Fra Diavolo Sauce and Pasta

Oh my, that was quite a party yesterday here in Bloglandia. Thank you, Vanessa, for being such a charming hostess and introducing us all to each other. It's going to take some time to make my way around the room, so please be patient with me.

~

While getting ready for yesterday's party post, last week I worked most of each day right up until dinner time. I was so tired on Wednesday, especially, that all I could think of making was this simple and delicious pasta dish.

Fra Diavolo Sauce and Pasta
serves 4

4 T olive oil, divided
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes with liquid
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 - 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
6 oz linguine pasta
8 oz small shrimp, peeled and deveined
8 oz bay scallops
1 oz chopped fresh parsley
1 T chopped fresh basil
Parmesan cheese (optional)

In large saucepan, heat 2 T olive oil with the garlic over medium heat. When the garlic starts to sizzle, pour in the tomatoes. Season with salt and red pepper. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to directions and drain.

In large skillet, heat the remaining 2 T olive oil over high heat. Add the seafood. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently, or until the shrimp turn pink. Add to the tomato mixture, and add the fresh herbs. Cook until the sauce just begins to bubble, about 2 minutes. Serve sauce over pasta and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if desired.

**Note: I used a 12 oz bag frozen uncooked shrimp and half a bag of frozen seafood mix from Trader Joe's which had calamari, shrimp, and bay scallops. I thawed the seafood and drained it well before sauteing. The squid was a particularly nice addition.

I started with 1/2 tsp pepper flakes - I just had this feeling that 1 whole tsp would wind up being atomic. But, if you are a strong soul, go for it!

I also didn't have any linguine on hand, so used rotelli, and it was just great.

copyright 2009 What's Cooking?

Ginger-Soy Broiled Salmon

When I've been working hard all day, I barely want to think about what's for dinner - and I've also usually left the decision to the very last minute. At these times, simplicity is best, and I love a recipe that seems to cook itself!

Ginger-Soy Broiled Salmon
Serves 4

Marinade:
2 T low sodium soy sauce
2 T lemon juice
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T freshly grated ginger
1/4 C olive oil

4 (6 oz) salmon fillets

Combine marinade ingredients in a glass baking dish and add fish pieces. Cover well and place in fridge for an hour, turning once.

Move fish to a foil-lined cookie sheet and broil until cooked through.

copyright 2009 What's Cooking?

Shimp-Pesto Pizza

This week, Marble Man and I shook things up good and proper. Usually when we make a pizza, it's loaded with a variety of veggies, and topped with the requisite anchovy fillets. Before you all wrinkle up your faces and say ""EEwww", understand that anchovies are a Northeastern Thing. We love 'em - can't get enough of 'em.

This week, we went with something new. I found a recipe in Southern Living magazine for Shrimp-Pesto Pizza and it sounded amazing. We took it a step further and used a garlic and herb pizza dough from Trader Joe's. Wowiezowie! It was incredible. Each bite was loaded with zingie flavors, and the shrimps were tender and juicy. The original recipe called for grilling the pizza, but we popped ours into a hot oven and it came out great. So, here's the recipe for you:

Shrimp-Pesto Pizza (Southern Living Magazine, Oct 2007)
Serves 2-3

1/2 lb large raw shrimp, peeled and sliced in half lengthwise
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 T olive oil, divided
all purpose flour
yellow cornmeal
1 lb fresh pizza dough
1/3 C refrigerated pesto
1/2 C grated Parmesan cheese

Coat cold cooking grate of grill with nonstick cooking spray and place on grill. Preheat grill to 350 degrees (medium heat).

Saute onion, bell pepper, salt, and pepper in 1 T oil in large skillet over med-high heat until tender. Transfer to a large bowl. Sautee sliced shrimp in remaining oil until they turn pink, about 3 minutes. Drain well and add shrimp to onion mixture and toss.

Lightly sprinkle flour and cornmeal onto a large baking sheet. Roll dough out to 1/4 inch thickness on baking sheet. Slide dough from baking sheet to cooking grate. Spread pesto evenly over crust, top with shrimp mixture and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Grill, covered with grill lid, 4 minutes. Rotate pizza one quarter turn and grill, covered, 5-6 more minutes until crust is cooked. Serve immediately.

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This was our first time trying this recipe, and we made some small changes, which I think worked out well:

Because of the cheese in the pesto, I reduced the Parmesan topping to 1/4 cup, and it was more than adequate.

We heated our oven to 425 degrees and baked the pizza right on the baking sheet for 15 minutes. I think the next time we make it, we'll bake the crust topless for about 5 minutes to keep the pesto from making it too soggy.

I hope you'll try this!

copyright 2009 What's Cooking?

Risotto With Saffron & Shrimp

While Marble Man’s away, I decided I didn’t want to do so much cooking. I’m concentrating on one-dish meals. This one is very hearty, full of flavor, and is very easy as well:

Risotto With Saffron And Shrimp
serves 4
prep time: 10 minutes
cooking time: approximately 30 minutes

3½ C low-sodium chicken broth
½ C warm water
Pinch saffron
1 tsp olive oil
½ C finely chopped shallots
7 oz Arborio or other short grain rice
1 C white wine
12 oz shrimp, peeled, deveined, and halved, cross-wise
4 tsp grated Parmesan cheese
freshly ground pepper to taste
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish (optional)

In medium saucepan bring broth to a boil. Reduce heat to low and let simmer until ready to use.

In small bowl, combine water and saffron and set aside.

In separate non-stick saucepan, heat oil and add shallots. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, about 1 minute. Add rice and stir to coat. Continue to stir and cook 1 additional minute. Add wine and 1 cup of the simmering broth. Cook, stirring frequently until most of the liquid is absorbed.

Stir in saffron and water mixture and ½ C of broth. Cook, stirring frequently until liquid is absorbed. Add all but ½ C of the broth, ½ C at a time stirring frequently after each addition until liquid has been absorbed.

Add the shrimp and the remaining ½ C of broth. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes until shrimp are pink and rice mixture is creamy. Remove from heat. Stir in cheese and pepper.

Nutritional info for each serving:
330 calories
5 g total fat
87 mgs cholesterol
218 mgs sodium
54 g carbohydrate
1 g dietary fiber
19 g protein
76 mg calcium
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*Note: You can play with the ingredients for this recipe.

If you don’t have shallots, you can use ½ C chopped onion and a couple of cloves of chopped garlic.

Asparagus would be very good in it, or use your imagination and let me know what you did!

Enjoy. :-)

copyright 2009 What's Cooking?

Salmon Cakes

My recipe for salmon cakes, is an adaptation of an old Weight Watchers recipe for Maryland Crab Cakes. I love crab, but who can afford it? One day I had some leftover cooked salmon fillets in the fridge and decided to use it in this recipe. It was fantastic. Now, when Marble Man sees salmon in the meat drawer, he does a little happy dance 'cuz he knows these cakes are in his future.

Salmon Cakes
Makes 4 servings

1 pound salmon, cooked and flaked
1 onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tsp canola oil
3 oz bread crumbs (I used Italian seasoned)
1/4 C low fat or skim milk
2 T + 2 tsp reduced calorie mayonnaise
2 T fresh parsley, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
3 T all-purpose flour
1 T+1 tsp reduced calorie tub margarine (I use Smart Balance)
2 1/2 C mixed green lettuce leaves

In skillet, combine onion, garlic, and oil. Sautee until translucent.

In large bowl, combine salmon, onion mixture, bread crumbs, milk, mayonnaise, parsley, salt, and white pepper. With moistened hands, form into 8 small patties. Refrigerate 1 hour.

On a shallow plate, spread flour. Lightly dust each cake on both sides - give them a little spanking to shake off the excess.

In large skillet, melt margarine over medium heat. Cook cakes 4-5 minutes on each side, until golden and crisp. Line serving plate with greens and arrange cakes on top.

The nutritional information I have is for the original crab recipe.

Each serving (2 cakes):
257 calories
27 grams protein
8 grams fat
19 grams carbohydrate
800 mgs sodium
118 mgs cholesterol
1 gram fiber

copyright 2009 What's Cooking?