Our First Corporate Sponsor

November's Corporate Sponsor (and our first) is Victoria Gourmet, a purveyor of all natural seasoning blends, culinary sea salts, brining blends, and gourmet ingredients. Click either here or on the sidebar to go to their website.

Now consider this:

Geoff's Moroccan Pasta

Set out a couple of ounces of plain goat cheese til it reaches room temperature
Cook some whole wheat linguini or, if you're flying off the handle, bowties
Also cook some fresh peas. Do this at the end, and only for the shortest period of time. I like a crispy pea. My grandmother used to tell me it should take longer to take a pee than to cook one!
Drain the pasta, reserving a quarter cup of the liquid
Return the pot to the stove on very low heat--just enough to help melt the goat cheese
In the bottom of the pot mix the goat cheese with several tablespoons of olive oil until it forms a loose, creamy sauce. It should be about the consistency of Benjamin Moore paint (my brand of choice--would'nt it be great to have them as a sponsor)
Add 2 tsp of Victoria's Moroccan Seasoning* to the sauce, plus some roughly chopped black olives plus, if you're flying off the handle, a couple shots of Frank's Hot Sauce.
Toss in the pasta. Loosen first with a little more olive oil, then with the reserved liquid.
Salt and pepper to taste. (I love all of Victoria's Sea Salts and her Pepper Mill Mix)
Serve by heaping a mound of pasta in the middle of a black plate.
Garnish by indenting the pasta with a spoon and then filling with freshly cooked peas.

Me? I love the sweetness of the peas against the spicy richness of the Moroccan blend, and the black plate makes the olives really pop visually. It makes me feel like Paul Bowles.

*you can also use Victoria's Tuscan Seasoning for a slightly less exotic effect

Now you may be asking why Victoria Gourmet is our November sponsor. If you look closely at the photo above, you can see that I use the same metal tins for some of my mixed paints that they will use to ship you your Tuscan and Moroccan Seasoning blends.

Victoria herself--the one who (if you work at Victoria Gourmet) must be obeyed--sent me a dozen empties, and they have been a boon.

Stop reading now and go immediately to her site. It's full of holiday gift ideas for that special person in your life.