I bet you thought I’d gone missing. There have been moments, this past summer of chaos, I often entertained the thought of going missing. Or hiding under a rock somewhere. Maybe hiding at my sister’s house, poolside, sipping a pretty pink cocktail while enjoying solace and sunshine.
Alas, no poolside sipping pretty cocktails for me this summer. It was full on, serious, wrap-up-business, prep a house to sell, pack up that house and move down the road to Oregon. Phew!
I’m happy to say, all has been accomplished. Lists completed (well, the old lists anyway) and life in a new town is proving most interesting. And delicious.
I’m soaking up the abundance of fresh produce, grass-fed and naturally raised meat and poultry here in the Willamette Valley. I walk through the farmer’s market and our local co-op salivating at the brightly colored and freshly picked harvest; while my brain is racing with ideas of new and delicious recipes.
One of the first dishes I tossed together not long after we arrived, is this lovely Artichoke, Lemon and Hazelnut Tagliatelle. Now residing in the hazelnut capital of the U.S., I thought it appropriate to include Oregon hazelnuts, lightly toasted, making a beautiful and tasty addition to this dish. I also paired this pasta with pan seared scallops but it would be equally as divine with grilled shrimp or roasted chicken.
I’ve got more stories to tell, exciting news to reveal and a newly re-designed web site to share… along with new and delicious recipes perfect for the emerging Autumn season.
From Oregon with Love!
Delicious Wishes,
Karista
Lemon, Artichoke and Hazelnut Tagliatelle with Pan Seared Scallops
Serves 4-6
This makes a lovely side dish sans the scallops or even a light summer meal served with a crisp summer greens salad. Serve with grilled chicken breast or shrimp for variation or even grilled fresh artichoke hearts and pair with your favorite Pinot Gris, Pinot Grigio or dry Chardonnay.
Ingredients
1 jar artichoke hearts, drained but not rinsed (7.5fl ounce jar) (I like the grilled artichoke hearts from Napoleon Brand or Cucina and Amore Brand) If you can’t find the grilled chokes, regular is fine.
1 lemon, zested and juiced
¼ – 1/3 cup whole skinned hazelnuts
¼ cup grated parmesan, plus extra for garnish
1 clove garlic
Splash of good quality red wine vinegar (about a teaspoon or two) I used a garlic and basil infused red wine vinegar and it was delish. Use your good stuff in this dish.
½ cup extra virgin olive oil (I used Everyday Fresh from California Olive Ranch)
½ cup fresh basil, chiffonade or torn
Salt and pepper
1 lb Tagliatelle, cooked according to directions (or any other heartier pasta) (I used Jovial Brown Rice and Egg Tagliatelle and it was divine!)
1 lb pan seared or grilled scallops or larger Gulf Shrimp (even grilled chicken would be yum)
Directions
In a food processor, blender or vitamix, blend together the artichoke hearts, lemon juice only, hazelnuts, parmesan cheese, garlic clove and red wine vinegar. Once the ingredients are combined add the olive oil and puree until almost smooth.
Stir in the lemon zest and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Toss the pesto with the cooked Tagliatelle and fresh basil and garnish with extra parmesan. Serve on a platter and top with pan seared or grilled sea scallops, shrimp or chicken.
* If you adore artichokes, add an extra jar of drained, grilled artichokes in the pasta. When artichokes are in season I steam them and use fresh artichoke hearts in this dish.
Absolutely stunning Karista! Love your new look blog and also love this gorgeous dish. Without a doubt, everything tastes a billion times better when shared with loved ones…especially eaten in such gorgeous surrounds too!
Thanks Alli! I think this is one of my favorite pasta dishes. And with fresh tagliatelle it’s even better. 🙂
Impressive pasta dish!
SO thrilled that you’re back. I love the new look of Karista’s Kitchen. The tagliatelle sounds amazing with the lemon and hazelnuts. Hope you’re well! xoxo
Thank you Kelley! We’re doing well and loving the Valley here. Wish I was at IFBC! I so wanted to be there but I’ll be out of town. Enjoy and send my regards to Heidi (FoodieCrush) 🙂 Hugs!
My goodness, so much has changed since I last visited! I’m looking forward to learning more about the Willamette Valley from your blog and hearing about the Bennett family adventures. In my wine exploring, I’ve learned that the best Pinot Noirs come from the Willamette Valeey, and I’ve certainly never been disappointed by a bottle of wine from there. I bet a glass of Pinot Noir would go very nicely with this tagliatelle. Your new site looks just beautiful Karista!
Hi Barb! We’ve landed and enjoying the Willamette Valley. Yes, some of the best Pinot Noirs are bottled here. Also a large farming community dotted in between all the vineyards. So beautiful and lovely place to hang my hat. Wishing you and your beautiful ponytails a fabulous school year! 🙂
Wow – this looks great. All that going on this summer and you top it off with your new site. Amazing! I think your new digs will be wonderful. Select local foods and beauty surrounds. Maybe we’ll have to make a little road trip south. There are loads of farms and goats I’d like to visit along the way! Big hugs xx wendy
LOL! At one point I had so many irons in the fire I was making lists by the hour. We love the new location, the farm fresh food is amazing. I’d love a visit! You are welcome anytime. 🙂
Karista,
I’m bummed to learn that you won’t be around Seattle so I can assist with your PCC classes … but I’m happy you’re still keeping up your blog so I can learn from your recipes! Made your Beef Daube on Sunday and it was divine.
Best wishes in Oregon!
Thank you Tonya. I miss Seattle and I miss teaching at PCC. So glad you loved the Beef Daube. One of my favorite Fall dishes. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! Delicious Wishes! Karista
Welcome back and welcome home! The new site looks great too 🙂 Missed having you and your inspiration around.
Ksenia, Thank you so much! Hope you’ve had a fabulous summer and wishing you a most delicious Autumn 🙂
Welcome back to the blogging world…you have been missed. It sounds like everything is going well and your first dish looks and sounds wonderful.
This looks like such a beautiful, nourishing and delicious dish. Wow, sounds like you’ve been busy. Blogging is such a pleasure but sometimes it just needs to go on the back-burner due to real-life ‘responsibility’ (I hate that!). I always think that breaks result in further refreshment and inspiration though! Love scallops. It’s been ages since I’ve eaten them. I think I need to prop my laptop on the kitchen counter and make this recipe soon! Thanks lovely x