Carbone's Cooks for Margherita!

After 70 years in the business, Carbone's reputation for authentic Italian cuisine has reached far beyond the environs of Hartford and Connecticut. Recently the internationally known company Margherita Brand Meats asked Vinnie Carbone and Paul Rafala to come up with three signature dishes incorporating their famous slow cured meats. Here we are happy to present the delicious results!

Halibut Picatta

Exquisite prosciutto wrapped around a delicate halibut filet that’s seasoned with capers and surrounded with sun-dried tomatoes and artichoke hearts. Simply magnificent.

Prep Time - 10 minutes

Total Time - 25-30 minutes

Makes - 2 servings

Ingredients:

1/3		cup olive oil
4		slices Margherita® prosciutto ham, sliced thin
2		5 -6 ounce halibut fillets (or substitute with Chilean sea bass, salmon, or monkfish fillets)
4		fresh sage leaves
2		ounces seasoned flour
2		whole artichoke hearts, halved
2-3		sun-dried tomatoes, julienned
1		ounce capers (not salted)
4		ounces white wine
		Juice from 1/2 lemon
1		ounce soy sauce (best quality)
3/4		cup unsalted, whole butter (room temperature)

Directions:

1.		Preheat sauté pan with olive oil
2.		On a large plate, lay out 2 slices of Margherita® prosciutto side by side, slightly overlapping each other. Place 1 halibut fillet in the middle of the prosciutto. Place 2 sage leaves one top of the halibut and wrap the fish up in the prosciutto. Do the same to the other fillet.
3.		Lightly flour each side of the halibut and place in hot sauté pan. Brown both sides evenly. Drain off excess oil and add artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, capers, white wine and lemon juice and soy sauce. Lower heat to medium and continue to cook until halibut is cooked through and sauce is reduced by half.
4.		Remove pan from fire, add butter and swirl into sauce before serving.

Capicola Pizza

Tired of the same old pizza? Try this sensational Carbone’s recipe featuring juicy, marinated grilled peaches, capicola ham and gorgonzola cheese.

Prep Time - 15 minutes

Total Time - 1.5 hours

Makes - 4 servings

Ingredients:

3		fresh, ripe peaches, halved and pitted
2-3		leaves each of fresh basil, mint and sage, chopped
1		pinch kosher salt
1		ounce fresh ground black pepper
3-4		ounces red wine (optional)
1		clove garlic, minced
1/4		cup olive oil
4		ounces pizza (bread) dough - (store bought will work fine)
4		ounces Margherita® capicola ham, sliced thin
1		cup imported or domestic gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

Directions:

1.		In a large zip lock style plastic bag, combine peach halves, fresh herbs, salt, pepper, red wine, garlic, and 1/2 the olive oil. Seal bag and let marinate for at least 1 hour moving bag around every 15 minutes or so.
2.		Heat a grill-pan on stove, remove peaches from bag and place on grill-pan cut side down. Let peaches cook until grill marks are well developed. Flip and do the same to the other side. Remove from grill-pan, let cool then cut into thin slices. Discard leftover marinade.
3.		Preheat oven to 400° F with rack in center position. On a floured board or counter, roll out pizza dough to a 6 and 8 inch circle. Place dough on a baking sheet that’s been lightly coated with olive oil and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and lightly coat top of dough with olive oil.
4.		Arrange sliced capicola ham into an even layer, then do the same with the peach slices on the ham. Spread gorgonzola cheese evenly over pizza and place back in oven for approximately 8-10 minutes until gorgonzola cheese melts and ham begins to curl.

Tip: Any remaining herbs can be fried and added to top of the pizza for even more flavor.

Orcchiette Pasta

Thin-sliced strips of Genoa salami, roasted garlic, baby spinach and fresh basil create an orcchiette pasta dish that will have everyone saying “Mangia!”

Makes - 4 servings

Ingredients:

1/4		cup roasted cloves of garlic
2		tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1		pound dry orecchiette pasta (2 cups) (Penne pasta can be substituted)
1/4		pound Margherita® Genoa salami, sliced thin, julienne style
2 or 3		sweet bell peppers, roasted, skinned, cored and cut into strips. (Store bought can be substituted).
1		cup (8 oz.) baby spinach, raw
1/4		cup toasted pine nuts (optional)
2 to 3		fresh basil leaves, julienned
1/4		cup Pecorino Romano cheese, fresh grated
to taste		Fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

1.		In a small pot place 1/4 cup whole peeled garlic cloves. cover with extra virgin olive oil and cook on low heat till garlic becomes soft and cooked through. Set aside to cool, retain olive oil.
2.		Bring a pot of lightly salted water to boil and cook orecchiette pasta till al dente (still has a slight crunch, but almost done). Reserve approx. a 1/4 cup of the pasta water to add to the end of step 3. Drain and cool in cold water, then set aside.
3.		In a large sauté pan, heat garlic oil from roasted garlic. Add Margherita® Genoa salami and brown slightly. Add peppers, spinach, roasted garlic, and half of the toasted pine nuts and continue to cook till spinach is wilted. Add cooked pasta and reserved pasta water, fresh basil and toss, continue to sauté till pasta is hot and ready to serve.
4.		Place pasta on plates or serving bowl, sprinkle with grated Romano cheese, black pepper and top with remaining pine nuts.

More of our Recipes!

HOME PAGE