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When most people think of food and Philadelphia, they can’t get past the cheesesteak. Granted, cheesesteak is a magical thing, but that isn’t all there is. I’ve never been to Philly, but when I was contacted by the people who run Philly Homegrown to try a bunch of local products, I immediately said yes. What better way to learn about a town than through the food that is produced there?
About a week later a giant box arrived and I unpacked it slowly, surprised at the variety. Chocolate, honey, jam, organic flour, big bags of handmade pasta, a chunk of orange coriander sausage, and more. I wish I could say I put the chocolate, a dark, minty bar from John & Kira’s, to some sort of creative recipe use, but it quickly disappeared into my belly. The biscotti from Baker Street Bread Company also met a similar fate. Let me just say that in general I’m not a fan of biscotti, because it often just crumbles into a million pieces once my teeth graze it. This biscotti might have turned the tide, because it was delicious – crisp yet yielding and tender to bite into.
I still haven’t made my way through all the items I received, but I had to make some of the beautiful pasta from Severino Pasta. I had never used perciatelli, a hollow, long noodle type, before, but I thought it would be great to cook it up with some cheese from Keswick Creamery and the salami from Garces Trading Company Charcuterie.
Yes, that Garces. It turns out that Iron Chef Jose Garces has a gourmet market where he makes, among other things, his own line of salami using Heritage breed hogs from nearby Country Time Farms. I’ve never not been a meat eater, but I’ve only really gotten into charcuterie in the past couple of years, and this is good stuff. The orange adds a subtle sweetness to the meat that I really enjoyed.
I love dishes that I just throw together, and what I call “summer” pastas are just that – no sauces that I use from my canning stash, just fresh ingredients all dancing together. For this meal I also grabbed Brussels sprouts and arugula, both from Central Texas farms. So maybe this is Texas-Philly Pasta. But that doesn’t quite have the same ring to it.
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Philly Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces perciatelli, fettuccine, or spaghetti
- 1 cup sliced Brussels sprouts
- 2 ounces salami, sliced thin into half-moons
- 2 cups torn arugula
- 1 cup shredded raw milk cheese
- Olive oil
Instructions
- Set a large pot of water to boil. Meanwhile, in a large flat-bottomed saucepan, heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium.
- When the water is boiling, add the pasta and return water to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-high. Cook according to package.
- While the pasta cooks, add the Brussels sprouts to the saucepan and cook until browned. Add the salami and arugula, cooking until salami is heated through and arugula is wilted.
- Add the cooked pasta to the saucepan, top with shredded cheese, and toss to mingle ingredients. Alternately, plate up the pasta and top with the meat, vegetables, and cheese.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate based on online calculators. Any nutritional information found on Stetted should be used as a general guideline only.
Thanks to Philly Homegrown for sending me such great products to try out! If you want to learn more about the fresh, local food that Philadelphia is creating, check out visitphilly.com/food
About Megan
I learned how to cook by exploring seasonal ingredients, and you can too! Meal time shouldn’t be stressful or complicated, and with fresh ingredients and easy methods, I’m here to help you enjoy the time spent in the kitchen. Read more…
This is my most favorite way to eat pasta, just as you say, “summer pasta”. Mixing up a few beautiful ingredients to make a simple yet super flavorful combination. How cool that you were able to work with Philly Homegrown.
Hmm that looks delicious, great photos too!
I LOVE John & Kira’s! I grew up near Philly, and my mom (who still lives in the area) introduced me to their chocolate a few years ago. The ladybug chocolates are my favorite, I think.
I’ll have to check out Garces next time I go home, though.
Thanks for the tips!
I love me a very simple pasta recipe. This is so something I would throw together with simple odds and ends I’ve got around. Next time I’m around philly, I have to head to garces, it’s on my list.
The handmade pasta looks amazing! I’ve never eaten hollowed out noodles, but I’ve never met a noodle I didn’t like 🙂
Aren’t you the lucky one? A I agree with others…love a simple pasta. We started making pasta with zucchini years ago when our bounty was beyond control and now I more often do veggies with olive oil and Parmesan way more than a meat sauce.
I’ve been to Philly once and it was for about 18 hours, long enough to have a cheesesteak at Pat’s and then walk over to Geno’s and then catch a hockey game. I have more places to check out now, the pasta dish looks great!