Pasta Dinner Gift Basket
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Now THIS is what a pasta dinner is supposed to look like! This kit comes with bucatini (a thick spaghetti-like pasta with a hole running through the center), Rigatoni, Linguine, rich wild boar bolognese, tomato basil sauce, a spicy prosciutto-kicked amatriciana, and a bottle of Bona Furtuna extra virgin olive oil. Round out your meal by adding on harissa-marinated olives or Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Karen Akunowicz is one of Boston’s top chefs, in more ways than one: not only was she a fan favorite on Bravo’s “Top Chef” and “Top Chef All-Stars,” she also received the 2018 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Northeast for her work at Myers + Chang. In 2019 she opened a 75-seat enoteca called Fox & The Knife, which was named an “instant classic” by Food & Wine and was a finalist for “Best New Restaurant” at the 2020 James Beard Awards.
Kosher salt not included
This package serves 6 people and includes:
- Pasta (3 lbs.)
- 3 Sauces (each 1 pt.)
- 1 Gift Basket
- Bona Furtuna Extra Virgin Olive Oil (16.9 oz.)
- Pasta arrives in three 1 lb. packages
Sauces Include
- 1 Pt. Tomato Basil – While this sauce sounds simple it has a depth and richness that I love. This is a workhorse sauce for me, and I use it for chicken parmigiana, eggplant parmigiana and of course to sauce all of my favorite pastas. The sauce has a small amount of spice and a lot of basil, and a little caramelized butter so it is extra creamy.
- 1 Pt. Amatriciana – One of the most famous roman sauces, started with melted onions and garlic and lots of prosciutto, this tomato based sauce is spicy and smokey. Its a staff and customer favorite and the perfect pair for our bucatini.
- 1 Pt. Wild Boar Bolognese – I spent a year living and working in Modena, Italy in the Emilia-Romagna region. I was a hop, skip and a jump (ok, really just a hop) from Bologna, the birthplace of bolognese. Sundays were my day off and I often spent them staging at different restaurants in the region, or traveling to Florence to sit on things and eat gelato. I staged at a restaurant in Bologna, where I learned how to make their bolognese, and this is the foundation of my dish here. My recipe is adapted to living in Boston and not Italy, and like many of my recipes, sneaks in an ingredient or two from my travels or proclivities. Although cinghiale (wild boar) would never wander into a traditional Bolognese ragu, I spent a good amount of time in Tuscany during the time I lived in Em
Pastas Include
- 1 lb. Rigatoni – Rigatoni are a Southern Italian, tube shaped pasta perfect for catching all of your favorite sauces. They typically have ridges down the length and are larger than penne. We highly recommend to serve with our Amatriciana or Tomato Basil.
- 1 lb. Bucatini – a hollow round pasta, slightly thicker than spaghetti, this pasta is a fan favorite. Perfect for roman dishes, it is perfectly sauced with our Amatriciana. A fast way to transport yourself to the trattorias of Rome.
- 1 lb. Linguine – a long noodle, similar to fettuccine but slightly rounded in shape!
- Choose to add more!
Add-ons Options include
- Harissa Marinated Olives (8 oz.)
- Parmigiano-Reggiano (8 oz.)
- Bona Furtuna Extra Virgin Olive Oil (16.9 oz.)
- “Talk Pasta To Me” T-Shirt
- “Crave” Cookbook by Chef Karen Akunowicz
- This package ships with ice packs, may thaw in transit
- Pasta must be cooked prior to consumption
- Upon arrival, remove pasta from packaging and place immediately in the fridge
- Pasta and sauce can be kept on the countertop for up to 2 hours, in the fridge up to 5 days, or frozen up to 2 weeks.
- Pasta sauce may be heated from frozen
To Serve
- Bring a gallon of water to boil with a ¼ cup of kosher salt
- Pour sauce into a large frying pan or heavy bottom sauce pot and heat on medium until happy bubbles form on top
- Add pasta to boiling water and cook for 2 minutes
- Drain pasta into a colander, reserving some of the water, or lift out pasta with a slotted spoon
- Put pasta into the sauce and add ¼ cup pasta water and a teaspoon of unsalted butter and toss until pasta is perfectly coated
- Garnish with Parmigiano Reggiano, if desired.
- Enjoy. Stay Foxy
If cooking from frozen
- The sauce should be thawed on countertop for 1-2 hours prior to cooking so it can easily be poured from container.
- The pastas should be thawed on countertop for 1-2 hours prior to being cooked.