tyler florence does the most delicious shrimp scampi with linquini

I had a craving for scampi with linguini and decided to make it for my book group.  The problem, finding the perfect recipe for a dish that has many subtle variations.  With great success from Tyler Florence's recipes in the past, I chose Tyler's Ultimate and it was fantastic.  The wine and lemon were the perfect amount of acidity and the shallot added extra depth to the flavors.  My slight change up--I made two pans of sauce so I could fully coat the shrimp in one and toss the linguini in the other. I plated the pasta and topped it with the prawns and extra sauce--yum!  So feel free to double up the sauce recipe and be sure to serve with a crispy, crusty garlic bread.  Makes 4 entree portions.

1 pound linguini

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 large shallot, finely diced

5 cloves garlic, minced

Pinch red pepper flakes

24 large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

½ cup dry white wine

1 lemon, juiced

¼ cup finely chopped Italian parsley

Cook pasta in salted water for 6-8 minutes.  Drain and reserve 1 cup of cooking water.

In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter in 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat.  Saute the shallots, garlic and red pepper flake until shallots soften, about 3 minutes.  Season the shrimp with salt and pepper, add them to the pan and cook until they have turned pink, about 2 minutes.  Remove from the pan and set aside.  Add wine and lemon juice and bring to a boil.  Add 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons oil.  Return shrimp, pasta and parsley to the pan along with reserved water.  Stir well, heat through and season with salt and pepper.  Drizzle with olive oil ( or extra sauce if you made it) and serve immediately.  Recipe courtesy of Tyler Florence

recipe for peruvian beans

There is something very comforting about a pot of warm beans.  There are lots of great canned beans out there and I certainly use them--but when I discovered how simple and easy it is to make a batch of beans--ready for an instant snack, burrito, taco or side dish, I was hooked.  The Peruvian beans are very tasty, but this recipe works for pinto beans and white beans as well.  Try them all!

 

12-16 oz. Peruvian beans
1 yellow onion, very small dice
6 garlic gloves, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt
Black pepper

Rinse the beans in cold water, to remove any dirt or shell.  Place beans, onion and garlic in a large 4-5 quart heavy pot or Dutch oven.  Add the olive oil, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper and cover with water—approx. 4 inches over the top of the beans. Stir to combine.   Bring to a boil, then lower temperature to a simmer and cover.  Cook for approx. 2 hours, checking frequently that all the water does not evaporate--add water if necessary—otherwise beans will stick and burn (you want them to be saucy). When done, taste for salt and add as needed.

Beans will be saucy and soft.   For a delicious bite, drizzle with melted butter and wrap in warm flour tortillas or drain, rough smash and saute to create refried beans for your favorite dish.

Delicious!

recipe for tagine of chicken

I had some friends over for dinner last week and I wasn't in the mood to turn on the oven--I wanted a meal that cooked itself on the stove with little or no need for supervision.  Then it came to me--a recipe I had written in 2006 when I gave mom a tagine cooker for Christmas.

A tagine is a conical earthenware cook pot common in Northern Africa and revered for the way it locks in moisture in its conical top creating super moist, tender and flavorful foods.  Since mom has the tagine and I don't, I used a 5 quart enamel dutch over (like Le Creuset) with excellent results. Just leave the lid on tight.

Here is my recipe for tagine of chicken with green olives.  I served it with pinenut and golden raisin studded couscous (a 5 minute stovetop dish).

6 garlic gloves, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 chicken drumsticks and 4 chicken thighs, on the bone.
1 8-10oz. can diced tomato
1 TBL tomato paste
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock
spice blend  (see below)
10 oz. approx. jar of pitted green Spanish or Greek olives without pimento
3 TBL chopped Italian parsley
Zest from one lemon
Flour
Olive oil

Spice blend:
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric  (no substitution)
1/4 tsp cayenne

Remove skin from chicken.  Heat  several tablespoons of oil in dutch oven.  Dust chicken with flour and fry till light brown and set aside.
Add additional oil to the pan and saute the onion and garlic. Add the chicken and the remaining ingredients except the olives, parsley and lemon.
Lower the heat, put the lid on the pan and let simmer for 1 hour.  After an hour, add the olives and parsley, and cook for 15-20 minutes more with the lid slightly ajar, letting the sauce reduce. Taste for seasoning.

On a coupe plate, place a leg and thigh on bed of couscous, spoon sauce and olives around and garnish chicken with lemon zest.  4 servings.

recipe for scampi with linguini

I experimented with making a scampi with a creamy butter/wine sauce with a little zest--alot like the linguini with white clam sauce I had in Italy.  This was really delicious--but do taste for salt, I did add more at the end. Parmesan cheese is non-traditional, but a little does create a creaminess.

4 servings:

1 lb  raw, shelled, deveined large prawns (about 32)
8 oz. dry linguini
4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2  shallots finely chopped
1 tbsp minced garlic 
1/2 cup dry white wine
½ cup pasta water, set aside
Red pepper flake—pinch
2 tbsp capers (optional)
Salt/freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Finely chopped Italian parsley

Cook linguine in salted water for 7 minutes.  Drain. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water.

While pasta is cooking, in a large non-stick pan, saute shallots in 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil.  Add prawns, white wine, garlic, salt and pepper, reducing the wine as prawns cook, about 2-3 minutes.  Add pasta, dash of red pepper flake, capers and Parmesan cheese tossing well.  Add the last two tablespoons of butter and olive oil and a little bit of pasta water if necessary—sauce should be loose and creamy.  Taste for more salt.

 Pour onto large pasta plate and garnish with parsley.

clam dip recipe

Since it is the beginning of June and the time is here to start cooking all our great summer recipes, I thought it was the perfect time to share my most requested recipe. But be careful, this dip is seriously addictive!

Clam Dip
2 8oz. cans of whole baby clams, drained
1 pkg dry onion soup mix
16oz. sour cream
2 8oz. pkg. of cream cheese (room temp!)
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbl Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 green onion chopped very fine

Leave cream cheese out for 2 hours at room temp. When ready to mix, remove foil wrap from cream cheese and place in mixing bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds so cream cheese is very soft. Add all the other ingredients except the green onion and mix well. No lumps! Chill 2 hours. Place in decorative bowl and garnish with chopped green onion. Serve with Ruffles with Ridges!
Makes one large batch. (5-6 cups)

fettuccini alfredo

I have been meaning to share this recipe with you for awhile after I was stunned to find out that classic fettuccini alfredo actually has no cream in it.  Of course there are many American variations, but it was thanks to Rachael Ray who demonstrated the original Roman method of making this delicious dish on her show that got me to try it--and it couldn't be easier.

Fettuccini alfredo is a dish that supposedly started at a restaurant in Rome called Alfredo.  The simple combination of butter and parmesan melts together perfectly to create a silky and addictive sauce.

2 medium or 4 small servings.
8oz. of dry fettuccini, cooked to al dente in salted water, about 7 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup of hot cooking water.  While it is cooking, warm a serving bowl in a 200 degree oven.

When ready, remove serving bowl from oven and add 6 Tbl of butter (6 large pats), hot noodles over butter and top with 1 & 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.  Toss, letting the cheese and butter begin to melt together.  Add small amount of cooking water to help create the sauce.  Continue to toss till smooth, silky and shiny. Taste for salt, but you may not need it because of the salt in the cheese.  Twirl with tongs onto individual plates.

thin crust pizza

I have been experimenting with mini pizzas for a while--just ask my brother, he was a willing trial subject in the beginning and even called and asked for more.  But my toppings have gotten a little more sophisticated, with very good flavor and I just had to share the recipe and technique.

First, I use plain pita pockets for the base--so simple, they make a thin crunchy crust and you use them right out of the package.  I heat the the oven to 475 degrees and I place two ten inch cast iron skillets on the rack upside down. Preheat for ten minutes.  That will be the perfect pizza stone for my nine inch pita pockets.  I mix olive oil with a splash of soy sauce for the base of the pizza--secret ingredient-- and then place thin slices of zucchini, little blobs of fresh mozzarella, pulled pieces of raw hot Italian sausage, a sprinkle of fennel seeds, sea salt and cracked black pepper and bake for seven minutes.  To die for.  Variations include fresh mozzarella and arugula or hot sausage with smoked clams and provolone--that one is crazy good.

asian beef salad recipe

I had the book group over for dinner last week. We read a mystery, Dark Places by a new writer, Gillian Flynn.  Good book with a main character with enough head problems and issues to keep you wondering how it will end and it does have a little twist at the finish.  For two weeks prior to dinner I had been hooked on making different variations of one of my favorite meals, Asian salad, so I thought it appropriate to make one for my friends.  Some dim sum for appetizers from Dim Sum Bar right in the neighborhood, pomegranate and mango sorbet drizzled with vodka for dessert and it was a fresh and healthy July summer dinner.  Here is the recipe for the salad.  Serves 4-5.

1 head of savoy cabbage,  4-5 outer leaves reserved, 1 1/2 cups of cabbage shredded
2 cups of baby arugula leaves
2 cups of baby spinach
1 serrano chili, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 lb cooked spagetti, chilled
1 cup shredded carrot--long threads, if possible
4 green onions, chopped on the bias--reserve 2 tbl for garnish
1 cup fresh bean sprouts
3-4 tbl of Girard's spinach dressing--thanks Donna! This is good stuff--use it on a classic spinach and bacon salad, too.
2 lb top sirloin steak--longer is better than thicker
hoison sauce
salt and pepper
2 tbl crushed garlic
4-5 tbl vegetable oil

From the savoy cabbage, separate the 4-5 large outer leaves, clean, and save to be the base to place your salad. Slice and shred 1 1/2 cups of the cabbage and reserve. Marinate the steak in garlic and 2-3 tbl oil in a zip lock back in the refrigerator for an hour. Salt and pepper the steak and in a hot heavy skillet, add about 2 tbl of oil and cook steak about 4 minutes on each side (med rare).  Cover and let rest 10 minutes. Combine the rest of the ingredients up to the Girard's dressing, reserving 2 tbl of green onion for garnish.  Place a savoy cabbage leave in an oversized bowl or plate.  Arrange mixed salad on top.  Slice beef in thin slices, brush with hoison and place 3-4 on top of salad.  Garnish with reserved green onion. Enjoy!