New pasta on the menu: Fresh Fettuccine

We're adding a classic noodle to the menu this week that is an international favorite we're sure you'll be excited about: Fettuccine. This more dense noodle is incredibly fresh and filling when made with egg-dough like we do at Due'. We'll be making delicious fettuccine noodles from egg dough fresh every day to serve as a new, hearty base for your favorite sauces.

Where fettuccine comes from:

As with most of our favorite, signature dishes here at Due', fettuccine is a traditional Tuscan and Roman type of pasta. It's long noodles are characteristically flat and thick and normally made with an egg dough for a fresh, rich taste and texture. Because it's traditionally made with egg dough, fettuccine is best made fresh and prepared with your choice of sauce right away; like we do at Due'. Often times you'll see fettuccine noodles curled up in little nests waiting to be cooked fresh or dried. You may see artisanal versions of fettuccine made with spinach along with other various dough colors and additions. Because of fettuccine's thicker noodle shape, it makes it ideal for holding thick sauces that include meat.

How Italians eat fettuccine:

We have a few suggestions of our own, as Tuscans, for how to enjoy this super traditional, well-loved pasta shape. Take advantage of this hearty noodle and pair it with a Ragu' alla Bolognese sauce for a really filling meal. This is the traditional way! Another great option we recommend is lighter white sauces like our Mushroom and Truffle sauce and a simple option of fettuccine topped with smoked salmon for something a little lighter.

This is a noodle that serves as the perfect base for your favorite sauce for a rich meal or is also incredibly satisfying all on it's own with something more simple. It's versatile and when you've had it made fresh like we do at Due', you won't be able to have it any other way! Come in and enjoy a fresh plate this weekend.

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Creative catering ideas for the office

Have you and your team been ordering from the same spot for months now? Is lunch together at the office getting predictable?

Or do you have a meeting coming up and want to make sure guests enjoy every detail of their time with your team?

Even though business is business, every detail, including food, makes an impression on your team and guests.

Switch things up and make your next office lunch something everyone will appreciate and remember.

Here are a few creative catering ideas for the office:

1. Go beyond the sandwich:

Sandwich platters are, for lack of a better term, played out. If you're catering to impress or treat your team, this isn't the way. It's time to step it up. We know sandwiches are normally the easiest, cheapest option, but there are plenty of alternatives that are just as easy and crowd pleasing. Let's be real, sandwiches aren't even really that crowd pleasing. Try switching it up and serving other single serving dishes like flatbreads and salads. Present an array of different styles people can choose combos like at their favorite cafe outside the office. It's a step up from the sandwich. Grabbing a Panino con Porchetta or Caprese Bruschetta and a single Marinated Egg Plant Salad is much more satisfying than a turkey and cheese sandwich. Your team or guests will appreciate it.

2. Forget box lunches, go with trays and "tapas" style:

You know what's also over done? Box lunches. Not only are they super inconvenient, but your staff likely orders the same thing every time. Instead of having to take everyone's order every time you get lunch catered to the office, surprise everyone with a buffet of new options outside of the norm. Tray dishes are a great way to serve a bigger amount of people without the hassle. They're usually more cost effective as well. For many offices, we do tray dishes of our favorites: kale pesto rigatoni, spaghetti Bolognese, and more Italian classics.

3. Bring in a mix of diet safe options without singling out:

These days, there's likely more than one person who chooses to eat differently. Instead of having to cater and single them out each time you go to make a lunch order, or god forbid, forget they exist, make their option available. There are plenty of dishes that meet dietary needs and are so delicious people won't even notice. Many restaurants these days are conscious of dietary needs and wants and work this into their menu flawlessly. Go for these options to save time, money, and to avoid missing someone. This way is much ore convenient and everyone is guaranteed a good meal. For example, we serve fresh, handmade, gluten free pasta. We have vegetarian and vegan options for sauces as well. Learn more about our dietary options for catering.

4. Go with something gourmet:

Office lunch doesn't have to mean boring and simple. Many caterers drop the ball with large orders in terms of quality. Gourmet can be catered and guests and staff will very much appreciate it. Have a restaurant that takes preparation and quality of ingredients seriously cater. All of our dishes, even though made in bulk for big office teams, are made with the same care and quality of our individual dishes in the restaurant. We made all pasta by hand the traditional way for your trays and sauces are crafted with the same quality ingredients. It doesn't have to be a budget killer, either. Our catering prices are comparable to many other options; just higher quality!

Get $30 off your first office catering order with Due' Cucina and change the meaning of "office lunch" entirely.

GET $30 OFF YOUR FIRST ORDER

We’re switching things up yet again and adding something special to our loved fresh egg-dough noodles: spinach.

So don’t be surprised to see new green lasagna gracing tables soon.

It’s a funny thing to call a menu item “new” when it’s origin dates back not only to our traditional Italian homes in Tuscany but to Roman times. Lasagna was originally an ancient roman creation of layered meat and pasta sheets; aptly named from the roman word “laganum” for square sheets.

Our beloved lasagna really hit the height of popularity in the middle ages where our variation of this dish began. During the renaissance, the brilliance of egg dough pasta and layering cheese and meat was introduced. In the 17th century, we were gifted tomato sauce from Naples and the all-Italian masterpiece was complete.

We’re going with green for our egg-dough lasagna noodles, following the tradition of Bologna of the Emilia-Romagna region. We add spinach to our handmade egg-dough noodles and layer them with traditional bolognese, homemade bechamel, and the perfect assortment of cheeses then bake to perfection.

Enjoy this Italian classic made the traditional way now at Due’!

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A brand new shape: Rigatoni 

There are approximately 350 different pasta shapes out there but Rigatoni is one of the few that stands out as a favorite in both Italy and the United States. Back at home in Italy, it’s particularly a favorite of the south of Italy and Sicily for their traditional dishes.

Rigatoni is like a Ziti or Penne but a little bigger with ridged edges that hold sauce and grated cheese perfectly. It’s name comes from the word “rigato”, meaning ridged. It’s ideal for both heavy sauces and simple dishes as it holds the flavor in every bite.

The Story:

Rigatoni is an integral and long-standing pasta traditional in all Italian cuisine. More specifically, it’s believed the origins of Rigatoni are in Rome. It’s prevalence today is everywhere, in all regions’ traditional dishes, but most particularly in the middle and south of Italy. It’s made with semolina flour, traditionally and is cooked al dente to retain its durability. Because of it’s hearty shape and durable structure, it’s normally used for meat sauces or vegetable based sauces with cream. It holds sauces well and doesn’t collapse like other shapes.

Our Suggestion:

We stick to the authentic style here at Due’ and are now serving you Rigatoni handmade as an option with our dishes. Our recommendation? Rigatoni at Due’ is perfect with our Pomodoro sauce, a vegetarian tomato sauce. Our Pomodoro is made with a perfectly seasoned plum tomato sauce, baby spinach, and topped with Sardinian salted Ricotta. The Rigatoni shape is perfect for this hearty sauces and traditional cheese and is one of our favorite dishes.

We’re excited to be able to share another Italian favorite done the authentic way, made by hand, at Due’!

 

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New to the menu: Italian classics done in a fresh, modern way

Everyone loves a bit of nostalgia...

There are plenty of traditional Italian dishes that hold memories and live-long comforts for people around the world. Eggplant Parmigiana is, arguably, one of those. It’s a staple but “staple” doesn’t mean stagnant.

At Due’, we’ve taken an authentic “Melanzane alla parmigiana” Sicilian recipe and served it to Seattle with modern style.

To appreciate something, know where it comes from:

Melanzane alla Parmigiana, or Eggplant Parmesan as we call it here, is a southern Italian classic. We take our inspiration from the Sicilian tradition (not picking sides on the original origin for you fellow Italians!). We stick pretty close to the original you’re likely familiar with, preferring to not fix what is absolutely not broken. Eggplants are sliced thin and pan fried in olive oil. We layer the slices with tomato sauce and cheese and bake it in the oven all together. We make a slight deviation here from the “norm”and throw in a Sicilian touch of Caciocavallo cheese.

It sounds simple but we promise, the result is nothing less than exceptional. As always, we rely on quality ingredients that speak for themselves for outstanding taste.

This is the perfect, crowd pleasing appetizer.

We’d like to think of it as a work of art but not for a “night out” price.

Our Eggplant Parmigiana is just $7.70 at Due’ Cucina starting this week.

 

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