Hot Tastys For Black Friday and Cyber Monday

Happy Black Friday! The day after Thanksgiving is historically known in the United States as “Black Friday.” Black Friday is typically the busiest retail-shopping day of the year according to blackfriday.com. Many retail stores opened before dawn today offering huge discounts on items. The origin of Black Friday dates back to the early 1970s and refers to “when retailers went from being unprofitable, or ‘in the red’, to being profitable, or ‘in the black’, at a time when accounting records were kept by hand and red indicated loss and black profit.”

For those of us who prefer to stay clear of traffic jams and long lines there’s “Cyber Monday” a term that originated in 2005. Cyber Monday refers to the Monday immediately following Black Friday, which unofficially marks the beginning of the holiday online shopping season. I suggest beginning your shopping spree at http://www.deciopasta.com for pod-hot pasta gift baskets and gift boxes. Scott Morrison, owner of DeCio Pasta in Tempe, Arizona, offers more than 20 varieties of pasta flavors. My favorite is habanero.

DeCio Pasta’s offline address/phone number:
5028 S. Ash, Suite 105
Tempe, Arizona
(800) 397-0770

DeCio Pasta Recipes
The pasta, according to the DeCio Pasta website, has received rave reviews from Hollywood stars, food critics and national publications including New York Magazine, USA Today, Gourmet magazine, Bon Apetite, and the New Times. Buen apetito!

Guido’s Savory Sonoran
This recipe uses our Chile Cilantro or Red Bell Pepper Linguine to provide beautiful, rich flavor to this wonderful Mexican styled dish.

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1/2 pound chicken breast
• 1 green pepper (julienne)
• 1 red onion (julienne)
• 1 cup corn
• 1/2 cup black olives
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 bunch cilantro (fresh chopped)
• 1 jalapeño sliced (optional)

Sauté olive oil, cloves, chicken breast, peppers, onion, and corn. Add black olives, oregano and jalapeno. Simmer for 5 minutes and remove from heat. Add cilantro and salt and pepper to taste. Serve over DeCio Chile Cilantro or Red Bell Pepper Linguine.

Rotini with Spinach, Pancetta, and Asiago Cheese
A healthy pasta dish prepared with spinach, garbanzo beans and Italian bacon.

• 8 cups coarsely chopped spinach leaves
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large can white or garbanzo beans
• 2 garlic cloves crushed
• 1/2 cup fresh shredded asiago cheese
• 4 slices pancetta cooked and rough chopped
• 1 package rotini (or Tri-Chile Fiesta) pasta
• Salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta to al dente. Cook pancetta and chop roughly. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Best if combined while pasta is still warm. You can also add chopped artichoke hearts to this for added flavor.

Bonita’s Pasta Salad
This fresh tasting pasta salad uses ingredients that can be found year round. Use with any of Decio’s pasta flavors.

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/4 apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1-2 cloves of fresh minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• Pinch of sugar (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup garbanzo beans
• 1 medium cucumber sliced
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 1 cup frozen baby peas
• 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes chopped (re-hydrated or in oil)
• 1 cup chopped Greek or Sicilian olives
• 2 carrots julienned
• 6-8 chopped anchovies (optional)
• 6 oz uncooked pasta (cooked and cooled)

Mix together first 8 ingredients in a jar and shake. Pour over remaining ingredients and toss to coat. Sprinkle with 2-4 oz of Feta cheese and garnish with chopped fresh Italian parsley.

Sunny’s Spicy-Hot Habanero Pasta with Creamy Cheese Sauce

• 1/2 (16 oz.) package habanero pasta
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 shallot, chopped
• ½ onion, chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
• 2 cups steamed broccoli

Bring large pot of lightly salted water to boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, according to package directions. Drain.

Melt butter with olive oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Add shallots, onion, and garlic and cook until softened. In a food processor or blender, blend the shallot mixture with the tomatoes and set aside.

Pour cream into saucepan, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Stir in the tomato/shallot mixture. Whisk in the flour and black pepper, and simmer until thickened, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in Parmesan cheese, and remove from heat. Allow sauce to cool slightly before serving over pasta.

Serve with broccoli over pasta and sauce.

Sunny Conley is an award-winning author, writer, editor and desktop publisher, specializing in Southwest cuisine, culture and business. Since 1994, Sunny’s columns and features have appeared in national and regional magazines and newspapers, and on the Internet. For more information, visit http://www.linkedin.com/in/sunnyconley or write sunnyc@evliving.com.

Technorati Tags: Black Friday, Cyber Monday, DeCio Pasta, Recipe, Recipes, Tempe Arizona