Shrimp Scampi

My husband is a big fan of shrimp and it’s been awhile since I made a shrimp scampi for dinner. I chose this recipe from Tyler Florence and the only change I made was to add a little basil for extra brightness in the dish.

Shrimp Scampi
recipe adapted from Tyler Florence

1 pound linguini
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 large shallot, finely diced
5 cloves garlic, sliced
Pinch red pepper flakes, optional
20 large shrimp, about 1 pound, peeled and deveined, tail on
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
3-5 basil leaves, chiffonaded
shredded parmesan for garnish (optional)

For the pasta, put a large pot of water on the stove to boil. When it has come to the boil, add a couple of tablespoons of salt and the linguini. Stir to make sure the pasta separates; cover. When the water returns to a boil, cook for about 6 to 8 minutes or until the pasta is not quite done. Drain the pasta reserving 1 cup of water.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter in 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute the shallots, garlic, and red pepper flakes (if using) until the shallots are translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper; add them to the pan and cook until they have turned pink, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the shrimp from the pan; set aside and keep warm. Add wine and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons oil. When the butter has melted, return the shrimp to the pan along with the parsley, basil and cooked pasta and reserved pasta water. Stir well and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle over a bit more olive oil and garnish with some basil and shredded parmesan. Serve immediately.

Toasted Spaghetti with Clams

The following recipe was prepared during my International Chefs Dinner. You can read about it and check out the other recipes that were made for the event HERE.

Toasted Spaghetti with Clams

shared at the event by Robert

recipe courtesy of Ferran Adria

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3/4 pound spaghetti, broken into 2-inch lengths
2 garlic cloves, minced
Crushed red pepper
3 cups bottled clam broth
1 cup water
3 dozen littleneck clams, rinsed
1/4 cup minced flat-leaf parsley

In a large deep skillet, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the spaghetti and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until golden, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and a large pinch of crushed red pepper and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the clam broth and water and bring to a boil. Cover tightly and cook over moderate heat until the pasta is barely al dente, about 8 minutes. Nestle the clams into the pasta, cover and cook until the pasta is al dente and the clams open, about 7 minutes. Add a few tablespoons of water if the pasta is too dry. Stir in the parsley and serve.

Buckwheat Blini & Smoked Seafood Salad

The following recipe was made for my Food Network Chefs Dinner. You can read about it and get other recipes made for the event HERE.

Not Pictured (sadly):
Buckwheat Blini & Smoked Seafood Salad
shared at the event by Robert
(A Michael Symon recipe, found HERE)

1 cup flour
2/3 cup buckwheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast
1 cup warm milk
3 tablespoons butter
1 egg, separated
Vegetable oil

ift flours and salt and place in bowl and add yeast. Stir in milk and let rise until it doubles in size. Add butter and egg yolk. Stiffly beat egg whites and fold into the batter. Let stand for 30 minutes. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a hot griddle. Spoon 1 tablespoon batter per blini onto griddle. Cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes a side. Place on paper towels while preparing smoked seafood salad.

Smoked Seafood Salad

4 ounces smoked trout
4 ounces smoked mackeral
1 orange, juiced
1 orange, zested
2 teaspoons fresh horseradish
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1 tablespoon sour cream
1 teaspoon olive oil

Skin and flake fish. Whisk orange juice, zest, horseradish, chives, and sour cream. Slowly whisk in oil. Toss with seafood and serve over blinis.

Chilled Wine Poached Salmon Steaks

The following recipe was made for my Picnic Wine event. You can read more about it and get additional recipes HERE.

Chilled Wine Poached Salmon Steaks
shared at the event by Howard
recipe HERE

4 salmon steaks
1/2 c. dry white wine
4 tbsp. chopped celery leaves
1 onion, sliced
1 lemon, sliced
8 peppercorns
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. salt

Green Mayonnaise Topping:
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1/2 c. sour cream
3 tsp. each chopped parsley, capers, & horseradish
1/2 c. cooked spinach, finely chopped & squeezed dry
Salt
2 lemons, halved & scooped out

SALMON: Place salmon steaks side by side in large skillet or pot. Add white wine and water just to cover steaks. Add celery leaves, onion, lemon, peppercorns, bay leaves and salt. Cover and bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer 20 minutes. Cool. Chill in liquid.

MAYONNAISE: Combine ingredients in bowl and season with salt. Chill.

TO SERVE: Carefully remove salmon from liquid with spatula and drain. Place on serving plate. Fill halved lemons with mayonnaise and serve next to steaks. Serves 4. (You may also serve mayonnaise directly on salmon steaks, but it is prettier in lemon halves.)

Spinach & Oyster Loaf

The following recipe was prepared for my Chef Spotlight Dinner highlighting New Orleans chefs. You can read about it and get other recipes from the event HERE.

Spinach & Oyster Loaf
shared at the event by Robert
recipe can be found here

1/4 cup butter
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 cups finely chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1 cup heavy cream
2 dashes hot sauce
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
salt
3 cups fresh breadcrumbs
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup coarsely chopped and drained oyster

Preheat oven to 400°F and butter a loaf pan.
Melt butter in a large skillet, add onions, celery and garlic and cook over medium high heat, stirring until vegetables soften.
Add spinach, cream, hot sauce, nutmeg and salt.
Cook 5 minutes, stirring often.
Remove pan from heat, stir in bread crumbs, eggs and oysters, stirring until well mixed.
Spoon mixture into the prepared loaf pan.
Set pan in a larger baking dish and add about 1 1/2 inchs of boiling water.
Bake 45-50 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Seafood Jambalaya

The following recipe was prepared for my Chef Spotlight Dinner highlighting New Orleans chefs. You can read about it and get other recipes from the event HERE.

Seafood Jambalaya
shared at the event by Joelen
inspired by this recipe & adapted from here

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2 red onions, chopped
5 green onions, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 bay leaves
1 jalapeño chili, finely chopped with seeds
1 tablespoon Creole Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 pound andouille sausage or hot Italian sausage, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3/4 pound ham, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 14 1/2-ounce cans chicken broth
1 16-ounce can plum tomatoes, diced, with liquid
3 cups long-grain rice

Melt butter in heavy large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add red onions, 4 green onion, bell pepper, garlic, bay leaves, jalapeño, Creole Seasoning, cayenne pepper and oregano. Cover and cook until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Mix in tomato paste. Add sausage, ham, broth, tomatoes and rice. Bring mixture to simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until rice is very tender, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Garnish with remaining green onion and serve.

Classic Seviche Tostadas

The following recipe was shared at my Chicago Chefs Dinner event. You can read more about it and get additional recipes featured at the event HERE.

Classic Seviche Tostadas

Tostadas de Seviche
shared at the event by John
Rick Bayless’s Mexican Kitchen, pgs 84-85

1 lb. very fresh boneless, skinless, ocean fish fillets

6 to 8 limes
1 large round, ripe tomato, cut into small dice
3 or 4 fresh serrano chiles, stemmed and finely chopped
3 Tbs. finely chopped cilantro leaves, plus several dozen for garnish
1/2 cup finely diced white onion
2 to 3 Tbs. olive oil
1 tsp. coarse salt
1 tsp. sugar (optional)
1 large ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/2-inch dice
36 crisp tortilla chips

Marinating the fish. Cut the fish into 1/4-inch dice and scoop into a large bowl. Squeeze the juice from the limes, pour it over the fish, and stir well—the cup of juice you get should be enough to generously cover the fish. Cover and refrigerate for several hours, until the pieces of fish are no longer pink and raw looking when broken apart. Drain in a colander, pressing gently on the fish to help remove excess lime juice.

Making 1 1/2 cups Essential Chopped Tomato-Serrano Salsa. In a large bowl, mix together the
tomato, chiles, and cilantro. Scoop the onion into a strainer, rinse under cold water, shake off the excess, then add to the tomato mixture.

Finishing the seviche. Just before serving, mix the drained fish, salsa and enough olive oil to coat everything lightly. Taste and season with salt (and sugar if you’d like to take the edge off the tanginess), then stir in the diced avocado. Spoon a generous tablespoon of the fish mixture onto each tortilla chip. Top with a leaf of cilantro, arrange on a decorative platter and serve.