Chris first discovered Seven Hills Pasta last year and we’ve been absolutely stunned and honored to have them right in our backyard. If you’ve tried some of the pasta dishes in our meal boxes, you may have gotten hooked too. We haven’t had pasta this good since the Clover trip to Italy!
The next 100 people to buy 2- or 4-person-sized meal boxes for delivery/pickup Thursday 4/22 will get a free gift of 1 box of Seven Hills organic semolina fusilli pasta!
Founded in Melrose, MA by Giulio and Carol Caperchi, Seven Hills Pasta Co. crafts artisan pasta from two simple ingredients: semolina hard wheat and water. Their pasta is extruded through custom made bronze dies imported from Italy, giving each shape a rustic texture that absorbs even the silkiest of sauces. The pasta is then slowly air dried for over 24 hours, creating the firm al dente quality that industrial mass-produced pasta manufacturers only dream about.
Giulio has shared his favorite recipe for fusilli with pesto in the style of Genoa—if you manage to snag one of the boxes of pasta in your meal box on Thursday, we recommend cooking up a batch!
Recipe: Fusilli al Pesto Genovese
Spring has sprung and lovely fresh tender greens are finally in season. What better way to celebrate than a freshly made pesto to gently coat your artisan Seven Hills Pasta Co. Fusilli? The following recipe is a straightforward traditional pesto hailing from Genoa in northern Italy. But do not let the dogmas of tradition hold you back. Feel free to substitute basil with any other herb or a mixture of herbs (I like to put some fresh mint in). Feel free to substitute pine nuts with almonds or walnuts. And to make this recipe 100% vegan, just substitute Parmigiano cheese with toasted breadcrumbs (a trick I learned from star chef Massimo Bottura). The key, in my humble opinion, is to roast your garlic cloves and add a dash of lemon juice at the very end. Fusilli is pesto’s best friend, as the sauce likes to find it’s way in this pasta shape’s lovely nooks and crannies. Buon appetito!
—Giulio Caperchi
Ingredients
2 Cups of fresh basil leaves
2 Tablespoons toasted pine nuts
1/2 Cup of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (Substitute with breadcrumbs for a vegan option)
3 Roasted Cloves of garlic
1/2 Cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Squeeze of lemon juice and/or lemon zest
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Peel your garlic cloves, drizzle with olive oil and wrap in tinfoil. Roast at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until lightly golden and soft.
- Toast your pine-nuts (or other nut you are using) on a hot pan for just under a minute.
- In a pestle and mortar or in a food processor add basil leaves, pine nuts, roasted garlic, parmigiano and almost all of the olive oil, and process thoroughly. If your pesto is too thick, add the remaining olive oil. You may also add a little bit of cold water to make your sauce smoother.
- Taste your pesto. Then add salt and pepper to your liking and a squeeze of lemon juice.
- Your pesto is now ready to be mixed with your Fusilli!
Chef pro-tip: if using a food processor, the metal blades will oxidize your basil and turn it a dark unappealing green. Throwing in one or two ice cubes in the food processor while mixing helps prevent this.
Wondering which box we recommend ordering for this collab? We’ve consulted our meal box experts we recommend you try our brand new…
PS: To clarify what we mean by 2- or 4-person meal box, the following boxes are eligible for the gift if ordered for delivery of pickup on 4/22: Earth Day Box, Starter Box, Spring Seasonal Box, Breakfast Box, Classics Box, Mediterranean Box, Post-Meat Box, and Gluten-Free Box. We have a very limited amount of free gifts (they go quickly!), and only first 100 eligible boxes ordered will receive.
