Mussels Fra Diavolo

I love Italian food. And I understand I'm impartial from I'm from the east coast but the east coast has some of the best Italian restaurants. One dish I've fallen in love with is seafood Fra Diavolo. Out with a girlfriend to catch up, she ordered it at one of those chain restaurants. To my surprise it was delicious. I was so happy she shared with me. I have a bad habit of not trying anything new because I hate paying for food I'm disappointed with. If I want average food I can fool around and mess it up in my own kitchen (of course that rarely happens). Who wants to pay for food they really don't like?

Of course, as with most dishes I did my research. I'm always interested in the origins of food and how it has evolved. To me food can truly be revolutionary. So, I was even more surprised when I found out that Fra Diavolo isn't an Italian dish at all.

Of course, when it comes to Fra Diavolo there is something warm and soothing about a nice, tongue tingling tomato broth. It's easy to fall in love with this dish. Just as wonderful as the taste is the ease to make it. It can be finished before that frozen garlic bread you put in the oven. Of course, it's another one of those dishes that's disguised as one thing but really it another. Though Fra Diavolo is served in many Italian restaurants it is and American dish. Which I guess is perfect. It's a chameleon. Swap out the mussels for shrimp. Or have it the traditional way with lobster. In the spring on a rainy day or in the winter to warm your bones. Any way you decided this New York dish is delicious and easy to make.

Mussels Fra Diavolo

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

2 pounds of mussels
1 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of fresh parsley (chopped)
4 cloves of garlic ( minced)
1/2 cup of dry white wine
1/2 cup of seafood or vegetable broth
1/4 teaspoon of oregano
1/4 teaspoon of dried chili peppers
2 cups of diced tomatoes
1 medium onion (chopped)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
1 bay leaf

* Note: Buy your seafood as fresh as possible. If you like spice add more chili peppers/red pepper flakes.

Directions:
If not cooking mussels right away keep refrigerated. In a breathable bag (do not tie the plastic bag).

Remove mussels that are open and do not close when tapped on the counter. Soak mussels in cool water for 20 minutes. This should help to remove sand and dirt.

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To clean mussels, scrub shell with a soft brush and remove beards (use knife to grasp beard and pull toward the hinge).

In a large pot /dutch oven heat olive oil over medium heat.

Add onion then garlic. Cook stirring occasionally until onion turn translucent.

Stir in 1 tablespoon parsley, oregano, thyme, and red pepper flakes.

Add seafood broth and white wine. Gently scrap the pot and stir the contents.

Add diced tomato and bay leaf. Stir.

Reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes.

Add mussels to pot and cook covered for approximately 3 minutes.

Shake pot occasionally to mix.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Boil uncovered. Remove mussels as soon as they open. Discard any mussels that do not open.

To serve, add linguini to a large pasta bowl and gently pour the Mussels Fra Diavolo over the linguini. Sprinkle parsley on top.

You can eat this as an appetizer or serve over linguini and make it dinner. I typically eat it for dinner but it is a great starter to a meal. Yum

Crab Cakes

Sometimes it's hard to try to find a balance during the holiday season. I find that many of my friends are buckling down with the finances during this time of year. Whether they are saving to buy holiday presents or beginning to plan for their vacation people are thinking a little more strategically. Of course, being more fiscally conservative is a good thing.

We follow the same pattern in my home but the one area where we seem to go crazy is with food. Yeah, but you would not have guessed that. Many years ago we realized we went a little food crazy during the holidays. Since then we've put or planned a little extra on the side so we could enjoy whatever food we wanted during the holiday season. I know saving for food but sometimes you've got to pay for a good piece of beef.

One thing I try to do is clean out the fridge. I don't mean throwing food in the garbage I hate waste. It's actually why we started composting. I clean out the fridge by cooking the food that has ended up in the back of the freezer. The extra bits of stock, beef etc that sit in the back of the fridge. It also helps to make room in the fridge for the Thanksgiving ham or turkey. Lucky for me there was a bit of crab in the back of the fridge. Hello...


Crab Cakes
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
8 oz of crab meat, drained
1/2 cup of bread crumbs
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon of  butter
1 teaspoon of parsley
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon mayo
1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
1/8 teaspoon of salt
1/8 teaspoon of pepper
1/8 teaspoon of old bay
1 lemon cut into wedges

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt butter and set aside to cool.

In a bowl combine crabmeat and all ingredients. Mix well.

Use mixture to make 4 patties.

Place patties in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. (Mine ended up in the fridge for an hour.)

Grease a baking sheet and bake crab cakes for 25 minutes.

Turn crab cakes after 12 minutes. Crab cakes should be lightly browned.

Serve these on hamburgers buns with tartar sauce and a squeeze of lemon.
Add some french fries. Yum!!

Crab Stuffed Shrimp with Beurre Blanc Sauce

If you've been following me on instagram you know I recently took a knife skills class. I love taking cooking class. Actually, I love taking any class, I'm a nerd. But it's always great to have an opportunity to sharpen skills and get new ideas.

So, I can't remember how the conversation began but Chef Steve mentioned that Beurre Blanc sauce over seared scallops would make a man fall in love with you. It was in that moment that I realized what my husband meant when he said I date my friends. Because though I want my husband to fall in love with me all over again, when Chef Steve mentioned the sauce I thought my girlfriend would really love this dish because she loves sauce.

Yikes, hubby was right I do date my friends. But we will ignore that right now because what is even more right is this dish. Though I would and will try this dish with nice large dry sea scallops, I first tried it with shrimp over polenta. And darn, my arm is tired. Whisking polenta can be tiresome but that's a conversation for another time. Back to the sauce. It's French and it's delicious. How could it not be it has wine and butter.

Crab Stuffed Shrimp with Beurre Blanc Sauce

Makes 5 servings (4 shrimp per person)

Ingredients:
Crab Stuffed Shrimp
20 extra large shrimp (shelled & deveined)
8 ounces of crab meat
1 egg
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 mayo
1 tablespoons of parsley
1/4 teaspoon of oregano
1/4 celery (diced)
1/4 white onion (diced)
1/4 diced red pepper (diced)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon of pepper


Beurre Blanc Sauce
1 large shallot
4 ounces of dry white wine
4 ounces white wine vinegar
4 ounces of heavy cream
½ stick of chilled butter

salt and pepper to taste
squeeze of lemon

Tools: baking sheet, whisk & sauce pan

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray baking sheet with oil.

Place crab meat in a bowl.

Dice celery, onion and red pepper and add to crab meat.

Season with salt and pepper.

Slice the top of the shrimp to the middle. Do not cut all the way through.

Salt and pepper shrimp.

Add a tablespoon of crab mix to the top of the shrimp.

Place the shrimp on the baking sheet and tuck the tail of the shrimp underneath.

Bake shrimp in the oven for 30 minutes.

While shrimp is cooking slice the shallot as thin as possible.

Place shallot in saucepan with white wine and vinegar over medium high heat.

Let the mixture to reduce to almost half. This should take 5 to 7 minutes. It will look like syrup.


Once the wine has reduced add the heavy cream, salt and pepper.

Whisk. Whisk and whisk some more.

Slice butter and add a little bit at a time. Whisk, whisk whisk.

Remove from heat. Sauce should be served hot.

Remove shrimp from oven. Use a spoon to gently drizzle beurre blanc sauce over shrimp.

Voila!! A dish to make your friends... I mean man fall in love with you.

Spicy Shrimp and Cheesy Grits

Needed a little reminder of my vacation with the ladies this week. A couple of months ago the girls and I headed down to New Orleans for some good food and music. And that was just what New Orleans delivered. I couldn't have asked for better food or a better time. It was just what I needed. No matter where we were, whether in a restaurant or a friend's home, everything was delicious. So with the hectic weeks we've had and no sign of a break in sight, I'm missing New Orleans. Just a little.

So you know what I decided to do? I set out to create a little New Orleans comfort. I needed something quick and easy. The last couple of days have been a whirlwind and I just did't have time for anything too involved. What cooks up quick? Shrimp. Shrimp and grits it is. A spicy shrimp and grits would do just fine. I couldn't spice the shrimp too much (mini me wouldn't be able to eat it) so I left a lot of the heat off initially and added it to my plate later.

Spicy Shrimp and Cheesy Grits

Ingredients

Spicy Shrimp
1 pound of shrimp (peeled & deveined shrimp)
4 slices of bacon
1/2 tsp of garlic powder
1/2 tsp of salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp cumin
pinch of red pepper flakes
green onions for garnish

Cheesy Grits
1 cup of quick grits
4 cups of water
2 tbsp of butter
1/2 tsp kosher salt
4 oz of extra sharp Vermont white cheddar cheese
4 oz of sharp cheddar cheese

Directions

Over medium heat bring 4 cups of water and salt to a boil.

Once boiling stir in the grits. After about 10 minutes you will notice the grits thicken.

Add butter to the grits and stir. Turn the heat to low and stir every 4 to 5 minutes.

While the grits are cooking shred the cheese and fry the bacon on medium low heat until crispy.

Yes, I'm cooking bacon on the stove. But only so I can sauté the shrimp in bacon grease. It's good to reuse... it's environmentally friendly! And delicious!

After 20 minutes add shredded cheddar cheese to the grits a handful at a time. Stir, stir, stir.

I know the package stated these were quick grits but we're cooking it for at least 30 minutes.

Mix the garlic, salt, pepper, cayenne and cumin in a bowl or a plastic bag. Add shrimp and coat with the mixture.

Using the pan with the bacon grease, sauté the shrimp over medium heat. Sauté for 2 minutes on each side or until shrimp are pink. Depending on the size of your shrimp it may only take 3 minutes for the shrimp to cook.

Now for the pièce de résistance ... you get it... it's French... New Orleans... ha, ha, ha.
Make your plate. Cheesy grits on the bottom, then shrimp, crumble the bacon on top, sprinkle whatever else you want on top. More cheese...yes please. Green onions. I'll take those too.

*NOTE: More red pepper flakes, jalapeño peppers and/or cayenne pepper can be added to the shrimp once you've removed the shrimp for those with a less tolerable palate. In the end, I added more red pepper and pepper jack cheese to my grits. Yum!!