A Perfect Pasta Salad
And, introducing Oona Wine!
Hi, hello, it’s me. I’m terribly sorry I’ve not been publishing as regularly as I have been. Things have been a little overwhelming on the personal front (mental health!) and professional front (many, many things happening all at once). It has had me pulled in a million different directions and I’ve not able to give this beloved newsletter the attention it deserves. I’ve missed you, and I’m hoping this installment will help earn my keep.
One of the projects I’ve been working on is a new canned wine company called Oona. I’m a founding partner along with my very talented food pals Alexis deBoschnek, Natasha Pickowicz, DeVonn Francis and Pierce Abernathy and it’s now on sale! I am so proud to be part of this team. The wine is a Barbera rosé frizzante and it comes in a single serving can and it’s truly delicious. We also developed a whole menu together for the perfect dinner party - the recipes are up on the Oona site and are also here on Vogue.com along with our summer entertaining tips. And, the lovely featured it yesterday in her wonderful newsletter. Thank you, Jenny!
I’ve never done anything like this before and it’s been thrilling to work alongside such wonderful people, plus the wine is truly SO GOOD and highly drinkable and you should get some! There is so much more to come and I can’t wait to share it with you all.
In addition to this, we’re finally starting to shoot my book next week! Chad will be shooting this one alongside the amazing Pearl Jones doing food styling and Rebecca Bartoshesky on props. We all worked together on my last book and I’m very excited to be bringing the team back together for this one. It’s a very good one. I’ll be sharing some BTS on that as well… soon.
In the meantime! I’ve developed a wonderful pasta salad with my friends at Rummo (recipe below). This is not your typical pasta mayo-laden pasta salad, it has artichokes, Italian tuna, fennel and it’a all tossed together with a caper-mint salsa verde dressing. It’s just as good at room temperature as it is straight from the fridge the next day. It’s snappy, punchy and perfect for a picnic or a party. I crave it. But first!
Helen’s Dealtry Still-Life Watercolor Class at Stissing House: Helen Dealtry and her longtime collaborator, floral designer Nicolette Camille, will be hosting a still-life floral watercolor painting workshop on Friday, June 28. The class will be followed by a roast chicken dinner, Helen’s favorite! Read an interview with Helen here on the Stissing House newsletter. You can book your tickets here for the class.
Athletic Brewing: I’m not drinking much during the week right now and the only drink that I’ve found makes it easier is any N/A beer from Athletic Brewing. They are absolutely delicious, fizzy, refreshing and taste just like the real thing. I’m an IPA gal, but they have other options as well. My friend Mickey Rapkin recently wrote a piece for Forbes all about their story. Wildly, they are the number one selling beer at Whole Foods right now in both the N/A and regular category. Highly recommend!
Forts Ferry Farm Granola: My friend Emma Hearst recently opened the most beautiful jewel box of a store here in Hudson called Forts Ferry Farm Shoppe. She generously hosted an event with me over the weekend to celebrate Oona. The shop is a mix of beautiful antiques, prepared foods and vegetables from her farm in Latham, New York. She also makes granola and I am obsessed with it. I’m not even a “granola person!” but I simply cannot get enough. Emma also just released her second cookbook Flavors from the Farm and it’s a beauty!
Farfalle with Artichokes, Italian Tuna, Fennel and Salsa Verde Dressing
Pasta salad gets a bad rap, but if you use the right pasta and flavor combinations it can be revered, and some might even say sophisticated. I stay away from the retro-style mayonnaise laden recipes, because frankly that’s not what I want to eat in warm weather. Instead, I opt for using pantry staples, seasonal vegetables, lots of herbs and citrus, which opens you up to a world of flavor combinations. When making pasta salad, one tip you won’t want to miss is don’t rinse your pasta. You want the starchiness it has accumulated in the water so the dressing coats the pasta more evenly and gets into its nooks and crannies. Rinsing it removes all the good stuff.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
Kosher salt
12-ounces Rummo farfalle
1 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
1 6 .7-ounce jar Italian tuna packed in oil, drained and flaked
1 medium fennel bulb, roughly chopped
For the salsa verde:
½ cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
½ cup finely chopped mint
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed well if in salt and finely chopped
2/3 cup (165 ml) olive oil
1 lemon zested and halved - about two tablespoons of juice
Kosher salt
METHOD
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Do not rinse.
Meanwhile, make the salsa verde dressing. In a bowl, stir together the parsley, mint, capers, lemon zest and juice. Add the olive oil and stir together until well combined. Taste and adjust with salt and more lemon juice if needed.
Transfer the pasta to a large bowl or the pot it was cooked in and add in the artichokes, tuna and the fennel.
Drizzle in some of the dressing and stir until everything is tossed evenly coated to your liking. Taste and just with more dressing and salt as needed.
Transfer to a large bowl to serve or refrigerate for later. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Thank your for your patience and for being here.
More soon and let me know if you make the pasta salad.
With love,
Colu x
Indeed, a lot going on! Brava! Looking forward to the wine, the book, the pasta salad!!
Colu I just finished last night The Sicilian Inhenitance and can’t thank you enough for your recommendation. I’ve already purchased another one for a friend and plan on gifting at least another one …