Lenten Meals Part 1: Scampi

Since we’re now about half way into the Lenten season, I’d like to share a few seafood dishes that I enjoy making on Fridays. For this post, I’m going with two scampi recipes that I’ve had on hand for a few years: traditional shrimp scampi done on a stovetop, and a baked scallop scampi done in the oven. I only make these dishes occasionally, since both call for a nice amount of butter and a seafood ingredient that is fairly high in cholesterol. I do, however, use Smart Balance butter substitute instead of regular butter which helps cut down on the fat and cholesterol. Plus, a special meal once in a while isn’t a bad thing!

SHRIMP SCAMPI

6 tablespoons butter (or butter substitute)
2 tablespoons chopped shallots
1 tablespoon fresh garlic, finely chopped
2 lbs. (62-70 count) fresh raw medium shrimp, peeled, deveined and rinsed
1/4 cup shopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons chopped fresh or dried dillweed

Melt butter in a 12-inch skillet until sizzling, add shallots and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat until shallots are softened (2-3 minutes). Add shrimp, cook, stirring occasionally until shrimp turn pink (4-5 minutes). Stir in parsley, lemon and dill weed. Continue cooking until flavors are blended (2-3 minutes). Serve over hot cooked pasta.

BAKED SCALLOP SCAMPI
courtesy of cooks.com

1 lb. small scallops
1/4 lb. butter
1 cup bread crumbs
1 teaspoon minced garlic (fresh or jarred)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 pinch paprika
1 pinch parsley flakes

Place scallops in a casserole. Melt butter and mix lemon juice and chopped garlic. Stir together. Pour mixture over scallops. Sprinkle with bread crumbs, paprika, and flakes. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Serve over cooked rice.

Asian-style Pork Chops

A few weeks ago, I posted a recipe for Italian-style pork chops, using Italian salad dressing as the marinade. This week I’m doing the pork chops Asian style, using a ponzu style sauce as the marinade.

Ponzu sauces are made with a soy sauce base. You can add a number of herbs, spices, seasonings and other liquids (such as lemon or lime juice, olive oil or rice wine vinegar). Ponzu sauces work well as both a flavoring and tenderizer for meats. It is also a great serving dip for steamed or fresh vegetables, dumplings/potstickers, eggrolls and fish cakes. For this version, I’m using soy sauce, brown sugar, ground ginger and allspice. I’ll also be topping the pork with fresh sliced pineapple, so the pineapple juice will add additional flavor while baking. I actually prefer canned crushed pineapple and its juices, but we only had fresh pineapple on hand. I’m using two boneless london broil pork fillets (any cut of pork chop will work), which I’ll slice up and serve over a bed of rice. The pork will be incredibly tasty and tender, but you can also serve additional sauce to drizzle over the pork and rice. You do not want to serve the sauce that the pork was marinating in, it will be full of nasty bacteria from the raw meat. Instead, reserve a portion of the sauce before adding the meat and warm up on the stove top before serving.

ASIAN-STYLE PORK CHOPS

2 boneless london broil pork fillets (or your choice of cut)
1/3 cup of soy sauce*

1 tbsp of brown sugar

1/2 tspn of grated ginger
1/4 tspn allspice
sliced pineapples or 1 small can crushed pineapple with its juice

Poke pork fillets with a fork to allow marinade to soak through. Combine soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger and allspice in a bowl, mix well. Place fillets in a zip lock bag, pour in marinade. Shake up and place in refrigerator for at least two hours, up to 12 hours. Remove fillets from baggie, discard marinade. Place fillets in a baking dish, top with sliced or crushed pineapples. Bake uncovered at 350º for approximately 40-45 minutes. Remove from oven, let fillets sit, slightly covered with aluminum foil for about 5 minutes. Slice and serve over rice, topped with pineapple. For extra sauce, reserve a portion of the marinade prior to adding to meat, heat and serve when pork is done. Again, do not serve the marinade that the pork was sitting in, it will contain bacteria from the raw meat.

* Note – soy sauce is high in sodium. You can use low sodium soy sauce if you are watching your sodium intake.

Stuffed Artichokes

This past weekend we hosted a nice family dinner for my mom’s birthday. I decided to serve a special dish that my mom always enjoyed, stuffed artichokes. My grandmother would make them and send them over to my house a few times a year when I was younger. It has to be at least 25 years since we’ve had them last, so I knew that they would make for a special birthday dish. I searched out a bunch of recipes and found a great one on italianchef.com. The recipe was simple enough to follow, and contained the perfect combination of flavors. What made this dish even more special was that it was almost the exact same recipe that my great grandmother (my mom’s grandmother) would use. It was the perfect birthday treat.

There are many more great, authentic recipes at italianchef.com, I highly recommend you check it out! I also placed a link under the Recommendation section. Special thanks to Chef Paolo Torre for allowing me to share his recipe.

STUFFED ARTICHOKES
(click here for link to original post)

Serves 4

1 cup bread crumbs
½ cup grated Pecorino-Romano Cheese
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
6 tablespoons olive oil
4 artichokes
2 cloves of garlic, sliced

1. Combine bread crumbs, Pecorino-Romano Cheese, parsley, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a medium bowl. Mix together well.

2. Cut stems off artichokes, flush with bottom. Cut pointy leaves off the top of the artichokes. Spread leaves of each artichoke out and push stuffing in between them. (I also scooped out and discarded the hard, purple leaves in the center of the artichoke prior to stuffing).

3. In a pot just large enough to fit the artichokes, add the sliced garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and the artichokes. Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the top of the artichokes.

4. Turn heat on to medium and cook until sizzling about 1-2 minutes.  Add water to reach half way up the sides of the artichokes.

5. Cover and cook until the artichokes are tender and a leaf is easily pulled out, about 45 minutes.  If liquid is evaporating too quickly add a little more water.

6. Transfer to a serving platter, drizzle a little of the liquid from the pot over the artichokes and serve.

Cupid, Roll Out Your Dough….

Valentine’s Day has always been a special day for me. It was the day that my wife and I started dating, it was the day that we got engaged, and it was the day that our nephew, Evan, was born. With all of the chaos and commotion now in our house, going out to dinner on the busiest restaurant night of the year doesn’t seem so appealing. Nowadays the quiet, romantic dinners have been set aside for another day so we can celebrate with our daughters.

This year, I stepped up to my New Year’s resolution early and bought myself a pasta maker. I got my new kitchen toy just a few days ago – perfect timing to put to use for a nice Valentine’s dinner. What made it extra special was the enthusiasm and excitement that our daughter, Julianna, showed when I asked her to help roll the first batch of pasta. She’s been showing a real interest in helping out in the kitchen, making her own lunch and helping with dinner, so asking her to assist me with a Play-Do like project was a no brainer. She was all into the preparation and rolling of the dough, and mastered the crank machine in no time. And I have to say that the pasta that we made – wheat fettucini – turned out to be absolutely awesome. I used the noodles in a Giada De Laurentis recipe, Whole-Wheat Pasta with Lemon, Basil, and Salmon. It was the perfect Valentine’s dinner.

Being the proud Italian father that I am, it is always gratifying to see our kids enjoy themselves while learning something new and creating new memories. It’s a goal that my wife and I strive for every day. Every picture tells a story, and these pictures will forever be a reminder of our first time making pasta together and making yet another great Valentine’s Day memory.

Love, hugs and kisses to my wife Daria and our daughters Julianna and Ava.