Olive Garden Prepares For Fall With Limited-Time Carbonara Dishes

October 13, 2008 11:54 AM EDT

ORLANDO, Fla., Oct. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- As the weather cools and the days grow shorter, Olive Garden is welcoming fall with the quintessential Italian comfort food on its menu for a limited time. Beginning Monday, October 13 through early January, guests can enjoy new Chicken Carbonara or Shrimp Carbonara. The dishes are in part a result of the Olive Garden culinary team's annual travels through Italy, during which its chefs visit various regions of the country to garner fresh inspiration for new dishes.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081013/NY38538 )

In Olive Garden's new Chicken Carbonara, two chicken breasts are sauteed with bucatini pasta in a parmesan cream sauce with pancetta and topped with seasoned breadcrumbs. A crisp and slightly sweet wine such as a Riesling pairs perfectly with the chicken and provides a nice counterpoint to the rich and creamy sauce.

Shrimp Carbonara features large shrimp sauteed with bucatini pasta in a parmesan cream sauce with pancetta, topped with seasoned breadcrumbs. A full and smooth Chardonnay is the perfect complement to this dish.

The classic carbonara at the heart of both entrees traces its culinary roots to a hearty meal popularized by 20th-century charcoal workers in villages along the outskirts of Rome. The simple, traditional dish kept workers satisfied and was made with ingredients typical of Italian pantries, including egg, pancetta, black pepper, and parmesan or pecorino.

During the Olive Garden culinary team's last trip to Italy, they visited Sardinia where they discovered a unique, cream-based carbonara dish. Their experience inspired a new permanent carbonara addition to the Olive Garden menu as well as these two limited time offerings. You can learn more about the culinary team's gastronomic adventures in Italy and get the recipe for Chicken & Shrimp Carbonara at www.olivegardennewfavorites.com.

Olive Garden is the leading restaurant in the Italian dining segment with 662 restaurants, more than 80,000 employees and $3.1 billion in annual sales. Olive Garden is a division of Darden Restaurants Inc. (NYSE: DRI), the world's largest owned and operated full-service restaurant company. For more information, visit Olive Garden's Web site at www.olivegarden.com.

Pancetta Primer

What it is: Pancetta is an Italian bacon that is cured and spiced unlike American bacon which is smoked.

Varieties: A common ingredient across Italy, pancetta is consumed in various regions, many of which produce their own distinct version incorporating local flavors and spices.

Popular uses: Pancetta is used in a wide variety of dishes including risottos, pastas, sauces, stews and cooked vegetables. In addition to its more traditional uses, crisp pancetta can be crumbled atop salads to add a savory crunch, cooked and wrapped around seafood or grilled vegetables to intensify flavors or substituted for sausage as an unexpected addition to stuffing.

SOURCE Olive Garden

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