Black (and White) Ties for Oscar Night
Black and white farfalle (bow-tie) pasta take center stage among the stars on Oscar night.
I admit it. I’m a sucker for pasta (what Italian girl isn’t?). But when they’re as stunning as these Zebra Farfalle, how can anyone resist? I found these gorgeous black and white striped gems at a gourmet paradise in Chapel Hill, NC called A Southern Season. They were stand-out stars among several well stocked aisles of beautiful pasta. I had hoped to conjure up some exotic new dish to serve over the holidays but never got around to it. Boy, am I glad I saved them up for the most glamorous evening of the year — Oscar night!
I typically like to make pretty little tapas for my Academy Awards celebrations — one of the only award shows I watch from start to finish. This year, I’ll be in Colorado skiing with pals so even convincing my pop-culture averse friends to turn on the TV will be a great feat of negotiation. Taking time to prepare precious bundles of goodness is definitely out of the question. The girls might go along with it but how do you persuade a bunch of guys whose only relationship to Oscar is a hot dog (or that really great smoked pig place in upstate NY) to stay in and watch James Franco and Anne Hathaway make a go of their dual hosting duties.
Regardless of whether or not I’ll have the chance to turn on (I can always watch People.com’s live feed on my phone!), I do have this super simple but beautifully elegant pasta dish that will turn heads and make your guests swoon. The Farfalle Zebra is an artisan made pasta produced in Italy by Il Pozzo del Re. It’s made from durum wheat semolina flour and black sepia. Black sepia is better known as squid ink or ink from the cuttle fish and is used mainly as a coloring. They’ve certainly perfected their craft; the black sepia does not run or fade and, unlike my one attempt at homemade squid ink tagliatelle, the flavor of the squid ink did not overpower the pasta.
While you can top this pasta with a traditional marinara, alfredo or a creamy seafood sauce, I went the simple route. I’ve been experimenting with a zucchini pesto and this complimented the farfalle very nicely. You can easily prepare this dish in less than 20 minutes or add grilled lemon chicken or shrimp to give it even more depth. Round out your meal with a simple arugula salad with sliced, dried plums, crumbled aged goat cheese and a shallot vinaigrette and, of course, gelato for dessert!
Oscar Night Dinner Menu
Arugula salad with sliced dried plums, crumbled aged goat cheese and shallot vinaigrette
Black & White Tie Pasta with Zucchini Pesto
Peasant Bread
Serve a nice bottle of white like Pascal Janvier Jasnieres/2009 or your favorite bubbly.
Check out last year’s post for more star stand-out ideas for your Oscar night menu. Enjoy!!
Recipe: Zucchini Pesto
Makes approximately 3 cups
Ingredients
2 medium zucchini, washed, trimmed and roughly chopped
1 cup tightly packed fresh basil leaves
1/4 cups toasted pine nuts (can also substitute sunflower seeds, walnuts or almonds)*
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
1/2 - 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp grated lemon peel
salt and pepper to taste
Prepare
Place basil, nuts and garlic in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped and blended. Add zucchini, cheese and lemon peel. Blend until finely chopped. While processor is running, drizzle the olive oil through the tube and process until blended. Start with 1/2 cup of oil, adding another 1/4 cup if needed. Add salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a bowl or storage container, press plastic wrap to the surface of the pesto and refrigerate. Pesto will keep for up to a week.
This pesto is terrific on pasta, chicken and seafood. For a more robust pasta dish, add chicken or shrimp or serve over seared scallops with a dollop of fresh goat cheese.
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