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

A Spring-Time Dinner

Spring-time table setting.

My mom is the quintessential food gal (read self-taught chef). Not only is the food she creates over the top, the table settings - and everything - is as well. All is just so, from the plates to the linens to the flowers. On top of that, the menus she comes up with are perfection! Consider this (and this is a ~simple~ any week night dinner):

Broiled Herbed Salmon

Salmon fillet - weight depending on number served - below, for four, (one pound)

juice of one lemon, divided
lemon zest

1/4 cup mayonnaise

fresh chopped dill and parsley

black pepper, fresh grated

Rinse salmon fillet and pat dry. Squeeze half the lemon on the fillet. Mix the mayonnaise with the herbs, pepper some of the lemon zest, and other half of the lemon juices. Slice the fillet into individual servings. Coat the salmon with the mayonnaise mixture. Broil until the salmon flakes easily; about 6 minutes. Serve with lemon halves on the side.

Pasta w/Veggies

spagetti, fettucini, whatever shape, cooked to package directions (keep warm)

This night, the vegetables we used were: 

Scallions, sliced diagonally in 1" pieces

garlic, sliced thinly length-wise

red pepper, diced

grape tomatoes, quartered

asparagus, sliced diagonally in 1" pieces

baby spinach leaves

lemon zest

olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a sauté pan. Add the scallions and garlic and cook for 2 minutes or so. Add the red pepper and cook for an additional 2 minutes or so. Add the tomatoes, asparagus, lemon zest and spinach and sauté until done. Turn off heat and WAIT until it's time to serve. You might have to reheat for a minute or so. 

Salad with Fruit

salad greens

pineapple chunks

strawberry slices

pear chunks

walnut pieces

lemon zest

red wine vinegar

olive oil

salt & pepper

Clean the salad greens (I prefer red leaf lettuce - anything will work, tho avoid iceberg for this). In a salad bowl, add the lettuce and all the extras. Just before serving, splash with the vinegar, oil, salt and pepper. Toss, taste for seasonings, correct, and serve! 

The beginnings of the veggie sauté 

 The salmon just before it goes under the broiler 

(notice it's cut into serving pieces).

 The micro-planed lemon skin - that goes on just about everything!

The composed salad before it's tossed

The veggies as they're sautéing 

sautéd veggies just before adding to the pasta

The fabulous meal - salad is just out of photo range...

YUM!

'till we feast again!
xoabb

Shrimp & Bay Scallop...umm...Scampi?

Shrimp & Bay Scallop....well....Scampi?

My entire grocery shopping list is totally and completely dependent on what is on sale (and, no, this doesn't seem to save me any money...dammit!). This week, much to my shock, jumbo shrimp were on sale for half their usual hefty price. So into the cart 2 lbs. went! Must say, I've never been very good with shrimp as we didn't have it a lot growing up as dad was allergic to it, and most of my basic cooking I learned from the years I lived at home. 

The only way I ever remembered having shrimp for dinner was boiled with seasonings, then thrown in the middle of the table (on a cookie sheet of course) and peeled by those of us who were enjoying the meal (only served when daddy was out of town). There probably was dipping sauce...but I really don't remember. DO remember what a wonderful meal it always was! 

At work today, I found Emeril's shrimp scampi recipe on foodnetwork.com so thought I'd try it. Got home, started making the recipe (no, I generally don't read through a recipe and pre-measure/prep everything, nor do I Clean-As-I-Go, much to my daughters' irritation) and realized it didn't really fit.  (Who the hell has the time to make ~shrimp stock~, whatever that is, an hour before dinner???) Here's what happened:

The T'nG:

butter, or, if you want to be healthy, olive oil

1 1/2 lbs. jumbo shrimp

1 lb. bay scallops

4 or 5 finely chopped garlic cloves

1 - 2 lemons, juiced 

at least 3/4 cup white wine (I used Sauvignon Blanc)

(a bit of sugar if mix is too sour - optional)

about a 1/2 cup half & half cream

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley plus more for garnish

2 Tablespoons cold butter

Basmati rice, cooked to package directions

Steamed broccoli (what was our side dish)

Clean, devein and season shrimp well with salt and pepper. Heat a large sauté skillet over medium high heat. When pan is hot, add enough butter/oil to lightly coat pan. Add the shrimp in one layer and sauté until just turning pink, turn over and sauté a bit longer, till pink but not cooked through. Turn down the heat and add a bit more oil/butter and gently sauté the garlic for about a minute. Add the wine and lemon juice and set aside. In another skillet, heat it over medium high heat and warm up a bit more canola oil. Throw the scallops in the pan and cook until they begin to release their juices. When they've done that, drain them in a colander over the skillet with the garlic and wine so their juices all combine. Set the scallops aside. Bring the garlic/wine/lemon pan back to the heat, bring to a gentle simmer and reduce to at least half. After the alcohol has evaporated off, taste and if it's too tart, add a sprinkling of sugar. Add the cream and when that's warm, throw in the shrimp, scallops, parsley and 2 tablespoons butter. Heat through. Throw on more parsley for garnish and serve.

We served it over the rice with broccoli on the side. 

~~~

YUM!

'till we feast again!
xoabb

Calamari Salad

Calamari Salad in our Grandma Nita's cut glass bowl

Another one of the Seven Fishes from our Christmas Eve feast, sis-in-law Chrissy's calamari salad came together quickly and easily. It was the first time I've ever had calamari served this way...and I'm in love with it!
As we all know, any kind of seafood is alway better when it is absolutely dead fresh. It was obvious this calamari was, as the aroma given off while it was draining was just mouth wateringly wonderful! I haven't smelled anything so ~pure/oceany/clean~ since we used to boil fresh-caught conch on Grand Cayman back in the good old days (O how I miss that Caribbean conch...and Cayman, too!). 

As you can see from the (lack of) ingredient amounts, 
this recipe is most definitely a Throw 'n Go affair!

~

calamari

white vinegar 

lemon, juiced

Italian parsley, chopped

salt
white pepper

Cut the calamari tubes into 1/4" ringlets. No need to chop the tentacles. Bring a pot of water to a boil and then add the calamari and boil for 2 minutes or to your preference. Drain, reserving liquid, and let cool. Add vinegar, parsley and lemon juice to the liquid and mix well. Pour over the calimari and mix again. Season with salt and white pepper to taste. 

Cheers! (As Chrissy would say.)

~~~

YUM!

'till we feast again! 

xoabb

Mussels Moi, aka, Moules Mariniere

Mussels Moi, aka, Moules Mariniere

This past Christmas, our entire immediate family gathered in Missouri for the holidays. It was the first time we've all been together since my sis, Carrie, and her hubs (Marty) were married in 2001. We've all been back to Missouri since then, but never every single one of us at the same time.

My brother, Bill, happens to be married to a wonderful gal (Chrissy) whose family has celebrated the Feast of the Seven Fishes every Christmas Eve since her childhood, so she led the family on how to assemble this magnificient food orgy. I was asked to make the mussels as Chrissy had had them before and loved them. We served the mussels and smoked trout for the appetizer course, then a calamari salad course. First course was linguini with white clam sauce, then we were on to our entrees - grilled salmon, baked cod and Cayman-style red snapper. 

A whole lotta of fishes were goin' on - and they were all delicious!

2 lbs. fresh mussels
1/2 stick unsalted butter
4 good-sized shallots (onions would do nicely), chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bottle dry white wine, either sauvignon blanc or moscato
1/3 cup dry vermouth
1 12 - 14 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
1 bouquet garni (piece of celery & carrot, 4 sprigs fresh parsley, 3 sprigs fresh tarragon, 4 - 6 blades fresh chives tied together - the parsley and tarragon are very important flavors)
1/3 - 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped - reserve some to sprinkle over top of bowl
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

crusty French baguette(s), warmed

Place mussels in the sink. Scrub under cold running water and remove any "beards" you find (the seaweed-looking stuff that can be hanging out of the mussel - not all will have a "beard"). Throw away any mussels that are badly cracked or open. Set aside in a colander. Melt butter in a large pot, over medium heat, with a tight fitting lid. Stir in the shallots and garlic and sauté gently until soft. Raise the heat and add the wines and bouquet garni. Bring to a boil and cook for two minutes or so to meld the flavors. Turn heat to high and add the mussels; quickly cover the pot. Steam, stirring gently once or twice, until all the mussels open, about 3 - 5 minutes. Remove mussels from the pot with a slotted spoon; set aside in a serving bowl big enough to hold them and the liquid, (which is added after being reduced). Discard any mussels you see that didn't open. Cover with foil. Stir in the tomatoes and boil the remaining broth (with bouquet garni) until reduced by about half. Fish out the bouquet garni and toss. Stir in the parsley and pour broth over the mussels. Sprinkle remaining parsley on top.

Serve mussels and broth in bowls with the baguettes. 

For our Xmas 2011 Feast of the Seven Fishes, we made 4 lbs. mussels and I doubled most of the other ingredients, (not the wine - but added half a bottle vermouth). This, of course, is not an exact-science recipe. Amounts are suggestions. 


I made this the very first time in 2003 for a Sunday Family Dinner (a very important event in our family). I found the recipe on the now-defunct recipezaar.com and it was originally called Mussels, Sailor Style. It was delicious, but over the years I've changed it so much, it's really my recipe now. So...start here, change it around and make it your own! xoabb

~~~

YUM!

'till we feast again! 

xoabb