Elevate your Holidays with Mezzetta

This Holiday Season, we are staying in and celebrating with our immediate family. This year it’s all about staying home, connecting with them, and trying new recipes. We will be cooking a lot!!! So, when Mezzetta sent us their castelvetrano and kalamata olives, their marinated artichoke hearts, and their sun- ripened dried tomatoes we wanted to create something yummy for our families to enjoy. After all, Mezzetta Makes it Betta!

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This is a sponsored post by Mezzetta. All opinions are our own.

Olive Spread 

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Growing up, our dad always served olives, whether we had guests or not. He loves them so much; he could eat off a jar. Maybe that’s why we both love olives since we always had them in our pantry. They can strengthen the flavor of any dish but are also amazing on their own. Green or black, we love them all!  

 

Homemade Olive Spread is so delicious and comes together in minutes. We also love how versatile it is and how it adds a fantastic salty and savory flavor. You can serve it by itself, add to your charcuterie board, or on top of pizza, sandwich; so many possibilities!

As you probably already noticed, we are all about simple recipes that are full of amazing flavors! This recipe combines the buttery sweet flavor of Mezzetta’s castelvetrano olives with the rich and unique taste of Mezzetta’s kalamata ones. Mezzetta olives are so rich and delicious that it was not hard to create this appetizer that we can now rely on each time.

 This recipe has no secret! It is just a combination of high quality ingredients that will make this spread a success.

This recipe is loaded with Mezzetta Castelvetrano Olives, Mezzetta Kalamata Olives, Mezzetta Sun-Ripened Dried Tomatoes, olive oil, parsley, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper.

Place all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Since it’s a small amount, an olive spread can go a long way; we recommend using a small food processor or an immersion blender. Pulse a few times, but don’t overdo it; you want the olive pieces to be small but not pureed, a little chunky in texture. Serve with bread and crackers. 

Don’t be afraid to play with the ingredients; if you don’t like parsley, add your favorite herb. Or better than that, mix a few of your favorite ones. Also, you can try different varieties of Mezzetta olives; they have so many options that will please anyone. 

Orzo and Marinated Artichoke Heart Salad!

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Did you know that orzo is pasta!? It’s shaped like rice, but it’s actually pasta. This salad is such a hearty and filling one that you probably don’t need much else for dinner. 

When planning our holiday meal, we all tend to spend all the attention on the main dishes, the appetizers, and the desserts., and the side dishes tends to get overlooked. But with just a few steps, you can create an amazing salad that is as much as comfort food as the other traditional dishes. 

This hearty winter salad combines 6 ingredients that are profoundly delicious and comes together as a very festive side dish. We tossed the orzo with arugula to add lots of green, Mezzetta sun-ripened dried tomato for a sweet-tart flavor, pine nuts for a toasty crunch, parmesan cheese for a gritty texture, and finally, the artichoke on top. The Mezzetta marinated artichoke hearts add an essential briny flavor; it’s the perfect final touch. 

Start by preparing the orzo: boil water, add the orzo, and cook for about 7-9 minutes or until “al dente.” Be careful not to overcook it! Drain the orzo and gently run cold water over to cool off. We like to wait a few minutes for the orzo to dry a little and then add the other ingredients. Add the arugula, sundried tomatoes, pine nuts, shaved parmesan, and top it all off with Mezzetta Marinated Artichoke Hearts. 

For the dressing, combine all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed. This salad also tastes great with only olive oil, salt, and pepper. It’s a great alternative for a simple and quick dressing. 

You can try different variations to this salad by switching the greens; spinach works well. You can swap the nuts; shaved almonds would work beautifully here. If parmesan cheese is not your favorite, try feta or your favorite kind of cheese. The sky is the limit; you can swap ingredients to the ones you like best. 

We hope you can enjoy these two recipes as much as we did! There is nothing better than cooking at home, staying in, and connecting with your family. Savor these moments!