Seafood Cioppino Connecticut

Seafood Cioppino Connecticut
The hubs said: "This is delicious! But next time you make it, you really don't need to add the broccoli."

When daughter Brynnly isn't working the restaurant dinner shift and her beau is, she'll come have dinner with us, her parental units. It's always a loverly evening when this occurs! Unless she or I have a specific craving, we usually have no idea what we're eating until we get to the grocery store! This night Brynn was craving seafood, but there wasn't a fish for sale that we wanted at Stew's for less than a bazillion $$ a pound. (I refuse to pay $23.99/pound for a piece of wild salmon!) So, we decided to go the shellfish and calamari route as the wild shrimp were on sale for $4.99/lb and the cockles and calamari inexpensive as well. Brynnly said she wanted to make some sort of seafood stew kind of dish and we came up with the below - truly a throw 'n go rendition! It was absolutely wonderful! 

The throw 'n go:

1 1/2 lbs. raw wild shrimp, deshelled
1 lb. cockle clams, cleaned
4 tubes with tentacles calamari, cleaned and cut in rings, tentacles included
2 T. or so butter
2 T. or so evoo
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, diced
1 C. or so white wine
1 can (13.5 oz.) petite diced tomatoes
1 C. or so marinara sauce, preferably Rao's or homemade
1/3 C. or so 1/2 & 1/2 cream
1/3 C. or so sour cream
bum-hot (or cayenne) to taste
black pepper, fresh ground, to taste
1 - 1 1/2 lemons, juiced
basil, a handful chopped
parsley, a handful chopped
salt to taste
1 1/2 C. broccoli cut into small flowerets, blanched (optional)
parsley, chopped, for garnish

2 packages Buitoni (or similar brand) fresh linguini/fettucini pasta

While shrimp, calamari and cockles are what we used, any combination of firm white fish and shellfish could be used - just vary for the cooking times as thick fish, large scallops or lobster would take longer to be done.

Clean the seafood - for the cockles, rinse them and then place in a bowl/pan of ice-cold salted water for at least 1/2 hour and up to an hour, stirring occasionally, but let debris settle before you gently lift the cockles out of the water so no debris clings to them before cooking. (Go to this link for more info.)

Heat to boiling a pot of water to cook the pasta.

In a large skillet, melt the butter and olive oil together. Add minced garlic and onion and saute until they are just beginning to brown. Throw in the wine and simmer until it's reduced by about half. Add the petite diced tomatoes, marinara sauce, cream, bum-hot, black pepper and lemon juice. Whisk until all is combined and smooth. (Cream may separate because of the wine or lemon juice - whisk long enough and all will be well.) Add sour cream in dollops until your sauce is smooth - and tastes just right. Add the basil and parsley, turn to low and cover, simmering for 5 or so minutes so all flavors combine, but be sure not to let your sauce get too thick. As you add the pasta to the boiling water, add the seafood and broccoli to your sauce base, stir well and cover with a lid or foil. The seafood will be done just about the same time the pasta is - about 5 minutes. All the seafood is done when the cockles' shells have opened. If the sauce is too thick, add a ladle-full of the pasta water to the sauce pan until it's the right consistency. Taste to correct seasonings, if needed. Drain the pasta, return it to its pot and toss with a bit of melted butter and/or olive oil. At serving time, add more chopped parsley to the top of the seafood mixture to make it purty. 

To serve, put pasta on a plate or in a bowl and ladle the seafood mixture over the top. 

Lots of folks like to add grated Parmesan to their serving. Garlic bread is a big draw as well, though I think a loaf of warm crusty French bread would be over-the-top delicious and help sop up all that wonderful sauce. 

Made for the first time on 7/10/16

~~~

YUM!

'till we feast again! 

xoabb

Confetti Rice & Veggie Salad

Confetti Rice & Veggie Salad inspired by The Silver Palate

This is one of my very favorite salads! Major yum going on here. My sis, Carrie, discovered the original recipe in The Silver Palate Cook Book by Julee Rosso & Sheila Lukins. They called theirs Rice and Vegetable Salad and you can find the original recipe here.  While the original is delicious, over the years my sis and I have tweaked it so it's perfection for us! It's always a hit whenever and wherever we serve it. And, if you add poached and shredded chicken breast meat, you have yourself one fine meal - perfect for a special luncheon! Notes: Basmati is by far our very favorite rice. It has a wonderful nutty smell and flavor, and if you rinse it before cooking it, it's never sticky! The original "Our Favorite Vinaigrette" recipe calls for adding minced fresh parsley or chives to taste. While we'll do that for regular salads, because the salad already has parsley, basil and dill in it, we don't add it the dressing for this salad.

I made this for yesterday's family 4th of July celebration. 

There was nothing left for me to take home... :-(

4 C. cooked and still hot basmati white rice

2 recipes "Our Favorite Vinaigrette" (below)

1 C. more or less red pepper, cored and chopped into confetti-type pieces

1 box frozen petite peas - add frozen to the salad

1/2++ C. purple onion, diced and then rinsed off (kills the sulfur taste and smell)

1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced, green tops too and then rinsed off

1 shallot, minced and rinsed (optional)

1 handful fresh parsley, chopped

1 handful fresh dill, chopped

1 handful fresh basil, chopped

salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

1/4 C. balsamic vinegar (optional - I rarely add, sis usually does)

You can add, and we always do for a buffet or luncheon:

1 - 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts that have been poached and shredded (or use a rotisserie chicken)

Put cooked and still hot rice in a very large bowl and pour 1 recipe of "Our Favorite Vinaigrette" over it. (If you're including chicken, this is the time to add it to the rice.) Toss thoroughly and allow to cool to close to room temperature. (Warm/hot rice absorbes the dressing brilliantly.)

After rice has come to room temperature, add the rest of the ingredients, except the balsamic vinegar, and toss again. I find tossing with your hands is the very best way to mix everything together. Taste and correct seasonings, using more of "Our Favorite Vinaigrette" and the balsamic vinegar if you want. 

"Our Favorite Vinaigrette"

1 T. Grey Poupon mustard

1/4 C. red wine vinegar (Sclafani and Pompeian are my favorite brands)

1 t. sugar

1/2 t. each salt & fresh ground pepper

1/2 C. extra virgin olive oil

Whisk all but the oil together. Continue to whisk while slowly drizzling in the oil until dressing is thickened. A stick blender works wonders doing this. 

Serves 6 - 8 generously.

~~~

YUM!

'till we feast again! 

xoabb

Puff Pastry Asparagus Wonderfulness

3-Ingredient Asparagus Tart

Cousin Jules came over for Sunday Family Dinner (an established tradition here for our extended Connecticut family, whatever home we eat at) and announced that she had a new dish she found that she would be serving to us. Delicious?? Yup! And so simple (unless you decide to make your own puff pastry)! It's is a perfect appetizer or as part of a luncheon. The recipe came from The Pioneer Woman - follow the link for more photos.

The throw 'n go:

1 puff pastry box

8 oz. fontina cheese, grated

asparagus - about a pound, stalks popped and cleaned (get thin stalks)

Preheat oven to 425ºF. Place the puff pastry on a baking sheet. Sprinkle cheese over the puff pastry - cover it all. Line up the asparagus on top of the cheese. Place the sheet in the oven and bake for 25 - 35 minutes, or until golden brown puffy. When you remove the sheet, the pastry will be super puffy, but it will quickly deflate. Slice it into squares and serve.

Recipe by Jessica

~~~

YUM!

'till we feast again! 

xoabb

Iron Skillet Seared Swordfish

Iron Skillet-Seared Swordfish Fillet

I'm not a fan of a monochromatic dinner plate - boring to say the least! But, I only had yellow tomatoes, no red ones in the kitchen, so monochromatic it was! However, the finished meal was delicious...well at least the swordfish was! The onion rings were Alexa brand  - and very good - but I had nothing to do with those. The tomatoes were heirloom and there were only yellow ones left out of the box, so, yellow it was. The swordfish...well anything that's basically white to begin with, which will become golden when grilled or sauteed, so we have a monochormatic dinner plate. Not pretty, but damn good delicious! 

The Throw-n-Go:

1 lb. or so swordfish steak
2 TrueLemon packets (use fresh squeezed lemon juice if you must)
fresh ground Tellicherry pepper (if you're lucky to have those tellicherry pepper corns)
grape seed oil

salt to finish

Heat your iron skillet to just smoking. In the meantime, wash and dry the swordfish fillet. On each side, sprinkle one packet of TrueLemon, fresh ground pepper and a smear of grape seed oil. When your skillet is smokin' hot, slap the sworfish fillet down and let it sit there for about 6 minutes. Flip it and let it sear for another 4 or so minutes. Turn off the heat, put a lid over it and let it rest for up to 10 minutes. And then LOVE it!

~~~

YUM!

'till we feast again! 

xoabb

Mushroom Risotto

Mushroom Risotto Topped w/Parsley

I've never attempted to make risotto - frankly it scared me! So, last Saturday I decided to try and conquer my fears and attempt to make an edible mushroom risotto. Since it was only George Brynnly and me eating, I knew if necessary I could throw the whole thing out if it turned out to be horrid. All three of us were pleasantly surprised it wasn't horrid - it was delicious! I found the recipe on the SimplyRecipes.com website. And now, without further ado, here's the throw n go: 

2 T. butter
2+ C. mushrooms (I used a large package of pre-sliced white mushrooms)
2/3 C. vermouth (or brandy)
5 - 8 C. stock (I used a bit of chix bullion and the rest beef as that’s all I had)
1/3 C. minced shallots or onion
2 C. arborio rice
1/3+ C. parmesan cheese (good quality)
salt & fresh-ground pepper to taste
2 T. chopped parsley

Bring stock to a simmer in a sauce pan. Melt butter in a deep, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and shallots/onions and sauté about 5 minutes, or until the onion/shallots are transparent. (If using fresh chanterelles, dry sauté first for a minute or two and let the mushrooms cook in their own juices before adding the butter.) Add the rice and stir to combine. Add vermouth or brandy, bring to a boil, and reduce liquid by half, about 3 - 4 minutes. Add simmering stock, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring to keep the rice from sticking to the edges of the pan. Stir the rice almost constantly — stirring sloughs off the starch from the rice, making the creamy sauce you’re looking for in a risotto. Wait until the stock is almost completely absorbed before adding the next 1/2 cup. This process will take about 25 minutes. The rice should be just cooked and slightly chewy. Taste it! Stir in the parmesan and season to taste with salt and pepper. Place in a serving bowl and garnish with the parsley. Serves 6 - 8.

If you have left-overs, form them into patties, coat in panko breadcrumbs if desired, and sauté in butter till nicely browned. Top with some parmesan - and if you have it (I didn't), a bit of marinara sauce:

risotto rice cakes - packed for tomorrow's lunch,
along with chicken tetrazzini, there in the left-hand corner

Our meal:

hickory-fired strip steaks, oven-roasted broccoli, mushroom risotto

~~~

YUM!

'till we feast again! 

xoabb

Wild Plum Jelly

Wild Plum Jelly

While I had nothing to do with the makings of the wild plum jelly, I had hands-on experience with the gathering of the plums themselves. Our first foray was mom, Brynnly and I going out in the golf cart with bucket and sheet in hand. With mom's expert direction, Brynnly and I would spread the sheet under the heavily plum-laden branches, shake the branches, and then, with a great amount of luck, watch as the plums fell onto the sheet. Must admit that worked not as well as we had hoped. However, in the end, we gathered enough wild plums that jelly-making was a sure thing! Plus, we had a lot of laughs, so it was all just really really wonderful!

Wild Plum Jam:

wild plums - as many as you can gather

water to just cover plums

sugar - 3/4 cup for every 8 oz. plum sauce

cheese cloth

strainer

jelly jars w/the lids

Place picked-over (remove blemished plums, leaves, stems, etc.) plums in a large pot and just cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring often, until plums begin to split and have cooked down.

Line a strainer with cheese cloth and pour in the cooked plums. (Be careful! HOT!) Let the plums drain over night. Next morning, measure how much plum juice you have and put back into a pot. Bring to a boil and for every 1 cup of plum juice, add 3/4 cup sugar. Cook mixture until it begins to thicken. (When you dip a spoon into the mixture, two beads of juice should form into one bead and then very slowly drip off - it's a touchy-feely kind of thing, not an exact science.) In the meantime, place the jelly jars upside down into another pot of boiling water, along with the lids, and boil for about 5 - 10 minutes until they are sterilized. Remove from the water with tongs.

Ladle the plum juice/jelly into the jars and put the lids on. Let cool and distribute to those friend who are worthy of sharing in your hard labor!

Yum!

'till we feast again!

xoabb

Italian Flat Beans

Italian Flat Beans - a gift to the culinary world

Daughter Brynnly and I found a delicious supply of Italian flat beans, and, of course scooped them up! This is one of my favorite veggies and are simply divine just sautéed and flavored with salt and pepper. So....

For this, you need: 

Italian flat beans, cut on the diagonal

olive oil (extra virgin)

sea salt

fresh ground black pepper

Wash the beans and then cut them on the diagonal (cut one end like this \, then rotate and cut again on the \. Keep doing this till you have 1 - 1 1/2 pieces).

In a skillet that you've placed a steamer basket in, bring water to boil and add the beans. Steam until just tender. Drain the water, place beans in the skillet and season to taste with olive oil, salt and pepper. You can get fancy and add other herbs to taste, but in my estimation, simple is the best. Serve!

~~~

Yum!

'till we feast again!

xoabb