Marco Viola, the fabulous olive oil artisan from Umbria, consulted one of his chef friends and created an Easter Menu for us to share with you. This beautiful four course menu will be perfect for any special occasion throughout the year.
Toasted Brioches with Cherry Tomatoes and Basil Pesto with Viola Costa del Riparo Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Ingredients for 4 people:
300 gr (10 oz) sliced brioches*
400 gr (14 oz) Piccadilly* cherry tomatoes
50 gr (2 oz) extra virgin olive oil Viola Costa del Riparo
For the pesto;
100 gr (3.5 lb) basil leaves
15 gr (1/2 oz) pine nuts
20 gr (2T) Parmiggiano Reggiano DOP cheese
50 gr (2 oz) organic extra virgin olive oil Viola Costa del Riparo
3 gr (1/2t) salt
3 gr (1 clove) garlic
Preparation:
Pesto:
Clean and rinse the basil leaves, put them in a mixer container with the rest of the ingredients, add an ice cube, mix with an immersion blender to make an unrefined pesto. Keep it in the refrigerator for an hour before use.
Plating:
Cut the brioche into rectangles and toast them, cut the cherry tomatoes into small cubes, add Viola Costa del Riparo evoo, mix well and place on top of the toasted brioche, garnish with basil pesto and some fresh basil leaves.
*Substitutions: For the brioches, you can use slices of egg bread or challah. For Piccadilly Cherry Tomatoes, choose Grape Tomatoes or Supersweets if they are available.
Fresh Egg Tagliatelle with Chianina Ragù and Pecorino Romano, featuring Viola Il Sincero Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Ingredients for 4 people
For pasta;
2 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
200 gr (1 1/3C) “0” or “00” flour
75 gr (1/2C) durum wheat semolina
For the ragú:
300 gr (3/4 lb) ground beef*
300 gr (1 2/3C) peeled tomatoes
60 gr (1/3C) extra virgin olive oil, Viola Il Sincero
30 gr celery (1 small stalk)
30 gr carrot (1 carrot)
30 gr onion (1/2 small onion)
150 gr (2/3 C) dry red wine
black pepper
salt
Preparation:
First prepare the dough, knead all ingredients manually or with a mixer until the dough is compact and homogeneous. Then form a ball, cover it, and keep it in the fridge for 6 hours before using it. Once the ragù is ready, roll out the dough to a thickness of 1 mm and cut it into the traditional tagliatelle shape.
For the ragù:
Let’s start the recipe by taking a saucepan where we will heat the Viola Il Sincero extra virgin olive oil, add the minced meat, brown it over high heat for 5/6 minutes, taking care to mix it repeatedly. In the meantime finely chop the vegetables, add them immediately to the saucepan. At this point add salt and pepper, let it cook for another 5 minutes over high heat and cover with red wine so that it is not completely evaporated. Blend the peeled tomatoes and add them to the meat, moderate the flame to a minimum and cover the pot, let it cook for at least 2 hours.
Plating:
Cook the pasta in abundant salted water for 3 minutes.
Once drained, stir the pasta in the sauce for a few minutes, keep stirring sprinkling Pecorino Romano DOP and a drizzle of Il Sincero extra virgin olive oil. We serve hot with a sprinkle of Pecorino Romano DOP on top.
· You can sub a top quality ground beef for the Chianina beef used in Italy.
Lamb Chops with Turnip Greens, Garlic, Viola Il Sincero Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Chili Peperoncino
Ingredients for 4 people:
650 gr (1 ½ lbs) lamb chops
10 gr (2-3t) fresh rosemary
10 gr (2-3t) fresh thyme
10 gr (2 cloves) garlic
80 gr (3 oz) Il Sincero Extra Virgin Olive Oil
50 gr (2 oz) dry white wine
1 gr (1/4 t) chile peppers*
salt
black pepper
400 gr (3/4-1 lb) leaves turnip greens
Preparation:
First we marinate the lamb with aromatic herbs, a clove of garlic, white wine, salt and pepper for about an hour before cooking.
Clean the turnip greens, wash them well and cook in abundant salted water for 5 minutes, once drained, sauté them in a pan with garlic, Il Sincero Extra Virgin Olive Oil and chile peppers.
Heat an iron pan (or grill) add a bit of Il Sincero extra virgin olive oil and sear the lamb chops on both sides for about 5 minutes, for a medium cooking.
Plating:
Place the turnip greens under the lamb chops and finish the dish with fresh aromatic herbs and a drizzle of Il Sincero EVOO.
*Chile Peppers: fresh or dried
Sweet Blood Orange Soup with Vanilla and Viola Costa del Riparo Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Ingredients for 4 people;
1 kg (2 lbs) bio blood oranges (organic blood oranges)
160 gr (2/3C) whole milk
90 gr (1/3C) cream
4 egg yolks
50 gr (1/4C)sugar
1 vanilla bean
100 gr (3/4C) whole toasted hazelnuts
3-4T Costa del Riparo Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Preparation:
Peel the oranges, keep the peels, cut the oranges into segments, dress them with Viola Costa del Riparo Extra Virgin Olive Oil and the vanilla bean seeds (save the vanilla bean).
Prepare a basic custard by bringing the milk and the cream infused with the vanilla bean and oranges peel to 80 degrees Celsius (176F). Remove the orange peel and vanilla bean. Lightly beat the egg yolks with the sugar, add them to the sauce pan with the infused milk and cream, keep the temperature at max 176 Fahrenheit, cook for about 15 minutes stirring the liquid to avoid sticking.
Plating:
Using a deep plate, arrange the custard at the base of the dish, place the seasoned oranges on top add toasted hazelnuts, finish the dish with a pinch of salt and a drizzle of Viola Costa del Riparo Extra Virgin Olive Oil (approximately 1T per serving).
