We believe pasta is a delightful dish, even in the heat of summer. Our team threw together this beautifully simple main dish that is sure to please every palate. 

• Several tomatoes still on the vine
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• kosher salt & coarse ground pepper to taste
• 12 ounces angel hair spaghetti
• ¼ cup seasoned breadcrumbs
• 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
• juice of ½ a lemon
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Toss the tomatoes with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and spread them out on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper and roast for 15 minutes.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water before draining the spaghetti.
3. Put the pot back on the burner over medium high heat. Add the last tablespoon of olive oil and the seasoned bread crumbs. Cook for 1 minute. Add the garlic, lemon juice, and other seasonings and cook for another minute. Put the pasta back in the pot and toss to coat. Add the pasta water just a tiny bit at a time to keep things moving. You won't need the whole cup.
4. Add the roasted tomatoes and sprinkle with a little more seasoning to serve.

To make this dish extra special, serve on our Porto Venere Fish Dinner Plate. This entire collection brings a whimsical flair to any meal.

Recipe slightly adapted from Sugar Dish Me.

This is a delightful treat! The fluffy interiors and buttery layers of croissants add rich flavor and light texture to bread pudding.

Ingredients

• butter for baking dish
• 6 large eggs
• 4 c. half-and-half
• 1 c. granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 8 large bakery croissants
• 1 can peaches
• 3/4 c. brown sugar, packed
• 1 c. pepitas
• 1/4 c. butter
• 1 c. whipping cream
• 1/2 c. maple syrup
• powdered sugar for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 3-quart baking dish; set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, half-and-half, granulated sugar, vanilla and cinnamon.

3.Tear croissants apart into bite-size pieces; place pieces in prepared baking dish. Add peaches; toss to mix. Pour egg mixture evenly over the top. Let soak for 8 to 10 minutes, pushing croissant pieces down into liquid so each piece is soaked.

4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine 1/2 cup brown sugar and pepitas. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle on top of croissant mixture.

5. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until set. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. If desired, sift with powdered sugar just before serving.

6. For maple sauce, in a small saucepan combine whipping cream, 1/4 cup brown sugar and maple syrup. Cook and stir over medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes or until sugar dissolves and mixture almost boils. Remove from heat. Serve over warm bread pudding.

Adapted from this recipe.

Warm up with an extra special cup of Italian hot chocolate this winter. This isn’t your typical instant hot chocolate, but instead a rich and thick drinking chocolate that is everything hot chocolate should be. In Italy, drinking chocolate is commonly known as cioccolata calda or cioccolata densa for its dense pudding like texture that can be enjoyed with a spoon. Add an extra Italian flair by serving in a handmade ceramic mug from Modigliani. Available in a variety of colors, styles, and patterns, one is sure to fit your style.

DECADENTLY THICK ITALIAN HOT CHOCOLATE

Cook Time - 15 mins

Time to Make It - 15 mins

This hot chocolate isn't for the faint of heart. It is rich, thick, and full of real chocolate. This is the kind of hot chocolate you make when you want to truly indulge!

Author: Rachel Farnsworth of Blog The Stay At Home Chef

Yield: Serves 2 to 4

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 cups milk
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 1 cup chopped chocolate or chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over low heat.
2. Whisk in cornstarch until combined and melty. If you want the hot chocolate thicker, use the maximum amount of cornstarch.
3. Add in milk and sugar. Increase the heat gradually to medium-high. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Mixture will start to thicken.
4. Once the mixture begins to thicken, turn the heat down to low and add in the chocolate chips. Stir constantly until well melted.
5. Serve hot. Keep the leftovers because it is also amazing, if not better cold!

Notes

For this recipe, you can adjust the darkness of the chocolate by what kind of chocolate you put in. I like to do a mixture of semi-sweet and milk chocolate, but you can go lighter with all milk chocolate, or darker with a combination of semi-sweet and bittersweet.

This recipe is in courtesy of: The Stay at Home Chef

YIELD: Makes 8 main-course servings
ACTIVE TIME: 35 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 50 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large fennel bulb, trimmed, halved through core, thinly sliced lengthwise (about 3 cups), fronds chopped
• 1 pound spicy Italian sausages, casings removed, sausage coarsely crumbled
• 1 8-ounce package sliced fresh crimini (baby bella) mushrooms
• 4 large garlic cloves, pressed
• 1 tablespoon fennel seeds, coarsely crushed
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup (or more) low-salt chicken broth
• 1 16-ounce package dried tortellini with pesto filling or fresh tortellini with 3-cheese filling
• 1 5-ounce package fresh baby spinach leaves
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese plus additional (for serving)

**Test-kitchen tip:**To crush the fennel seeds, enclose the seeds in a heavy-duty resealable plastic bag, then pound them with a meat mallet or a small heavy skillet.

PREPARATION

1. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sliced fennel bulb, sausage, and mushrooms; sauté until sausage is brown and cooked through and fennel is almost tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Add garlic and fennel seeds; stir 1 minute. Stir in cream, then 1 cup broth; boil until liquid is reduced and very slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cook tortellini in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain tortellini; return to same pot.
3. Add sausage mixture to tortellini in pot. Toss over medium heat until blended. Add spinach; toss gently until spinach wilts. Stir in 1/2 cup cheese; add more broth by 1/4 cupfuls to moisten if dry. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with chopped fennel fronds, and serve, passing additional cheese.

This recipe is shared from Epicurious.com. You can find it here.

Summer Serving

Creating beautiful ceramics isn’t the only tradition in the family of the owners of Modigliani. This wonderful summer tabbouleh was created by Silvia, a member of the third generation, in our Sogno Toscano pattern decorated only with the earth and sky. Check out her website at www.cookingforthesoul.com for more wonderful recipes and stay tuned for more of our favorites.

This Middle Eastern salad is a classic and great summer dish, a perfect accompaniment to a BBQ. It often has more parsley than the version proposed here, but I prefer it more delicate and I add instead a few more tomatoes.  You can also be creative and add celery, spring onions and/or cucumber.

 Prep time: 20 min.

Ingredients (Serves 4-6):

1 cup boiling water

1 cup fine Bulgur wheat

1 teaspoon...