Roasted Vegetable and Sea Scallop Pastini

pastini

My son Ryan and his wife Gina love to cook together. This is one of their all time classic dishes they like to make together.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 8 large sea scallops
  • Fusilli pasta noodles
  • 1 lemon
  • 2 tablespoons Butter
  • Fresh chopped parsley (for topping)
  • Fresh grated parmesan (for topping)
  • Sea salt
  • Ground black pepper
  • Red pepper
  • Garlic (fresh or powder)

Roasted Vegetable Ingredients:

  • 2 red peppers, sliced
  • 3 zucchinis
  • 3 yellow squashes
  • 2 packs button mushrooms, sliced

DIRECTIONS:

Roasted Vegetables: Cut the peppers into approximately 1” slivers and dice the zucchinis and squash into 1” to ½” thick quarters. Combine these in a bowl with the mushrooms, sea salt, ground black pepper, red pepper powder, garlic, olive oil, and sea salt. Toss together.  Place vegetables on a foil-covered baking sheet and bake at 425°F until they are tender, turning every 15 minutes.

Scallops: Season the 8 large scallops on both sides with garlic powder, salt, and black pepper, while heating 1 tablespoon of butter in a skillet.  Add scallops to skillet and sauté until brown on both sides (about 5 minutes each).  Add a squeeze of lemon juice to pan.

Pasta: Boil water and add box of fusilli pasta noodles.  After cooked, drain pasta and stir in 1 tablespoon of butter. Season with a dash of garlic salt.

Toss vegetables and pasta together and serve.  Top each dish with scallops and sprinkle fresh Italian parsley and grated parmesan cheese.

Seaford Gumbo

gumbo

No matter how big they get or how much they change, the kids still ask for their dad’s gumbo. Definitely a classic!

INGREDIENTS

  • ⅔ cup olive oil
  • ⅔ cup all-purpose white flour
  • 2 full tablespoons of fresh chopped garlic OR Spice World, minced or chopped garlic in the jar
  • 1 tsp. cracked black pepper
  • 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
  • ½ tsp. thyme
  • 1 cup chopped yellow onion
  • ½ cup chopped green onions
  • ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
  • ½ cup chopped celery
  • ½ cup chopped red bell pepper
  • ½ cup chopped green bell pepper
  • 2 – cups of fresh okra – (or frozen if fresh not available)
  • 2 – 14.5 oz. cans of chopped tomatoes with garlic, basil & oregano by Trader Joe’s
  • 2 – 6oz. cans of fine crabmeat, juice drained, by Chicken of the Sea
  • 2 – 8oz. cans of whole oysters by Chicken of the Sea
  • 2 – pounds of peeled and cooked medium size shrimp (add at the end)
  • 1 tsp. Gumbo File’ by Zatarain’s (add at the end)
  • Louisiana hot sauce (add at the end)

DIRECTIONS

  1. Make a roux by combining heated olive oil and flour in a deep 12 quart stock pot. Cook slowly till roux starts to brown.  Be careful not to burn the roux!
  2. Add onions and cook until translucent.
  3. Add celery, parsley, red & green bell peppers, green onion, black pepper, okra, chopped tomatoes, crabmeat, oysters, cayenne, thyme, and garlic.
  4. Water may need to be added to bring juice level even.
  5. Cook on low heat for 1 ½ hours, stirring as needed.
  6. Last 10 minutes of cooking time, add 1 teaspoon of Gumbo File’ and cooked shrimp.
  7. Serve with white rice and saltine crackers.
  8. Louisiana hot sauce can be added for extra taste!

FOOTNOTE

Filé powder is a seasoning made from the ground, dried leaves of the sassafras tree. It’s an integral part of Creole cooking, and is used to thicken and flavor gumbos and other Creole dishes.

Broccoli & Shrimp Fettuccine

In the early nineties, we took many trips to Seaside, Florida for our vacations. We would rent fully furnished beach houses for the summer. One traditional dish we loved to make every year was this quick, easy and delicious favorite. My niece, Elizabeth, would go with us every summer. Without fail, she would ask her Uncle Cubby to make this for her. Enjoy one of our classic dinners by the sea.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 pound of fresh shrimp (prawns), peeled and deveined
  • 1 cup broccoli florets
  • 1 pound fettuccine
  • 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 6 – 10 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • ½ cup (4 oz.) white wine that you would drink
  • Red pepper flakes to taste
  • Sea salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, chopped
  • 1 cup of fresh Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

  1. In a large pot, bring 5 quarts of salted water to a boil, adding a little olive oil to the water. Add the fettuccine and cook until the noodles rise to the surface (about 2 minutes).
  2. In a large frying pan, heat olive oil over low heat. Add garlic and sauté, stirring frequently, until translucent (about 2 minutes).
  3. Add broccoli, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender (about 5 minutes).
  4. Raise the heat to medium, add the shrimp and sauté about 2 minutes.
  5. Add white wine and season to taste with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.
  6. Drain pasta and transfer it to the frying pan containing the other ingredients. Place over medium heat and add the parsley and heavy cream. Cook, stirring gently, about 2 minutes.
  7. Arrange on a warm platter and serve immediately with fresh Parmesan cheese.