THE NIBBLE BLOG: Products, Recipes & Trends In Specialty Foods


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HALLOWEEN: Spooky Pasta Recipes

October 14, 2014 at 8:41 am · Filed under Food Fun, Halloween & Fall, Pasta-Pizza, Recipes

Add some food fun to your Halloween with these two pasta recipes from Certified Angus Beef.

RECIPE: SPOOKETTI & MEATBALLS

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 eggs
  • 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
  • 1/4 cup ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
  • 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 tablespoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 (10-ounce) jar pimento-stuffed olives
  • Olive oil, as needed
  • 6 cups cooked whole wheat spaghetti
  • 1 (26-ounce) jar prepared pasta sauce
    		•    ghoulish-pasta-certifiedangusbeef-230

    Spooketti and meatballs. Photo courtesy Certified Angus Beef.
     

    Preparation

    1. PREHEAT the oven to 400°F.

    2. COMBINE the ground beef, eggs, breadcrumbs, ketchup, herbs and spices; shape into 1-1/2-inch balls, making 12 total. Insert 1 olive into each meatball to look like an eye.

    3. PLACE the meatballs in a pan and roast approximately 25 minutes until thoroughly cooked and no pink remains (160°F internal temperature).

    4. HEAT the sauce and ladle over pasta. Serve 2 meatballs per plate.

     

    graveyard-bake-certifiedangusbeef-230
    Eat the graveyard! Photo courtesy Certified
    Angus Beef.

    		   Graveyard Bake

  • 1 pound round chuck
  • 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 pound fusilli pasta, cooked and drained
  • 2 cups crushed potato chips
  • 1 cup Monterey jack cheese
  • 4 green onions, sliced thin
  • 6 oval crackers (like Keebler Town House), optional
    		•
     

    Preparation

    1. BROWN ground chuck in large fry pan. Drain liquid from beef.

    2. ADD tomatoes, tomato sauce, onion powder, garlic salt and cayenne pepper; simmer for 5 minutes. Mix in the cooked pasta.

    3. POUR into a 9 x 9 baking dish. Top with potato chips and cheese and broil for 3 minutes or until the cheese is melted and chips are golden brown.

    4. GARNISH with green onions and crackers (the tombstones).
      

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    TIP OF THE DAY: Pairing Chocolate Bars & Wine

    October 14, 2014 at 8:21 am · Filed under Chocolate, Entertaining

    If your idea of grown-up Halloween does not include costume parties, how about a chocolate and wine tasting?

    For years, THE NIBBLE has been updating its highly-regarded wine and chocolate pairing chart. You can use it to prepare a memorable Halloween tasting.

    While our chart is quite extensive, your tasting can be as simple as four or five chocolate bars. John Scharffenberger, who got his start as a wine maker, shares his own favorites to pair with Scharffen Berger dark and milk chocolate bars:

  • Scharffen Berger 72% Signature Dark Chocolate. John Scharffenberger notes that darker chocolates pair beautifully with dry, rich, full-bodied red wines. He likes an Italian Amarone, a Spanish Rioja or French Bordeaux.
  • Scharffen Berger 72% Dark Chocolate with Pistachios and Sea Salt. While you can use the same wines when pistachios are included, lighter nuts like pistachio can be served with Mas Amiel, a dessert wine from the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France; Sauternes, a dessert wine from the Bordeaux region, or Cabernet Sauvignon, which can bring out nutty accents.
  • Scharffen Berger 33% Smooth Milk Chocolate. Lighter-flavored chocolates pair best with light-bodied wines. John Scharffenberger advises that buttery caramel overtones make this chocolate a perfect complement to a Sauvignon Blanc. Also try it with Armagnac, a single-distilled French brandy.
    		•   5-bars-ribbon-230
    For holiday gift giving, tie some fine chocolate bars with a ribbon and bestow them with or without matching wines. Photo by Hannah Kaminsky | THE NIBBLE.
     
    THE NIBBLE particularly likes these wines with milk chocolate: Hungarian Tokaji (pronounced TOE-coy); Muscat, a white dessert wine from France with peach and apricot flavors’ and Tawny Port, a fortified wine from Portugal. In fact, Tawny Port is our favorite match with milk chocolate. Its nutty nuances highlight milk chocolate’s nutty and caramel notes and enhance the overall chocolate flavor.

  • Scharffen Berger 33% Milk Chocolate with Toasted Coconut and Macadamia Nuts. For this delicious bar, THE NIBBLE recommends Brachetto d’Acqui, a light, ruby-colored sparkling dessert wine from Piedmont, with typical aromas of fruit and roses. It’s a great match with both nuts and coconut. A Sauternes from Bordeaux (Lafaurie-Peyraguey or similar style) or a Late Harvest Semillon from Australia are also good complements.

    •  
    The educational fun of a tasting is to be able to compare and contrast different wines with different chocolates, and decide what you like best. That’s more important, after all, than any expert opinion.
      

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    PRODUCT: Kale Popcorn

    October 14, 2014 at 7:45 am · Filed under Gluten-Free, Snacks

    kale-popcorn-bowl-bag-230
    Now, you can have kale with your popcorn!
    Photo by Hannah Kaminsky | THE NIBBLE.    		  

    Quinn Popcorn, developed by a young husband and wife team following all the bad press on microwave popcorn. They:

  • Made the bag without chemical coatings from the bag (PFOA, PFCs, plastic liners, etc.) while creating a grease-proof and compostable microwaveable bag.
  • Eliminated the susceptor (gray metal/plastic patch).
  • Use organic, non-GMO corn, with no preservatives or artificial ingredients; rBGH-free cheeses and expeller pressed oils that are high in omega-3s.

    •  
    In their better-for-you, better-for-the-environment version, you pop the kernels in the microwave, then blend them in a bowl with the oil and seasonings provided in separate packets. It’s a feel-good product, currently available in six microwave flavors:

  • Hickory Smoked Cheddar
  • Just Sea Salt
  • Olive Oil & Herbs
  • Parmesan & Rosemary
  • Real Butter & Sea Salt
  • Vermont Maple & Sea Salt
    		•
     
    There are also two ready-to-eat flavors, including:

  • Cheddar & Chipotle
  • Kale & Sea Salt

    •  
    For those who need a boost to get on the kale bandwagon, start with a bag of this popcorn with tiny flecks of green, salted with a bit of sweetness.

    The company calls these two flavors “Farm To Bag.” Each bag has a batch number for complete transparency, a first in the snacks industry.

    The line is Certified Non GMO, Certified Gluten Free and whole grain (23g per serving, with 39 calories).

    To learn more or buy online, visit QuinnPopcorn.com.

      

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