Bring Italy to You: Celebrate Carnevale This Winter

It's Time for Carnevale: Food, Family, and Fun

Plus, Enter to Win a Redpack Tomatoes Variety Pack!

In Italy, it's during this time of year that the streets are filled with fun and excitement for Carnevale.  And while we may not be able to hop on a plane to enjoy the festivities firsthand, this year, Redpack Tomatoes is bringing Carnevale to us!

For many of us in the US, it's cold outside right now (like, really cold), and on those frigid days, nothing says comfort to me like a hearty, wholesome, nutritious family meal. And while we're currently short on locally-grown fresh produce here in the Northeast, the Redpack brand ensures that we can have access to the highest quality, family-grown, midwestern tomatoes all year long.

Earlier this month, Redpack sent me a Tomato Variety Pack, including a tote bag and recipe booklet (which, incidentally, is exactly what we're giving away below!). My kids and I got all jazzed up to celebrate Carnevale, and while I'm certainly not a food blogger, I can (usually) follow a simple recipe. So this week, (for Carnevale AND Meatless Monday--bonus!), we made some Pizza Stromboli (recipe courtesy of Redpack and shared at the bottom of this post!).

We switched up the recipe a little bit just by allowing everyone to add their own veggie choices to the center. This was a great idea for the little ones because it gave them some ownership over their "portions" and made it more fun to eat, knowing they had a personal touch in the meal.

The whole experience from making the meal to eating it was fun. As an added bonus, the pizza sauce recipe yielded a TON of sauce, so I was able to store at least two meals-worth in the freezer.

Also, aside from the giveaway I'm hosting here, Redpack is hosting a Facebook promotion during the same time. Each week, 1,000 Redpack followers will get a Redpack branded apron. Even better: the grand prize winner will receive a pasta stock pot, pasta-related serveware and Redpack products! Visit their Facebook page to enter! But don't forget to enter the giveaway here first!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Contest ends 3/3. Open to residents of the continental US.

Redpack Pizza Stromboli: Recipe Overview

Servings:	8
Preparation Time:	20 minutes
Cook Time:	1 hour

 

Ingredients

2	tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1	small onion, chopped
1	garlic clove, minced
1/2	cup vegetable broth, or white wine
4	tablespoons Redpack® Tomato Paste
2	(14.5 ounce) cans Redpack® Petite Diced Tomatoes With Garlic & Olive Oil
1	teaspoon red pepper
	Salt and black pepper to taste
2	teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1	(8 ounce) tube refrigerator pizza crust, or crescent roll sheet
2	cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese blend
1	cup chopped assorted fresh vegetables, green pepper, onion, muchrooms and spinach leaves

Directions

Spicy Pizza Sauce - Makes 2 1/2 cups

• Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add the onions and sauté until they are soft, about 4 minutes.  Add the garlic and wine; cook for an additional minute.
• Stir in REDPACK® TOMATO PASTE, REDPACK® PETITE DICED TOMATOES with GARLIC & OLIVE OIL, pepper flakes, salt and black pepper.  Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes or until thickened.  Stir in the vinegar; cool.
• Freeze leftover pizza sauce for a future Pizza Braid or regular pizza.

Pizza Braid - Makes 1 braid

• Preheat oven to 375^o F.  Remove pizza dough from tube and place on sheet of parchment paper.  Roll dough into a 10” X 14” rectangle.  Place on baking sheet.
• Spread ½ of cheese down the center third of the dough.  Top with 1 cup Spicy Pizza Sauce and 1 cup of shopped vegetables.  Top with remaining cheese.
• Cut 1” crosswise strips down the sides of the rectangle.  Starting from one end, bring one of the dough strips across the filling diagonally.  Repeat on the other side, crisscrossing the dough strips.  Continue down the rest of the braid, alternating strips to form the loaf.  Brush with egg wash (one egg beaten with a pinch of salt).  Sprinkle with dehydrated onions or poppy seed.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.
• Option:  Pepperoni or crumbled cooked sausage could be added when placing the vegetables.

Nutritional facts per serving

Calories:	250	Fiber:	3g
Fats:	10g	Protein:	11g
Trans Fat:	0g	Vitamin A:	50%
Cholesterol:	20mg	Vitamin C:	35%
Sodium:	1140mg	Calcium:	20%
Carbohydrate:	30g	Iron:	10%

Hope you enjoy it as much as we did! Happy Carnevale!
 
And, if we're not already connected, find me on Pinterest, Facebook, and Google+ so we can start sharing ideas together!