Unlock Your Inner Chef With Dinner Inspired by the Movie 'Burnt'

BPT) - For a romantic date or an outing with friends, you can’t go wrong with dinner and a movie. Whether you’re headed to a theater or settling in at home, make your cooking the star of the show by taking inspiration from the new culinary movie “Burnt,” starring Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Uma Thurman and Emma Thompson.

In “Burnt,” Bradley Cooper plays a two-star Michelin chef named Adam Jones, who has only ever cared about the thrill of creating explosions of taste. In the movie, he sets out to land his own kitchen and that third elusive Michelin star with the best of the best on his side.

A night of tantalizing, movie-inspired recipes

Kick off your movie night with a creatively crafted cheese board featuring Aged Havarti, Saga Blue Brie and Traditional Danish Blue from Castello cheese. Perfect your plate with gourmet pairings such as honeycomb, apricots, mixed olives and slices of grilled baguette. Use your cheese board to create a decadent crostini appetizer by layering cheese, fruit and honey atop a slice of bread.

To truly unlock your inner chef, start with a main course that brings “Burnt” to life on your plate through Sweeney’s Simply Satisfying Cacio E Pepe. This delightful spaghetti dish features a garlic butter sauce and Aged Havarti cheese, which marries a rich buttery aroma with a creamy, melty texture.

Your evening’s grand finale is an indulgent dessert of Chocolate Mousse with Danish Blue Cheese and Mango, featuring Traditional Danish Blue, a cheese with a nutty blue aroma and hints of marzipan.

Sweeney’s Simply Satisfying ‘Cacio E Pepe’ (from the movie “Burnt”)

Servings: 4
Ingredients:
1 package dried spaghetti
1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
2 1/2 cups Castello Aged Havarti, shredded
3 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
Salt

In a large saucepan of boiling, salted water, cook spaghetti until ‘al dente.’

While the pasta is cooking, add black pepper to a non-stick skillet and toast until fragrant. Add the butter and garlic and cook for one additional minute, until butter is melted.

Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta liquid. Place the pasta and liquid back into the saucepan. Toss with shredded Aged Havarti, season with salt (optional) and top with fresh chives.

For more movie-inspired recipes and the opportunity to win culinary prizes, visit Castello cheese at Facebook/CastelloUSA or at CastelloCheeseUSA.com.

The History of Pasta

by Jessica Ackerman

When most people talk about pasta, they probably think of Italy as its birth place. Historians would disagree however, and give credit to our neighbors in the east for inventing the earliest form of this much loved food. It was around 1700 B.C. when the Chinese came up with a noodle made from rice flour. While not a popular theory with those who insist on giving credit to the Italians, the Chinese do get the vote from most historians.

That doesn't mean that the Italians were not major players in the evolution of pasta as we know it. Around 400 B.C. the Etruscans, who live in an area in the western part of Italy, made a noodle similar to lasagna. This noodle was made from spelt, a grain from which wheat has evolved.

Much later the Romans are credited with making a noodle similar to the one made by the Etruscans, out of flour and water. These noodles, like the earlier versions by the Chinese, were prepared by baking in an oven.

Boiled noodles came later and the Italians don't get credit for inventing these either. Instead, we can thank Arab traders who would bring dried noodles along on their very long trips to the Orient. Who doesn't want a hot meal while traveling? The Arabs did, and they realized that this dried pasta along with a little boiling water was a quick, hot and easy to carry meal.

The Arabs brought this food with them to Sicily during the 8th century invasions. Before too long the Italian city of Palermo was producing huge quantities of dried pasta. So, can we give Italians the credit for mass producing pasta? Much to the delight of the Italians, most historians would say, yes.

Specifically, Naples gets the credit for the invention of techniques that allowed dried pasta to be produced en masse in the 1600's. This pasta, which could last a long time, is credited with bringing Naples out of an economic depression. No wonder Italians love their pasta!

This pasta was often sold by street vendors and was eaten with the bare hands. If you're thinking the sauce must have made quite a mess then you're jumping ahead in the story. Pasta at this time was eaten either plain or sprinkled with cheese. It's not until a couple of centuries later that sauce is introduced.

The first written record of a tomato sauce recipe is 1839. Soon pasta was becoming popular all over the country of Italy, and pastas of various shapes were being introduced. Still, even with its popularity, pasta was being made by small family businesses. Spaghetti, macaroni and vermicelli were being handmade by those specially trained in the art of pasta making.

The Agnese family changed all of that in 1824 when they opened the very first pasta factory in Northern Italy. It's easy to see why Italians get the credit for this favorite food, and in the United States a wave of Italian immigration would help cement the idea that pasta was an Italian food.

Even though Thomas Jefferson had brought pasta to America as early as the late 1700's, the food didn't become widely popular in the country until 1880-1900 when large numbers of Italian immigrants came to America, bringing pasta with them. The next several years would bring even more advances for pasta such as the addition of meatballs and later, thanks to the Franco-American company, canned pasta.

Pasta has a place in American history as well. In the 1920's farmers used pasta as a marketing campaign for wheat. During the depression, the inexpensive and filling dish became a staple in many households.

Today, pasta is as popular as ever. In tiny sidewalk cafes to the fanciest of gourmet restaurants, you are sure to find a few pasta dishes on the menu. Whether you choose to thank the Italians for this delicious food or their eastern neighbors, we can all agree that our dinner tables wouldn't be the same without this fabulous food.

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Jessica Ackerman is a popular contributor for one of the best Seattle pasta delivery restaurants - Padrino's Pizza and Pasta. Do not hesitate to call them for your late night food delivery; we are open by 3am daily.

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Tommy Tang's Modern Thai Cuisine

Prime Pacific Stainless Steel Pasta Machine

Featured Product

Clamp this pasta machine to your counter or table edge, choose a setting, and you're ready to turn out fresh homemade pasta, literally. This is a pasta maker you crank by hand as you feed in your dough. Made of gleaming stainless steel, the machine's adjustable rollers press your dough into long, four-inch wide sheets in a choice of seven thicknesses. You can then cut the sheets into squares for making ravioli, or longer sections for lasagna. By sliding on the stainless-steel cutting attachment, you can extrude thin spaghetti or medium-width fettuccine noodles. And, for artists, the pasta machine works well as an extruder for polymer clay. After use, wipe the machine clean or run a damp paper towel or piece of felt through it. Remove the handle and clamp for compact storage. You'll never want to resort to buying dried, store-bought pasta again. A recipe booklet is included to get you started. --Ann Bieri

Click here for more information or to order at a great discounted price.

Everyday Pasta

New Book Review

Everyday Pasta, by Giada De Laurentiis. For New York Times bestselling author Giada De Laurentiis, pasta has always been one of the great pleasures of the table: it’s healthy and delicious; it can be light and delicate or rich and hearty; it’s readily available and easy to prepare--everything you want in a meal. And nothing satisfies a craving for Italian food quite like it! In Everyday Pasta, Giada invites you to share her love of this versatile staple with more than a hundred brand-new recipes for pasta dishes, as well as for complementary sauces, salads, and sides tempting enough to bring the whole family to the dinner table.

Without forgetting about the classics we all love, Giada makes the most of the many varieties of pasta available to create recipes that combine familiar flavors in exciting new ways. Although most of these dishes are all-in-one meals in themselves, Giada also supplies recipes for her favorite appetizers, side dishes, and salads to round them out.

Whether you’re looking for a simple summer supper that makes the most of seasonal vegetables or seeking comfort in a pasta bowl on a cold winter’s night, Everyday Pasta offers just the thing.

• Tuna, Green Bean, and Orzo Salad
• Crab Salad Napoleans with Fresh Pasta
• Roman-Style Fettuccini with Chicken
• Baked Pastina Casserole
• Tagliatelle with Short Ribs Ragou
• Spaghetti with Eggplant, Butternut Squash, and Shrimp

Easy to prepare and endlessly versatile, pasta makes a wonderful quick supper when time is short but easily becomes an elegant meal when the occasion requires. In Everyday Pasta, Giada shows you how, with a few basic ingredients from the fridge and the pantry, you’re never more than minutes away from a delicious pasta dinner.