Nella Not Just Pasta, Part II

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It’s take II for Nella Catering as we take on a bridal luncheon in Milton, MA. While the occasion and menu are similar to our catering job this summer, we took every opportunity to pack this menu with robust fall flavors including sage, marsala, butternut  squash, kale and figs simmered in balsamic.

Here’s a look at the menu:We started on Thursday to get a head-start on the menu. First, we roasted the butternut squash and sauteed the kale for the fall orzo salad. For the first time, we chopped the butternut squash into small uniform cubes before cooking instead of roasting the squash whole. The result was evenly cooked, beautifully browned squares with a rich, spiced, roasted flavor on all sides. This method will definitely stick in the new Nella Kitchen!

Next, we mixed the squash and kale into the cooked, al dente orzo and poured in our classic brown butter made with apple cider, apple cider vinegar and dark maple syrup. Lastly, a sprinkle of finely chopped sage to top off this beautiful pasta side.

Onto the chicken… for our chicken dish, we created a variation of a classic veal saltimbocca. We started by pounding the chicken thin. Next, we topped each piece of pounded chcken breast with a slice of salty prosciutto, a couple of sage leaves, and fontina cheese. We rolled the chicken, fastened the rolls with toothpicks to maintain their shape, and refrigerated. To cook the chicken, we browned each side in a hot, heavy-bottomed skillet until all sides were golden brown and chicken was cooked through. For a pan-sauce, we added shallots chicken stock and masala to the same pan, and let it reduce.

Also on the agenda– we sautéed shallots, mushrooms and thyme for the duxelle, toasted the butternut squash seeds to top the orzo, reduced the mission figs in balsamic and made the vinaigrette, and assembled the pinwheels to slice and bake later.

Today, with minor preparations we were ready to go. We plated the orzo in a large bowl and sprinkled with butternut squash seeds, topped the salad with the toasted nuts and figs, sliced the chicken, baked the pinwheels and DONE! As much as we love pasta (more on this in ‘Rachel’s Corner’- coming soon), there’s nothing like creating a seasonal menu, working with a host of ingredients, and actually cooking. We can’t wait for our next event!

I’m off to cook dinner, but before I do, I can’t forget to tell you our special treat for tomorrow. Along with our usual staples (whole wheat & ground flaxseed, classic white, roasted red pepper, 3 cheese ravioli, roasted garlic ravioli and southwestern ravioli) we’re finally bringing back our oh-so-delicious-and-decadent, handmade bittersweet chocolate ravioli filled with honey-sweetened cream cheese and ricotta.  If you remember from earlier this summer, we recommend that you toss these chocolate treats in a bit of butter and serve with a raspberry coulis. If you’re not up for slaving over a hot stove to reduce the raspberries, lucky for you, we did it for you! We’ll bring individual containers of our special raspberry coulis to serve with your bittersweet chocolate raviolis. I suppose the approaching holiday season is preemptively putting us in the holiday spirit of giving!

See you tomorrow….

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Filed under Cooking, Food Entrepreneurs, Nella, catering, recipes

Tags: bittersweet chocolate ravioli, catering in boston, chicken saltimbocca, dessert ravioli, duxelle pinwheels, fall orzo, fig balsamic vinaigrette, Nella Catering, Nella Pasta