Montebello Organic Pasta

Review & Recipe by Lisa VanWilliams

Since 1984, Montebello has been making artisan organic pasta in Italy. The durum wheat semolina is grown on small family farms overlooking the Adriatic Sea, and then the pasta is air dried in traditional drying rooms. This is a high quality pasta with a great Old World taste and excellent texture.

The wheat is grown in Marche, Italy in fields surrounding the Montebello Monastery which has been around since 1388. They have never used chemicals, and use crop rotation to nurture the soil. The land is also a Natural Preserve in the region.

Montebello was kind enough to send us some samples of their products to test out. You can find Montebello pasta at Whole Foods nationally, and a few other select stores. It costs about $3 a pound but you can catch them on sale 2 for $5.

Tonight we made Chicken Mozzarella Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
1 pound cooked Strozzapreti
1 roasted chicken shredded
3 large garlic cloves
½ cup sun-dried tomatoes
olive oil
salt/pepper
hot Hungarian paprika
1 cup half and half
1 cup fresh mozzarella
fresh basil
crushed red pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to pan. Add garlic and sun-dried tomatoes and simmer for a few minutes. The add the shredded chicken, paprika, salt/pepper, and crushed red pepper, some fresh basil, and mix well. Add the half and half. Mix in the cooked pasta - not all of it, probably a little more half. I tossed it all in a cast iron pan and topped with mozzarella. Bake in oven for 15-20 mins until cheese it melted. Enjoy!