Roasted Garlic and Tomato Shrimp Spaghettini

Roasted Garlic and Tomato Shrimp Spaghettini

Who doesn't love pasta?  I know, I know, too many carbs, however this recipe is light, healthy, and I even sneaked in spinach.  It's powerful food so leave the guilt behind.  I'm a big tomato lover and I itch every summer for fresh sun ripened tomatoes and by roasting the tomatoes the flavor is that much intensified, almost like sun dried tomatoes but fresher and better.  This recipe is simple and effortless.

Begin by choosing the freshest tomatoes.  I bought large cherry tomatoes because they smelled fragrant and were perfectly ripe.  Don't focus on which tomato or which size, you can always cut them up and they will shrivel once roasted, seek a tasty tomato.  Wash tomatoes and cut into roughly 1 inch pieces.  Peel the garlic and cut the 6 gloves in three pieces.  Arrange in a baking deep baking tray or over safe pan the tomatoes, garlic, fresh or dried oregano (thyme would also work), and season aggressively with salt.  Add 1/4 cup of olive oil and toss.  Bake in a preheated oven at 400 for approximately 20 minutes until tomatoes are soft and have rendered juices.

Peel, rinse and dry the shrimp.  I used 31/40 sized raw deveined shell on shrimp.  If you are in a rush you can opt for cooked shrimp, simply toss the into the hot dish to warm through.  I marinated the shrimp in a few generous tbsp of olive oil, the remaining garlic chopped, and 1/2 tsp of oregano. Refrigerate for 20-30 minutes. Next, fill a large pot 3/4 with water (salted) to a boil.  Cook pasta according to package instructions and be sure to reserve a cup of its cooking liquid prior to straining.

Heat a large pan to medium heat, and add the shrimp, its marinate, salt and pepper.  Cook for 1-2 minutes per side until the shrimp is not longer translucent and remove from heat.  Reheat the baked tomatoes on the stove top on medium to high heat and add a splash of dry white wine to de-glaze the pan, stirring the bottom to lift all the stuck bits and pieces (tons of flavor).  Add the washed raw spinach, the shrimp, and drained pasta.  Incorporate the ingredients well, and add the reserved pasta cooking liquid to extend your sauce.

Served piled high and garnish with your favorite fresh herb, fresh grated Parmesan, and my favorite crushed chili flakes.  Yumm!


Ingredients
(Serves 4 generously)
1 pkg spaghettini or capellini
340 g of raw deveined shrimp
325 g of tomatoes (2 containers of cherry tomatoes)
1 bag of baby spinach
6 stems of fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried
8 garlic cloves
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Splash of white wine (optional)
Fresh Parmesan
Salt & Pepper

Baked Crab Stuffed Jalapeno Poppers

Baked Crab Stuffed Jalapeno Poppers

My dad always makes me this appetizer when I'm visiting and I love them so much that I started making them at home with my own variations.  They are spicy, cheesy, crunchy and very addictive.  I prefer this baked version over the deep fried poppers they serve at pubs, and they are much lighter.  I prepared this version with fresh crab and cheddar.  If you do not eat seafood, they are equally delicious simply stuffed with cheeses.

For the filling, chop celery, red onion (or scallions), and parsley very fine.  Add room temperature cream and shredded cheddar.  Season with garlic powder, chili powder, and salt and pepper.  Add medium sized chopped cooked crab meat, and combine mixture thoroughly.  You can replace the crab with other shell fish, I also prepare this recipe with shrimp.  Adding the seafood, cuts down the fat from the cheese and bumps up the protein.

Jalapenos are high in vitamin C, vitamin A, B-6, and too often underused.  Simply wash the peppers and cut in half, I usually leave the stems.  Remove the seeds and membrane, they contain the majority of the heat. If you like it spicy like me, leave a few seeds. Stuff the halved peppers generously with the cheese/crab mixture.

In a plate season the Panko with salt, pepper, and oregano.  Dip the filling side only until it is fully coated in crumbs.  Lightly sprinkle the crust with cayenne pepper (optional).  Preheat oven to 400F.  Arrange jalapenos (skin side down) on a parchment lined baking tray and bake for approximately 18-24 minutes until golden brown.  You may also grill them on the BBQ skin side down on low heat.

Serve with sour cream or guacamole and enjoy : )  They are also great on top of a veggie burger.

Ingredients
(Serves 12 pieces)

6 jalapeno peppers

3 tbsp plain cream cheese

40g shredded cheddar cheese
50g cooked crab meat

2 tbsp chopped red onion

2 tbsp chopped celery

1 tbsp chopped parsley

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/3 cup Panko

Salt and Pepper to taste

Pinch of cayenne

Asparagus Rigatoni in a Creamy Pesto with Blue Cheese

This recipe serves four, however; it is so delicious that you might eat an extra portion.  This vegetarian pasta is hearty, satisfying, and the creamy pesto sauce is packed with flavor.  I like it with asparagus, on this occasion I added broccoli as well.  Feel free to use any dark green vegetables you love, mushrooms would also be a good addition.  If you have non vegetarians in the family/guests you can easily top this dish with grilled chicken or shrimp and marinate in extra pesto.  Also, if you have blue cheese haters in the household, you can simply not mix it into the sauce and crumble it on top.  This dish is easy to entertain with and can please many palates.  You will need at least a small food processor to make the pesto or a blender/hand blender.

Pesto can be made in three minutes, so please don't buy it.  Homemade pesto is free from preservatives and packed with vitamin C, anti-fungal, and anti-cancerous properties.  The pine nuts provide protein and vitamin E, among other things...  It is a flavorful marinate and/or spread.  Simply wash the fresh basil and parsley.  Please remove any dark edges from the basil, it will turn the mixture bitter.  Roughly chop the rest of the ingredients.  Blend all the ingredients in a food processor until combined for one to two minutes. Keep some texture in the mixture, don't over blend.  Refrigerate the pesto.

Fill a large pot with three quarters water with a tsp of salt and bring to a boil.  You want more water than you will need for the pasta as you will throw the vegetables in at the end to blanch them, for an easy clean-up.  Rinse and dry asparagus and broccoli thoroughly.  Chop tough ends of asparagus, approximately 1 inch and chop the remaining stems into three pieces.  Cut broccoli into small florets.  Add the rigatoni and cook according to the package instructions, different pastas very.  Once you feel the pasta will be ready within 2 minutes or so, put a large deep saucepan on medium heat on another burner.  Add the vegetables to the boiling water with the pasta.  Poor the pesto into the deep pan and allow to heat through.  Strain the rigatoni and veggies, reserving a third of a cup of pasta cooking water.  The pasta cooking liquid is starchy and helps the pasta adhere to the sauce while extending it.  Once the pesto is hot, add cream and a little butter.  You may use any percentage of cream, depending on your diet.  Bring to a simmer and add the pasta and vegetables and stir.  Allow the pasta to marry the sauce for approximately 3 minutes and then add the pasta to adjust the consistency.  

Incorporate the Blue cheese and plate the pasta.  Garnish with crumbles of blue cheese or freshly grated Parmesan.  I usually top the dish with freshly ground pepper and a few pieces of ripped parsley or basil. This time I won't tell you to enjoy, I know you will!  Feel free to get creative and use any pasta you like, chunkier pasta works best.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

1 small pkg rigatoni (450g)

1 bunch asparagus

1/2 bunch broccoli

1/2 cup half and half cream

1/3 cup reserved pasta cooking water

1 tbsp of butter

1/4 cup Blue cheese

Salt

Pesto

1/4 cup raw pine nuts

1 bunch fresh basil

1/4 cup fresh parsley

1 clove garlic (peeled)

3 tbsp of grated Parmesan
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp of lemon juice

Salt and Pepper to taste