Menu Of The Week

    

I was reading abour Eye Of Wonder  uncooked tomato sauce and it made me think of our BST pasta. This is a recipe we make a lot in the summer. BST pasta is like BLT but I used spinach instead of lettuce. So here is my tribute to a BLT sandwich (with an Italian twist). An easy one bowl dish.

For dessert I love Lucullian Delights chocolate tart with orange marmalade and pine-nuts. Well who does not like chocolate and orange together, a match made in heaven. It is a very easy dessert. You make a chocolate dough, fill it with marmalade and pine-nuts and bake. With a glass of sparking wine, perfetto !!!!

BLT pasta

1 pound of pasta (like penne)

3-4 ripe tomatoes

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

4 strips of bacon, you can use pancetta too

1 bag of spinach

1/3 cup olive oil

1 TBL. balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

5 basil leaves, torn into pieces

1 cup (or more to your liking) fresh mozzarella, cubed

At least 3 hour before dinner cube tomatoes and mix in a bowl with  olive oil,  balsamic vinegar,  garlic, basil, salt and pepper to taste. Cover bowl with a plate and let is macerate on counter.

While pasta is cooking, cook bacon in a pan. Save some bacon fat and wilt spinach. It only take maybe a minute. Add spinach and cheese to tomatoes, then cooked pasta. Crumble bacon over top and toss.

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CROSTATA DI CIOCCOLATA CON MARMELLATA DI ARANCE E PINOLI or CHOCOLATE TART WITH ORANGE JAM AND PINE NUTS

Tart crust:
1/3 cup salted butter
1/3 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
1  1/2 cups flour
4-5 TBL cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder

1 jar of good orange jam or marmalade
1/2 cup pine nuts

- Blend butter and sugar well in a bowl and add the egg yolks. Mix it well.
- Sift the flour, cocoa powder and the baking powder into the bowl and mix it into a dough.
- Set the dough in a pan and push it down. My tart pan is so big that I need all the dough but if you have a smaller one you can use a part of it to decorate the tart.
- Spread out the orange jam and distribute the pine nuts on top of it.
- Bake in a pre-heated oven 350 for about 30 minutes.

Comments

[Kelli]

How I wish I could come to your house for dinner, Clarice! The pasta sounds delicious and perfect for these hot summer days! The dessert sounds divine...I love chocolate and orange together!
Kelli

[Andrea]

Mmm that pasta sounds good - I make a BLT salad using turkey bacon that sounds sort of like this (but without the pasta). I'll have to try this recipe this weekend.

[The Glitter Fairy]

Oh, heaven help me!!!! I was planning to get back on a reasonable eating program now that we're back from our vacation (where we always have ice cream cones BEFORE dinner), but NOW I must eat my weight in your fabulous pasta and chocolate tarts! WOW these look sooooo yummy. I'm always looking for new ways to do pasta and the basil is needing to be topped...so here goes...Thanks as usual for your wonderful recipes and inspiration.
xoxo
L

[Debbie]

I really want to try some uncooked tomato sauce this summer, and that dessert sounds excellent. Thanks Clarice!!

[Blame It on Paris]

Ummm, these look good. Thanks for the recipes! I can't wait to try them.

[Kristin]

Yay--weekly menu is back! I love reading about your cooking. You do inspire me : )

[Mrs.Staggs]

I love chocolate and orange flavors together. Fratelli's used to make the most wonderful ice cream in those flavors, with chucks of dark chocolate mixed into it. Hmmmm, I wonder if we could make homamade ice cream as good as that? I should look online for a recipe.
Your recipes sound really good. That BLT pasta will be especially good in the comming hot days. Thank you.
Love the photos of the plant nursery. Wow at the pink clock! It does look like a "Clarice" sort of thing! I think that birdbath is especially pretty.

[the feathered nest]

That BLT pasta sounds so yummy! I think I'll give it a try. The chocolate tart sounds tasty (no more chocolate for me however).

Manuela

[Rosemary]

Your recipes sound yummy as usual.
Thanks for sharing,
Rosemary