Wild Olive

Wild Olive has been on my radar for years. I've always heard such good things about it but haven't ever committed to going. Once Will and I went to the Commune dinner where Jacques Larson was one of the guest Chefs, I knew we had to make it over to Wild Olive. Most of you who read my blog and those of you who know me on a personal level know about my love for pasta. If I had to choose one food to eat for the rest of my life, it would be pasta. Needless to say, I was excited to try out Wild Olive's pasta dishes. 

My little sister came into town from Atlanta and wanted to try somewhere new. She has become quite the foodie these days. Will and I were wracking our brains with all the new places and the many options we had. Then Lindsay said she was craving Italian. Our first thought was Obstinate Daughter (Larson's other restaurant new to Sullivans Island) but we had just gone with my in laws and knew it would be impossible to get a table so last minute. Although Wild Olive was not new, it was new to all three of us and Lindsay was on board to give it a try. 

We started with the mushroom bruschetta and a salad. The bruschetta was made with mushrooms, parsnips, cheese, arugula, pecans and a truffle oil. It was as good as it sounds. The bread was the perfect texture so when you took a bite it all didn't completely fall apart. The flavors were earthy and it had a lot of depth, but the salad takes the cake. The salad was a special that night and didn't sound like anything I haven't had before but the waiter was raving about it so we decided to give it a try. It was your typical apple with gorgonzola pairing of flavors but the dressing brought it home. Instead of gorgonzola crumbles on top, the dressing was made with the cheese and it was so good. To this day, I cannot pinpoint what was so good about it but all three of us couldn't get enough.

Lindsay and I split two pastas and Will ordered his own. When the pastas arrived to the table, Lindsay noticed that we received a pasta that wasn't ordered. There was a mix up with the order, so long story short, we ended up splitting three pastas! Yes, we paid for all three, but it was worth it. For once, we left with leftovers!

Above is the pappardelle (my most favorite type of noodle!) with guanciale, mushrooms, arugula and parmesan. It was melt in your mouth good. The pasta was perfectly al dente. The mushrooms selected were meaty and held their own against the guanciale which added a nice salty flavor along with the parmesan. The arugula added some greens with a peppery note. Aside from wanting more arugula, this was the perfect pasta dish. I would order this again in a heart beat. 

Below is the traditional gnocchi, which we didn't oder but received happily. I was glad that I was able to try out their marinara which tasted similarly to what I would make. No sugar, just the basics. It was exactly what I expected which was refreshing. The gnocchi itself was pillowy and light. It was perfectly texturally as well.

Below is the short rib special gnocchi that we did order. It swiftly took the first place trophy, just by passing the mushroom tagliatelle by a hair. This is a perfect dish for a cold night. You could tell that the short ribs had been cooking for a long time with a lot of love. The gnocchi was just as I previously described but I loved it even more in this dish as it perfectly juxtaposed the short ribs. It was such a well rounded, perfectly flavored dish. I would love to TRY and replicate this dish one day. If you are at Wild Olive and are so lucky that the short rib gnocchi is a special that night, order it.

Will ordered the traditional bolognese which was made with tagliatelle (also one of my favorite types of pasta). The bolognese was made with ground pork and veal. The restaurant chose to note on the menu that the bolognese, as traditional bolognese does, contains white wine and milk which I thought was odd/interesting. I would love to know why they chose to list it that way. Anyway, The dish was delicious and Will ate every last bite feeling satisfied.

Do you think we ordered enough food??

The star of the night

 My sister, Lindsay and I - fat and happy! 

It was a delicious meal that I still think about. I can't get back soon enough. Saving money for future trips is really cramping my style because I could really go for some of that pasta right now! Anyway, if you're in the area, or even if you're not- go to Wild Olive. I can promise you that you will leave a happy customer. Ciao!

Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells with Sage Browned Butter

My sister in law was recently diagnosed with several food allergies. This has caused a challenge to her in that it is difficult finding food she can eat and recipes that she is able to cook. Many recipes she has to change and make adjustments. So when she finds a good recipe, it is a celebration! This was one she made recently and shared with me, because she knew I would like it too. She was right! This recipe is easy and so delicious. 

I brought left overs to work and my friend, Josh finished it for lunch, raving about it- especially the brown butter sage sauce. 

Ingredients

Roasting the squash

Mixing up the ricotta stuffing for the shells

The roasted squash after mashing

The ricotta butternut squash stuffing ready to go!

Ready for the oven

All done!

Browning the butter

Adding in the sage leaves

Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells with Sage Browned Butter

Ingredients

1 large butternut squash
2 tablespoons olive oil
12 ounce package of jumbo pasta shells (I filled 25 shells)
2 cups of part-skim ricotta cheese
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1/2 cup packed fresh spinach (chop after measuring)
1 large egg
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
10 fresh sage leaves

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Peel the butternut squash and chop the flesh into cubes (dispose of the seeds). Toss the cubed squash with the olive oil and roast in the oven for 20 mins, or until the squash is fork tender.

2. Put the squash in a bowl and mash with a fork (or place in immersion blender and blend) until smooth. Allow to cool to room temperature. Reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees F.

3. Cook the jumbo pasta shells in boiling water until al dente and drain.

4. In a bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, garlic, spinach, egg, S+P and fresh lemon zest. Stir well. Then add the squash, folding in so it is evenly spread. Stuff the shells with this mixture and place them in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Bake the shells until they are hot all the way through, about 20 minutes.

5. While the shells are baking, prepare the sauce by melting the butter in a skillet over medium-low heat until the butter is golden-brown, about 10 minutes. (Be careful, its easy to burn the butter). Add the sage leaves and cook until they are slightly crisp. Remove the pan from the heat and squeeze in the juice of 1 lemon.

6. Drizzle the sauce over the cooked shells adding 1-2 sage leaves on top. Enjoy!

Adapted from: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Paprika Chicken with Pasta in a Creamy Tomato Sauce

This is one of my most favorite meals. I got the recipe from my favorite food blog, Crepes of Wrath (everything she makes is amazing). It is the perfect fall/winter meal. As soon as the weather turned cold I've had this dish on my mind, so when it was my turn to host supperclub, I knew just what to make!

There are a few things I do differently but for the most part I stick pretty closely to the recipe- it's that good!

The paprika chicken has the perfect amount of heat and provides a flavor I had never thought to mix with a pasta dish before. And the creaminess of the tomato sauce balances the heat from the chicken. Mmmm it is SO good. All you need is a side of veggies and a glass of red wine and you have one happy and satisfied belly!

Ingredients

Spices for the chicken

Spices rubbed into the chicken

Searing the chicken

Sautéing the onions and garlic

Voila!

Lara made a side salad of balsamic green beans, tomatoes, red onion and feta. It was the perfect match! 

Don't forget the parmesan!

Paprika Chicken with Pasta in a Creamy Tomato Sauce

Serves 8-10

Ingredients

6 large chicken breasts (I cut them in half, which provided an assortment of sizes of chicken breasts)

2 1/2 tsp salt and black pepper (divided) and more to taste 

1 1/2 teaspoons of red pepper flakes, divided 

3 teaspoons of oregano

3 teaspoons of dried basil

6 tablespoons paprika (I like to mix regular and smoked)

3 tablespoons of olive oil

2 large yellow onions, diced

5 cloves of garlic

4 bay leaves

2 24 ounce cans of crushed tomatoes with basil 

1 4 ounce can of tomato paste

1 pound of pasta (I used shells because the store was out of orecchiette. I've also used linguine before)

1 1/4 cups of light sour cream

Directions

1. Season each peice of chicken with 1/2 tsp of salt and black pepper. Mix together the red pepper flakes, oregano, basil, and paprika. Rub the spices on the chicken breasts.

2. In a large skillet heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high and lay the chicken down in the pan. Sear each side of the breast for about 5 minutes on each side. (I had to do this in batches.) Place the chicken aside (it should be raw in the middle- the searing should only cook the outside)

3. If needed, add more olive oil to the pan  (I needed to) and turn the heat down to medium. Add the diced garlic and onions being sure to scrape all of the browned bits on the pan from the chicken. Sauté the onions and garlic until translucent (about 8 minutes)

4. Turn the heat down to low and add the tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaves and stir to combine. 

5. Add in the chicken with the sauce and cover. Simmer for 1-2 hours making sure to stir the sauce and rearrange the chicken (every 20 mins) so none of the breasts are sitting directly on the pan for the entire time. 

6. Thirty minutes before dinner time boil your pasta in a pot of water. 

7. While the pasta is boiling, remove the chicken and place in a bowl (cover with foil) and set aside. Temper the sour cream by adding a spoonful or two of the tomato sauce to the sour cream and whisk until smooth. (This will allow you to have a smooth sauce instead of chunks that will form from the cold sour cream hitting the heat of the sauce)

8. If there is any fat sitting at the top of the sauce, skim it off, then add in the tempered sour cream and stir until combined, then your cooked pasta. Serve the pasta with the chicken.

It serves 6 with leftovers for the next couple of nights! I like cutting the breasts to make different sized portions of chicken. It provides a more customized meal, as some people will have smaller portions of chicken and others will grab 2-3 pieces! I usually grab a small piece of chicken and load up on the pasta :)

Grab a side of veggies and some vino! Salute!

Adapted From The Crepes of Wrath

Antipasto a Cinque Terre, Italia

My first travel post. I take this seriously, because if you know me, you know how much I love to travel. I wish I had more money and more time off of work to see more of this beautiful world. There are many people out there who love to travel, but for me, the food in the area is just as important- food and traveling go hand in hand for me. I not only research the country/city I am visiting, including where to stay and what to see and do, but I research the food in the area just as much. I want to know what they are known for and where the best places to eat good, local food are. I want to eat where the locals eat. 

Monterosso al Mare, Cinque Terre

This past Spring, my husband and I traveled to Italy for two weeks for our dear friends, Meredith and Kirk's wedding in Florence, Italy. (Kim and Kanye got married there a week later- posers.) There will be posts in the future on the food and experience in Florence, but today I am concentrating on Cinque Terre. 

For those of you who don't know, Cinque Terre is on the coast of the Italian Riviera, facing the Mediterranean Sea. The coastline is made up of 5 villages that share a hiking path: Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore. 

View of all five villages from Monterosso al Mare

Meredith and Kirk in Monterosso

Will and I traveled on our own for half of the trip and met up with friends for the other half. Cinque Terre was our meeting spot for a group of friends, including the bride and groom. (Who else travels around Europe days before their own wedding?!) 

Antipasto from Da eraldo

We stayed in Monterosso (the northernmost village) where we arrived a day ahead of everyone to do our own thing, which including making a stop at Da eraldo. I had picked out this restaurant months before leaving for Italy, and it was a must to make a stop here for the antipasto. We decided to head there for dinner!

But first, our beach day!

Lunch- Trofie al pesto and accuighe (anchovies), three ways

Cinque Terre is in the Liguria region of Italy. It is the home of pesto, as the basil, the base of pesto, really likes the temperate Ligurian climate. Locals eat pesto over trofie (a local pasta pictured above).

Anchovies are a local specialty in Cinque Terre and taste way better than they do in America. They aren't as harsh and salty. I really enjoyed the anchovies on the far right.

The charming streets of Monterosso on our way to Da eraldo

We met up with our friends, Ashley and Matt at Da Eraldo - They were visiting from London

Roasted eggplant, mushroom, zucchini, red peppers
arugula, fresh pesto, tomatoes, mozzarella and other cheeses
Salami, prosciutto, mortadella and other meats

 The antipasto was served with these fresh baked flatbreads so we made open faced sandwiches filled with everything below. It was incredible and something that will never be replicated. This is my Heaven right here.

Everyone arrived later in the evening and we had a fun night out all together

 The following morning Will and I got up early (as always- we are incapable of sleeping in) and started the hike along the five villages of Cinque Terre.

There is a trail that connects all five villages but there were torrential rains causing floods and mudslides in 2011, causing damages to the villages and the trail. They still have not made a full recovery so only two of the trails were open: Monterosso --> Vernazza and the very end of the trail leading into Riomaggiore. There is a train linking all 5 of the villages, so this is a good alternative (and a quick way to get around).


We began the morning with some focaccia, which also originates in Liguria. Focaccia is a flat bread with salt and olive oil, which can be served plain or with a variety of toppings. This one had roasted tomatoes and olives- amazing. It was nothing like the focaccia we've had in America. I wish we could find somewhere that can bake it like this was. Until then, we will continue to dream about it.

Leaving Monterosso for the hike!

The view in between Monterosso and Vernazza

We made it to Vernazza!

The villages are so unique, colorful and beautiful

Walking the streets of Vernazza before we hopped the train to the others

Our second favorite village was Riomaggiore, the southernmost village

The beautiful Riomaggiore

 Back in Monterosso, we stopped again at our favorite place to get focaccia, Il Massimo della Focaccia. This sandwich sounds so simple : focaccia with lettuce, tomato and mozzarella, but it packed so much flavor. Will and I couldn't stop buying them. This was served on the plain focaccia but the salt and olive oil on the bread created a flavor that is indescribable. 

Post-hike beach day with all of our friends
Beach day pictures to be shared in another post :)

Our second and last trip to share an antipasto platter with Mike and Kaley at Da eraldo before
dinner with everyone in Vernazza

 If you go to Cinque Terre, the antipasto platter at Da eraldo is a must! The owner and her daughter are so kind and accommodating, and they make a fierce platter which was the best we had in all of Italy. Cinque Terre is a special region in Italy and experiencing it with Will and our friends is something that I will remember forever.