The warm flavors of the Southeastern French coast come together in this pasta to create nothing less than a miracle.  van Gogh, Matisse, Picasso, Cezanne, and many other artists have been inspired by the beauty, the climate, and no doubt, the food of this magical place.

I wanted to capture that flavor in a pasta dish.  Something bold and bright, intense and flavorful seemed to be calling to me like the Sirens but I was not sure how I wanted to put it all together until I went to the grocer and found large shrimp on sale.  Perfect!

This dish almost screams for a good baguette to soak up all the sauce, and a crisp romaine salad to add crunch to the meal.

This is my entry for This week’s Presto Pasta is hosted by Katie at  One Little Corner of the World. If you want to participate in Presto Pasta Night 109 then follow these   guidelines .  Many thanks to Ruth, of Once Upon A Feast, who created PPN and keeps it going smoothly.

Shrimp and Pasta Provencal

• 1 bunch fresh basil, chopped
• Olive oil
• 1 large can Muir Glen Fire Roasted tomatoes
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 4 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 Yellow Bell Pepper, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes, more or less to taste
• 1 jar pitted Kalamata olives, drained and brine set aside
• 1 /4 cup red wine
• 1 1/2 lbs large or jumbo shrimp, deveined but shells on
• 1 lb whole wheat fettuccine

Saute the garlic, onion, pepper, and celery in the olive oil until vegetables are tender and onion is transparent.  Remove from pan and set aside. Add the shrimp and saute until the shrimp begins to turn color.  Remove from pan and set aside to cool.

Deglaze the pan with the wine and add the tomatoes, red pepper, and olives.  Bring to a simmer and cover.

Bring pot of salted  water to a boil and add fettucine.  Cook until a la dente.  Drain.

Remove the shells from the shrimp and add to the sauce.  Continue to simmer until shrimp is done, just a few more minutes.  Stir in the basil.  Serve over the fettucine, garnished with shaved parmesan cheese.

Serves 6 or so

Cumin and dark chocolate truffles?

I know.  It sounds so…well…weird.  I could not get this flavor combination out of my mind.  In my opinion cumin does not add flavor so much as it adds a warm nuance.  Would it be too weird with chocolate?

No.  It was awesome.  The dark chocolate hits you first and then the cumin wraps itself around your mouth, whispering of warm summer days.   As the chocolate fades away you are still lost in the spell of the cumin.

Easy to make, you can adjust the cumin to your tastes, it doesn’t take much.

Creamy Cumin and Dark Chocolate Truffles

• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 8 oz bittersweet chocolate baking bar, broken in 1/4-inch pieces
• 8 oz dark chocolate baking bar broken in 1/4 inch pieces
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/3 cup  Dagoba Xocolatl hot chocolate powder ( you can substitute plain cocoa)

Ganache:

In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer. Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate and butter. Stir until completely melted and smooth

Chill, covered, for two hours.

Truffles:

Pour the Xocolatl onto a plate.  Using a small melon baller form truffles out of the ganache.  Roll in the Xoclotl, until evenly coated.  Store in refrigerator, seperated by wax paper for up to two weeks.  Allow to come to room temperature before serving.

2 1/2 dozen

It may sound weird but my family gave this root beer pot roast at least a hundred and fifteen stars.  Maybe more.  There is something about the soda that makes the meat buttery and tender, absolutely melt in your mouth good.  The root beer adds a subtle sweetness and a nice spicy touch.

Since it is cooked in a slow cooker the actual work time for this is less than 10 minutes.  The carrots added to the cooking liquer give it an added sweetness and onion adds a little depth.  It is very similar to a Sauerbraten in many ways.  Serve it with some homemade rolls and mashed potatoes and your Sunday family dinner is Mayberry RFD perfect.

The kind of root beer that you use will make such a difference in this.  I suggest that you try an artisan microbrewed root beer for the very best results…but A & W would be my next choice.  Remember that the complexity of flaqvors in the root beer will creat the complexity of flavors in the finished dish so a fake, chemically rootbeer will never be as good as a good one.  End of sermon.

Root Beer Pot Roast

• Black Angus organic pot roast, 5 lbs
• 36 ozs of root beer, room temperature
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 10 organic carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1-2 onions, optional

Season roast on all sides and set aside for 15 minutes while you prepare the carrots.

Heat a frying pan and add just a touch of olive oil.

Brown roast on all sides, just until you get that nice caramelization crispiness to the meat.

Pour 1/3 of the room temperature root beer into the slow cooker.

Add the meat carefully.

Add the carrots and onions if you are using them

Pour the rest of the root beer over the roast and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.

Serves 8-10 hungry people

images:c) restless chipotle 2009, all rights reserved.