How to Make Norwegian Gravlax
This post brought to you by Norwegian Salmon. All opinions are 100% mine.
Living so close to the coast we are definitely seafood lovers. And being so close to the water, we know good seafood when we taste it. We also know when it comes to finding authentic, superior tasting foods, origin really does matters. Today we’re going to focus on one of my favorite fish – salmon. When it comes to salmon, Norway is on top of it’s game.
Linguine alle Vongole {Linguine with Clams}
I can NOT believe that I have NOT posted my recipe for Linguine and Clams. It is up there on my list of favorite pasta dishes. Of course, you know by now my absolute favorite is Spaghetti alla Carbonara but this comes pretty close. I tend to prefer a white sauce with my Linguine and Clams so that’s what you’re getting today. Don’t worry I’ll eventually post my red sauce recipe too ; ) I’m a equal opportunity Linguine and Clams eater!
Cappesante in Salsa di Zafferano {Sea Scallops in Saffron Sauce}
There is just something so sexy about scallops! Perhaps it’s the way they slide off the fork right into your mouth. Or maybe it’s their silky smooth texture. Chissa {who knows} I just know I adore them. Baked Scallops are among my favorite ways to enjoy these beauties, BUT there’s something about a seared scallop that just takes the cake.
Crema di Gamberi {Shrimp Bisque}
Soup has a way of warming your hands, toes and heart. My heart is always a little warmer when that soup happens to be a bisque. A creamy dreamy bowl of goodness.
Festa dei Sette Pesci {Feast of the Seven Fishes}
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas ; ) But before we can get to Christmas, there is Christmas EVE. With that, a very special feast comes.The Feast of the Seven Fishes. Festa dei Sette Pesci is celebrated on Christmas Eve and it is indeed a FEAST! It can also be referred to as La Viglia, La Viglia di Natale, {The Vigil}.
Aragosta fra Diavolo {Lobster Fra Diavolo}
I truly adore seafood. Just the thought of a meal with seafood gives me goose bumps {in a good way obviously}. Being close to the coast we are able to enjoy a variety of seafood for the majority of the year. Lucky me I know ; )I’d be hard pressed to pick my absolute favorite BUT if you threatened to take my Nutella away and made me, I’d have to say lobster {don’t worry mussels, shrimp, crab, sea bass…I still love you!}
Cozze con la Salsiccia Piccante {Mussels with Spicy Sausage and Tomato}
Mamma Mia how I adore MUSSELS! I could eat two dozen of them by myself and not blink an eye, and then take the remainder of the crusty bread and finish sopping up the saucy goodness. And yes, I will slap your hand if you try to take my bowl before I’m done…fair warning LOL! Totally not my fault though, they’re just so stinking GOOD!
Capesante al Forno {Baked Scallops}
We’ve been in a seafood mood lately. I’m pretty much a happy girl anytime I’m having seafood. Mussels, shrimp, lobster, fish, crab {oh let me count the ways I love crab…king, snow, dungeness, blue, stone wow I’m thinking there’s going to be a crab recipe coming up very soon LOL} and scallops. Oh I how I LURVE succulent sweet scallops.
Sea scallops, diver scallops, bay scallops, rock scallops, here a scallop there a scallop LOL. All perfectly plump and delectable! I’ll take a dozen of each ; ) This recipe was inspired from a recipe in the cookbook “Venezia”. They used large sea scallops on the half shell which made an incredibly beautiful presentation. For this recipe I used bay scallops but you could use any that you like. It’s a dish that comes together incredibly fast. You simply marinate the scallops, spoon them into the ramekins, top with breadcrumbs and a little buttah and bake. It’s that easy. The hardest part will be waiting for them to come out of the oven ; )
They make a perfect appetizer if you put them in smaller ramekins {this is how I prepare them for this post} and serve them with a toasted baguette. Swoon! OR if you choose to adjust the recipe {increase the marinade and amount of scallops to double or triple the size} put them in a larger dish it easily converts to an entree with the addition of a few sides. Easy peasy and oh so tasty either way.
Gnocchi con Scampi {Gnocchi with Shrimp}
Gnocchi con Scampi. Shrimp and Gnocchi two things that make me HAPPY! What’s not to love, soft pillowy balls of potato goodness, kissed with a spicy tomato sauce and garnished with shrimp. Swoon!
Can I just say these gnocchi were DELICIOUS. Light, airy, everything you’d want a gnocchi to be. Trader Joe’s isn’t exactly near my house but I’m going to try and make a trip at least once a month. I was impressed with everything I purchased on my first trip. These gnocchi will definitely be going back in my basket. They’re perfect for those week nights when I’m running behind and need a little help in the kitchen 
The gnocchi are amazing but the star of this dish is the sauce! It’s a light, slightly spicy shrimp sauce. It has an incredible amount of depth from all of the flavor building. You have shallot, garlic, tomatoes, cream, wine, brandy… I’m licking my lips just thinking about it. And then there are the shrimp. The succulent shrimp. Swoon!
This dish comes together fairly quickly {if you’re using the prepacked gnocchi} Make sure you time everything right, start your tomato based sauce, have your water boiling ready for the gnocchi {they only take a few minutes to cook} and of course a separate pan for the shrimp {again they don’t take long either} Then in the end everything comes together to form one happy family! And that’s a beautiful thing…
Baci!
{Adapted from the cookbook “Venezia” by Tessa Kiros}
What you’ll need:
14.5 ounces canned peeled tomatoes – diced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 shallot – minced
2 garlic cloves – minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
pinch of Calabrian red pepper flakes
1 pound of large shrimp – deveined & peeled {tails on}
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon brandy
1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon flat leaf Italian parsley – chopped
1 pound 1.6 ounce package of gnocchi {I used Trader Joe’s}
salt/pepper
What to do:
1. Into a large saute pan, add the olive oil and shallots and saute over medium heat until translucent. Stirring as necessary. Add the garlic stir well to combine and cook for approx 1 minute {do not let garlic burn}. Add the wine and cook until it has evaporated. Add the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to low and simmer for approx 10 – 15 minutes until you have a nice loose sauce, stirring as necessary. Add the cream at the end.
2. WHILE the sauce is cooking, put a large pot of well salted water onto boil. When boiling, add the gnocchi and cook until they float to the top. Once they’ve floated the to the top allow them to cook for approx 2 additional minutes and then remove with a slotted spoon and add gnocchi to sauce pan.
3. In a separate pan, about five minutes before the gnocchi is done melt the butter into a medium pan. Add scampi, season with a pinch of salt and cook until they are opaque. Take the pan off of the heat, add the brandy and ignite the pan {stand back so you don’t burn yourself} Once the alcohol has evaporated transfer the shrimp to the sauce pan with the gnocchi. Toss gently to combine.
4. If necessary add a little of the gnocchi water to loosen the sauce. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately.
Buon Appetito!
Capellini ai Funghi e Caviale {Angel Hair w/Mushrooms & Caviar} + GIVEAWAY !
It’s almost Mother’s Day! Yes, that’s right, honey are you listening ; ) For me, it’s a day when all I really want is peace & quiet in the house {Miss Priss, Middle Man & Bruiser you listening} & for someone else to cook for me. And if there happens to be a little something extra well then that’s just icing on the cake! Okay maybe a nice bottle of wine too ; )
Linguine ai Frutti di Mare {Seafood Linguine}
Frutti di Mare translates to fruits of the sea and boy is this dish full of fruits from the sea. It has almost all of my favorite seafood: Mussels, Clams, Shrimp and Scallops. If it happened to have had some lobster & crab well I would have just been in seafood heaven! If you don’t happen to like some of these *and gasp if you don’t* just leave them out.
read moreCozze Ripiene {Stuffed Mussels}
Mussels, Mussels and more Mussels please. I could literally eat my weight in Mussels. I know, probably not the brightest idea but I so could. Next to my Drunken Mussels these are my favorite way to enjoy Mussels. Okay, who am I kidding, I’d eat them just about any way but raw. There I said it! I was told the name of this recipe is Cozze Gratinate but that translates to Mussels au Gratin and well since there isn’t any cream in here and knowing if I called them that SOMEONE would call me out on it so I’m changing it to Cozze Ripiene, which translates to Stuffed Mussels ; ) Which is exactly what they are.
Risotto all’Aragosta {Lobster Risotto}
Awhile ago I was contacted by Challenge Dairy and was asked to create an Entrée for their holiday recipe showdown. To help me get inspired to create my entrée they sent me a complimentary care package which included:
read moreNutella Challenge – Chocolate Torte with Nutella Mousse & Raspberries
Are you ready? I know I am! Well ready or NOT, here is the 2nd installment of the Nutella Challenge! Last month there were some ah-mazing offerings. I hope you’ve had a chance to try a few of them out. If not, here’s the link where you can find them: Nutella Challenge ~ Round 1 So without further ado, I present to you my THREE LAYERED MINI CHOCOLATE TORTE WITH NUTELLA MOUSSE & RASPBERRIES (what a name LOL such a mouthful, yikes)….are you drooling? Well you should be.
Crab Linguine
Have I mentioned how much I love seafood? Well I do & any chance I get to add some to a dish I do – especially a pasta dish! I can’t go a week without having some type of pasta. Okay, more specifically, I really can’t go more than a day or so without some type of pasta. Thank goodness there are endless ways to prepare pasta & I’ll do my best to bring as many of them to your table as possible. Wouldn’t want to leave you out now!
read moreShrimp Avocado Summer Sammie
I have been dreaming of food combinations lately (I know right, not the beach, not the spa, but food! LOL) and one that I have wanted to try is a fresh summer sammie. I’ve always been fascinated with the idea of Poor Boy Sammies but am just not into the fried food right now during this insane heat wave, way too heavy for me!
So this is my fresh new take on a summer gourmet sammie. This is so quick & easy to do & beats the normal ham & cheese any day of the week.
read moreSaffron Seafood Risotto
Have I ever mentioned how much I love Risotto? I’m sure I have, it’s just so creamy & delicious. What’s not to love? And it’s insanely versatile. You can put just about anything into it.
I wanted to do an ultra luxurious risotto and I thought what’s more luxurious than saffron? Oh, glorious saffron! I know this isn’t the most budget friendly recipe but we can splurge every now & then! When you’re ready to splurge, this is one of those recipes.
read moreHomemade Pasta ~ Pasta fatto in casa
I recently got a brand new Imperial Pasta Maker
There is nothing wrong with dried boxed pasta (I use them all the time) but there is just something special about fresh homemade pasta. It’s much easier than you would think. It is time consuming but not difficult. If you wanted to speed up the process you could even mix the dough in your mixer or food processor. The recipe posted will make enough for 4 regular portions. I usually make at least two of this recipe to feed my family of 5 but we’re big pasta eaters. If you were making this as a prima, or first course, I think one batch would be fine.
read moreScallops Francaise
Summer time to me means lots of fresh seafood! I’m lucky enough to live fairly close to the coast & fresh seafood is abundant right now. (Well at least in my part of the world it is & if it’s not in your part of the world, fear not, there is always frozen to fall back on in a pinch.) It’s the perfect time to experiment with flavor combinations.
Scallops are delectable. So buttery & delicious & completely versatile. They take on flavors beautifully. You can use this recipe as an appetizer or fill up the plate & use it as your entree. Either way it’s simply scrumptious. The secret ingredient here is the Panko!
read morePineapple Fusion Scallops
I have been craving scallops for a while now! Since the weather has started to warm up it was the perfect time to come up with a new recipe!
Typically you’ll either find a butter, garlic & wine reduction recipe or a fried recipe for your scallops. This one is neither & I’m really pleased with how it turned out & know you will be too!
The pineapple and mango reduction fuses beautifully with the scallops! Sweet, sweet harmony with a little kick thrown in at the end (cayenne)! You’ll look like a rock star in the kitchen when you serve this dish up!
read more
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