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Castelvetrano Olives

Dinner, Italian, Lactose Free, Pasta, Recipes, Salad, Side Dishes, Summertime Meal, Vegan, Vegetarian

Broken Pasta Salad

January 20, 2024

I fell in love with this salad immediately. Not only is it a gorgeous salad to bring to the table, the flavors and different textures are superb. The addition of maple syrup in the dressing adds the perfect touch of sweetness that pairs so well with the intense flavors of bitter radicchio and briny, salty olives.

The original recipe from Bon Appetit calls for broken lasagna noodles. I used ribbon shaped mafaldine pasta instead because it is what I had available. Similar to lasagna with its ruffled edges, mafaldine is a very versatile pasta to have on hand.

Castelvetrano olives are a favorite of mine. Here on Maui they can be tricky to find. Sadly, Whole Foods does not sell them at their olive bar any longer though they are available packaged. You could substitute Picholine olives if you can’t find Castelvetranos.

The salad dressing is delightfully sweet and tart thanks to the maple syrup, red wine vinegar and fresh lemon juice. A bit of nutritional yeast adds flavor and body to the dressing.

If you have any leftover salad, it can be stored in the refrigerator and eaten the next day. If possible, reserve some of the toasted almonds to sprinkle on just before serving so they retain their crunchy texture.

Broken Pasta Salad
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Broken Pasta Salad

Recipe by Kiyo
Servings

4-6

servings

Adapted from Bon Appetit magazine

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cups raw almonds

  • 1 pound mafaldine or wavy lasagna noodles, broken into 2-inch pieces

  • kosher salt

  • 1 large garlic clove, finely grated

  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley

  • 1/3 cup finely chopped basil

  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (2 lemons)

  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar

  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

  • pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

  • freshly ground pepper

  • 1 small head radicchio, thinly sliced

  • 2 cups Castelvetrano olives, pitted and torn (can substitute with Picholine or other green olives)

Directions

  • Preheat toaster oven or oven to 400 degrees. Toast almonds on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing halfway through, until fragrant and slightly darkened, 6-9 minutes. Let cool slightly, then finely chop.
  • Meanwhile, cook noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until tender (you don’t want al dente pasta salad). Drain and rinse under cool water.
  • Stir almonds, garlic, oil, parsley, basil, lemon juice, vinegar, nutritional yeast, maple syrup, and red pepper flakes in a large bowl. Season dressing generously with salt and black pepper.
  • Add noodles, radicchio, and olives to dressing and toss to combine. Serve with crusty sourdough bread.
Bread, Dinner, Fruit, Gardening, Italian, Lactose Free, Pasta, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Summer Tomatoes on Capellini & Sourdough Bread

April 23, 2019

This year we planted two Early Girl tomato seedlings in the garden and were they ever a great surprise.  They produced more than 100 pounds of gorgeous, sweet fruit.  Though the plants are looking rather scraggly after several months, they are still bearing fruit.  These tomatoes are deep red in color, meaty, have very few seeds and a tiny stem that’s not woody when you cut into the fruit. They are the perfect tomato.  Unlike the Big Beef tomatoes that we usually grow, the Early Girls are small in size.  My friend Hano and her sister Charlotte eat them as if they were apples!

With all of these tomatoes ripening faster than we knew what to do with them, I wanted to whip up something delicious that would show off their exceptional flavor.  This was the perfect recipe. It is a raw sauce so there’s no cooking involved and everything goes into one bowl.  This really is the way to showcase your homegrown tomatoes.  The original recipe that I wrote down nearly 10 years ago comes from Deborah Mele. It’s one of my favorite summer meals.

Homegrown Early Girl Tomatoes

This dish requires the best tomatoes you can find.  If you don’t grow your own, check out your local farmer’s markets.  The tomatoes that are sold at supermarket chains in our area just won’t do.  Heirloom tomatoes would work if you can find them.

Kalamata & Castelvetrano Olives

You may use kalamata olives or a mix of olives.  I added a few castelvetrano olives along with the kalamatas.

Summer Tomato Sauce

I love that this recipe can be thrown together in 20 minutes.  All you need is a good, sharp knife to chop up all the ingredients.

Summer Tomatoes on Toasted Sourdough Bread

My favorite way to serve the tomato sauce is on thin capellini noodles or on toasted sourdough bread.

Summer Tomatoes on Toasted Sourdough Bread

Toast the bread until it’s nice and crisp.  Then spoon the tomatoes over the top and let it sit for a minute so that it soaks up all of that delicious sauce.

Summer Tomatoes on Capellini

Summer Tomatoes on Capellini & Sourdough Bread
 
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Adapted from Deborah Mele's recipe
Author:
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 2 pounds ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons finely diced sweet onion
  • 12 seedless kalamata olives, or a mix of olives, diced
  • 1½ tablespoons drained capers
  • 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley
  • ½ teaspoon finely chopped oregano
  • ¼ cup finely chopped fresh basil
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste
  • capellini or sourdough bread
  • grated parmesan (optional)
Preparation
  1. Combine tomatoes, onion, olives, capers, garlic, parsley, oregano, basil and red pepper flakes if using. Stir in red wine vinegar and olive oil. I normally don't add any salt since the olives and capers are salty. Add a few grinds of black pepper and salt to taste.
  2. Mix well, cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for a few hours. Serve over capellini pasta or thinly sliced and toasted sourdough bread. Scatter grated parmesan cheese over the top. Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator for another day.

 

Bread, Breakfast, Dinner, Fruit, Lactose Free, Recipes, Sandwiches

Avocado, Tuna & Pickled Red Onion Toast

May 4, 2018

Tuna, Avocado & Pickled Onion Toast

Our “winter” months bring us superb avocados from our Green Gold and Sharwil trees.  They both produce fruit with creamy, rich interiors.  At times the trees are so heavy with fruit the branches must be propped up. And, for several months we have far more avocados than we can eat, but they don’t go to waste. There are many evenings and early mornings when I make big batches of guacamole to take to work and share with our neighbors.  Other favorite avocado dishes are pesto, pan-seared tuna with avocado, and fish tacos with avocado crema and of course avocado toast. I call this version deluxe avocado toast. Pickled red onions and tuna in olive oil along with those delicious Castelvetrano olives make for a fine and satisfying meal.

Green Gold Avocados

The Green Gold avocado is probably my favorite.  The tree is a heavy bearer of rich and creamy fruit that never turns brown even when made into guacamole.

Pickled Red Onions

The pickled red onions are slightly tangy, a perfect, colorful addition to the avocado toast.

Ortiz Tuna

Ortiz Tuna in Olive Oil

Being a big fan of tuna, I have tried many different brands over the years.  For salad nicoise and toast, tuna in olive oil is the only way to go.  Ortiz and As do Mar are both excellent tuna options.  These days they are readily available on-line for purchase.

Tuna, Avocado & Pickled Onion Toast

Avocado, Tuna & Pickled Red Onion Toast
 
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Avocado Toast adapted from Cooking Light magazine Pickled Red Onions from A Farmgirl's Dabbles blog
Author:
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • For the pickled onions:
  • ½ large red onion, thinly sliced
  • ½ cup apple cider vinegar
  • ¼ cup red wine vinegar
  • ⅛ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • pinch of allspice
  • pinch of red pepper flakes
  • For the avocado toast:
  • 1 large ripe avocado, sliced
  • 2 large pieces country sourdough bread or 4 pieces whole wheat bread
  • 1 tablespoon Vegenaise (or regular mayonnaise)
  • Maldon sea salt or other flaky salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 (4 ounce) can tuna in olive oil (Ortiz recommended)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh flat-leaf parsley torn into pieces
  • 2 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted
  • 2 tablespoons pitted Castelvetrano olives, coarsely chopped
Preparation
  1. Place onions in a small bowl. Bring vinegars, sugar and salt to a gentle boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from the heat and add the allspice and red pepper flakes. Pour vinegar mixture over the onions and let cool completely. Store in a jar in the refrigerator until ready to use.
  2. Toast bread until nicely browned. Spread Vegenaise over the toasts. Divide avocado slices between the toast and mash gently with a fork. Season with salt and pepper. Top evenly with tuna, pickled onions, parsley, almonds, and olives.Season again with salt and pepper. Serve right away.

 

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