italy and serve simply with fresh linguine, a bit of butter and parmesan. Unfortunately, the white truffle season ended early and the exorbitant prices made us re-think this indulgent pasta dish. Next on the list? The Raviolo di uovo, suggested by Mike of Rooftop Gourmet. For a meal that revolves around all things glamorous and decadent, his suggestion seemed just the thing, and I happily took on the challenge.

While the egg is certainly the star of this dish, you can’t forget about the cheese. So off to South End Formaggio I went to buy our favorite ricotta from Narragansett Creamery, parmesan, and of course, some farm fresh local eggs.

The filling was composed of just a few quality ingredients: ricotta, freshly grated parmesan, salt, pepper, sliced black truffle in olive oil (I had a sample in the pantry that I’ve been eyeing for over a year now) and freshly grated nutmeg.

Next came the dough. Since I made the pasta by hand, I altered the Nella recipe a bit to include more all-purpose flour which is much easier to work with if you aren’t using a machine. Once the dough was rolled out, I used a glass I had in the house to trace a circle, piped in the filling and oh-so-carefully dropped in the yolk from a separated egg.

This is one of those don’t-stomp-touch-anything-breathe-etc. recipes where you just need to concentrate on being super careful with the ultra fragile egg. The result was worth it. Once topped with another layer of pasta, I was left with a beautiful raviolo, filled to capacity with a brilliant orange egg yolk still entact, visible from the thin sheet of dough that covers it. I treated the ravioli (now were talking multiple ravioli, so the -i works) like tiny sleeping babies on the walk over to Mike’s, walking carefully and not letting a sole touch them until it was time to cook.

When the time came, the ravioli took a quick 1 minute swim in boiling water, then another minute in some bubbling butter with thyme and reserved mushroom liquid and then for the shining moment…..the fork pierced the yolk and just as we had been anticipating from the moment the recipe came to mind, the gorgeous ooze of the semi-raw farm egg.

Sometimes I laugh when food is referred to as sexy…but this, my friends, defines sexy food. Try these at home and I promise you won’t be disappointed. Thanks Rooftop Gourmet for the inspiration to create this incredible dish!

We know… you don’t even want to hear the word stove today. We get it– it’s too darn hot! If you can bear a mere 2 minutes of heat, here are some fantastic (and cold!) add ins to make a complete dinner with Nella Pasta linguine or ravioli is just about 5 minutes….

-tuna packed in olive oil with arugula, tomatoes and fresh lemon juice (try with our classic linguine)

-fresh chopped tomatoes with balsamic vinaigrette and basil/ parsley/ chives and/or herb of your choice (try with any linguine or our zucchini & caramelized onion ravioli)

-throw together a mix of herbs (mint, basil, parsley, chives, green onion) into a food processor with some butter and/or olive oil, add to pasta and mix with a handful of spinach or arugula (try with our roasted beet & goat cheese ravioli or wheat & ground flaxseed linguine)

-peel zucchini, summer squash or carrots into long ribbons and add to hot pasta (the heat from the pasta will wilt the veggies), toss with extra virgin olive oil or your favorite vinaigrette and serve cold or room temperature

-shred some rotisserie chicken (no cooking needed!) and add chopped tomatoes, olives and capers with a lemon vinaigrette

-again shred some rotisserie chicken, tear up some basil and serve with our Broccoli, Feta & Toasted Cashew ravioli (for a way better and healthier version of the ever-so-popular chicken, broccoli & ziti dish)

Your get the idea: fresh veggies (no cooking needed!), a fresh herb, a yummy cheese (fresh mozzarella, feta, goat cheese, shaved parmesan) and some olive oil or vinaigrette and you have yourself a fast, healthy meal that requires only 1-3 minutes cooking time. For more ideas, see the “Simple Summer Pastas” section in the August Issue of Martha Stewart Living. Stay cool!

Cooking with Our Ravioli This Summer

“I’ve been working at Nella Pasta for a few months now, and it’s so much fun.  I love helping to create our yummy pasta varieties, and of course, I love tasting all the different flavors!  As we move into the height of summer, it’s exciting to see New England’s local produce being transformed into our pastas.  Nella’s flavors shine on their own, but they are also a great base for of lot of creativity in the kitchen.

For a pot luck in my neighborhood recently, I decided to make a pasta salad using our Roasted Beet & Goat Cheese Ravioli.  This ravioli is flavored with tarragon, which works well with citrus, so I decided to use preserved lemons to the vinaigrette.  You can buy preserved lemons already made at most specialty stores, but honestly, they are so simple to make—and once you do, you’ll find all sorts of uses for them. Check out this recipe for preserved lemons.

But back to my pasta salad… With the lemons for flavor, I went with watercress and pistachios for crunch.  And voila!  A great salad that disappeared quickly at the pot luck. Here’s what I did:

Pot Luck Ravioli Salad

12 oz. (1 box) Nella Pasta Roasted Beet & Goat Cheese Ravioli

1 small bunch watercress, washed and trimmed of stems

½ c. shelled pistachios

2 T. preserved lemons, diced small

3 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 T. white wine or sherry vinegar

kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste

1. Mix the olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and lemons in the bottom of a large serving bowl.

2. Following our instructions, cook ravioli 2-3 minutes until tender.

3. Drain the pasta.  While still warm, toss the ravioli with the vinaigrette.

4. Add watercress leaves and pistachios.  Toss together, and adjust for taste.

I hope this inspires you to create your own summer meal using Nella Pasta.  Next up on my table: our Zucchini & Carmelized Onion Ravioli with some roasted veggies and pancetta.”