Restaurant (Re)creation: SPQR's Gemelli with Green Spring Vegetables, Black Pepper + Ricotta Salata

My husband and I recently had date night at SPQR and I had the most divine dish.  It was a Gemelli pasta with green spring vegetables, mascarpone, black pepper and ricotta salata.  It was fresh and light, yet creamy and totally satisfying.  We both agreed that I ordered the best dish and I promptly devoured it.  Two days later, I decided to try it in my own kitchen.  My neighborhood Whole Foods was fresh out of mascarpone, so I used whole milk ricotta instead.  Otherwise, I tried to stick pretty true to SPQR's preparation.  This meal can be cooked in mere minutes and looks like it came straight from a Michelin star restaurant.  That sounds like a winning combination to me.  Hope you agree!

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 16 oz. Gemelli pasta
• 1/2 lb. English peas, shelled
• 1/4 lb. snow peas, sliced diagonally
• 8-10 stalks of asparagus, sliced diagonally
• 1/2 cup whole milk ricotta (or mascarpone)
• 3-4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• grated ricotta salata, for finishing

Directions:

-Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.

-Shell the peas, and diagonally slice the snow peas and asparagus in 1/2 inch pieces.

-Add the Gemelli to the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes less than the package suggests.

-Add the peas and asparagus and cook the pasta and vegetables for an additional 2 minutes.

-Remove from heat, drain, and return to the cooking pot.

-Drizzle 3 tbsp. olive oil over the pasta and vegetables and season with salt and ample pepper.

-Scoop in 1/4 cup of ricotta and mix until well distributed.  

-Spoon the pasta onto plates and top with grated ricotta salata and freshly ground black pepper.

-Add a dollop or two of the remaining ricotta to the top of the pasta and enjoy immediately.

SPQR

1911 Fillmore St.

San Francisco, CA

(415) 771-7779

Restaurant (Re)creation: SPQR's Burrata Crostini

~SPQR's Burrata Crostini~

~Close-up of my Burrata Crostini (Re)creation~

~My Burrata Crostini (Re)creation~

SPQR does many things well, but my favorite dishes are their starters and antipasti.  I had this crostini at SPQR for brunch one day and it was love at first bite.  Its the perfect dish to whet your appetite and its very much a crowd pleaser.  It looks sophisticated but its surprisingly easy and wonderfully scrumptious.  The crostini at SPQR is topped with burrata, fried sage, hazelnuts, chili, and honey.  To add a twist to their version, I used truffle honey instead and omitted the chili.  I also used a bit of fried rosemary in addition to the sage.  You can do plenty of variations depending on your mood, your taste buds, and what's leftover in your fridge.

Ingredients:

• Rustic baguette, cut into 1/2 slices
• 1 container of resh burrata
• 20 sage leaves
• 1 sprig of rosemary
• Truffle honey (or regular honey)
• 1/2 cup raw (or roasted) hazelnuts
• 2-3 tbsp olive oil

Directions:

For the hazelnuts:

Preheat oven to 400.  Place hazelnuts in a baking dish and bake for 10-15 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Cover hazelnuts with a towel to steam and let them cool (5 minutes).

With your fingers, rub the skins off the hazelnuts to the best of your ability and set aside.

For the sage & rosemary:

Pour 1 tbsp olive oil into a small skillet.  Remove rosemary leaves from stem.  Add sage and rosemary leaves and fry until crispy (5 minutes).

Remove leaves with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel to dry.

For the crostini:

Brush olive oil on both sides of each slice of bread.  Place on a baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes, turning over once so they are crispy on both sides.

Assembly:

Generously spread burrata on each crostini, then top with sage, rosemary and hazelnuts.   Drizzle with truffle honey and enjoy.

Bón Appetit

SPQR
spqrsf.com
1911 Filmore St
San Francisco, CA
(415) 771-7779