Photo & Recipes by Chris Jay for the Bay Centre

On the hunt for a festive Easter recipe that every-bunny will enjoy? The Bay Centre has partnered with local chef Chris Jay to create a fresh take on Easter dinner using Italian-import ingredients from The Tuscan Kitchen.

Chris features truffle carpaccio, affiorato olive oil, and durum wheat fusilli in his black truffle pesto pasta. Ingredients are prepped and plated using pasta bowls and serving dishes hand-crafted in Italy. Hop on over to The Tuscan Kitchen to try the dish out for yourself!

The Tuscan Kitchen, located at the Bay Centre, is locally owned and operated by the Schelini family for over 20 years – bringing their love & passion for everything Italian to your dinner table.

Black Truffle Pesto Fusilli with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Artichokes

Recipes by Chris Jay for the Bay Centre

Watch how this is made here

Ingredients

• 500g Mancini Fusilli from The Tuscan Kitchen• 15g La Madia Black Truffle Carpaccio from The Tuscan Kitchen• 2 ½ tbsp La Madia Black Truffle Carpaccio oil from The Tuscan Kitchen• ½ cup Calogiuri Affiorato Extra Virgin Olive Oil from The Tuscan Kitchen• 30g pine nuts• 80g basil leaves• 1 clove garlic• 40g shredded parmesan• Juice of 1 lemon• 300g artichokes• 140g sun-dried tomatoes

Directions:

• Slice the sun-dried tomatoes and artichokes, set aside.

• In a dry pan on medium heat, toast the pine nuts until golden brown.

• Add toasted pine nuts and garlic to a blender; blend until the nuts form a paste.

• Scrape down the sides of the blender with a spatula.

• Add basil, parmesan, truffle carpaccio, black pepper, salt, lemon zest and juice. Blend until combined.

• While the blender is running pour in olive oil and truffle oil, season to taste.

• In a pot of salted simmering water, add the fusilli and cook for 8-10 mins. Stir the pasta to prevent any sticking.

• In a pre-heated pan on medium-high heat, sauté the artichokes in olive oil until golden brown, then add sun-dried tomatoes and cook for another minute.

• In a large bowl, combine the cooked fusilli, artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, and pesto. (Add 1/3c of pasta water to thin out the sauce if needed.

• Finish the truffle pesto fusilli with lemon zest before serving.

The Bay Centre

Address: 1150 Douglas St., VictoriaInstagram: @thebaycentre