This week I got a fun surprise package from Lavazza coffee, which as some of you may remember I fell in love with them when I was in the italian region of Zanzibar back in January. As Italy’s #1 coffee brand, you can expect they have a lot of passion for their heritage and culinary recipes. Along with sending me a full box of Lavazza coffee (which is the best gift anyone can give me), they included the cookbook, Extra Virgin: Recipes and Love from our Tuscan Kitchen.
Brewing a fresh cup of joe (aka Lavazza Gran Aroma, medium roast coffee), I decided to indulge in a pasta lunch making the Pasta Alla Gricia recipe (p. 70). What I love about this cookbook is that it tells you the history of the recipe prior the the instructions. Now I’m likely spoiling the recipe by not including the guanciale (I’m a vegetarian), but any pasta dish that involves a lot of cheese, garlic and good quality olive oil is perfection in my book. This is one of the more simplistic recipes consisting of:
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 pound of guanciale (which I’ve now made optional)
5 garlic cloves
5 fresh sage leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound oasta
3/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino cheese
(this recipe serves 4)
Normally, I go for a cup of Lavazza dark roast in the AM and then do a half to full cup of a medium roast in the afternoon. All of their blends are smooth with great body. And they don’t make me jittery or give me a headache, which besides great flavor is what constitutes a good cup of coffee for me. Plus, having that big pasta lunch I needed the caffeine boost, otherwise it would have been a major food coma, followed by a nap for me.
Learn more about Lavazza and their specialty drip coffees at lavazza.us
{Disclaimer: Sponsored post. Coffee and cookbook were provided by Lavazza, opinions are my own}