My version of a shrimp cocktail has a lot more kick
than the steak-house standard, thanks to Calabrian chile paste. I use this
spicy condiment in many of my recipes; it’s kind of like the Italian version of
sriracha. If you can get your hands on fresh Thai basil, which has a slight licorice
flavor, it is really nice here, but if not, regular basil is just fine.
½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons Calabrian chile paste
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (from
½ lemon)
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and
deveined, tails intact
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or
Thai basil
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
In a medium bowl, whisk together
the Parmigiano-Reggiano, olive oil, chile paste, lemon zest, oregano, and salt.
Add the shrimp and toss to coat. Allow the shrimp to marinate for 10 minutes at
room temperature.
Spread the shrimp evenly on a
rimmed baking sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the shrimp are pink
and opaque all the way through. Sprinkle the lemon juice and basil over the
shrimp. Serve warm.
apricot mostarda :
An antipasto platter is a quick, easy, and attractive way to feed
a group, because most of the elements—cured meats, cheese, olives,
breadsticks—are store-bought. To add a special touch, though, most Italians
personalize the spread by including something homemade, like spiced nuts,
marinated olives, or a sweet-savory fruit condiment known as mostarda. In Italy
it’s common to make condiments like this in large batches and preserve them for
a longer shelf life, but even in the fridge, the tangy, spicy blend of dried
fruit and mustard lasts for a month or so. It’s fantastic with roast pork or
even on yogurt. Spread the mostarda on crostini or a ham and Brie sandwich; its
sharp flavor cuts through the fattiness.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
flakes
½ cup white wine vinegar
5 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 cups dried Turkish apricots,
chopped
Heat the olive oil in a small
saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot and salt. Cook for 1 minute, or
until the shallots are fragrant and soft. Stir in the mustard seeds and red
pepper flakes, and cook an additional minute. Add the vinegar and sugar. Bring
to a simmer, stirring often, until the sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes.
Whisk in the mustard and add 1 cup
of the chopped apricots. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring often, for about
10 minutes, or until the apricots are plump and the mixture has started to
thicken to a jam-like consistency. Turn off the heat and stir in the remaining
apricots. Cover the pan and cool to room temperature. Transfer the mostarda to
one or more tightly covered containers and store in the refrigerator for up to
4 weeks. Serve at room temperature.
Pan-roasted clams :
This dish truly transports me to the Amalfi coast.
Citrus, clam broth, fresh herbs, and butter make an amazing dipping sauce for
crusty bread. Yum! If you can’t find cockles or tiny New Zealand clams choose
the smallest littleneck clams you can get and cook a minute or two longer. This
would also make a nice dinner for two.
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2
pounds cockles or Manila clams, scrubbed and rinsed
2 tablespoons fresh
flat-leaf parsley leaves
¼ cup (½ stick)
unsalted butter
4 fresh thyme
sprigs
1 teaspoon grated
lemon zest
½ teaspoon grated
orange zest
¼ teaspoon crushed
red pepper flakes
Crusty bread, for
dipping
Heat a large
straight-sided skillet over high heat until hot. Add the clams and cover the
skillet. Cook, shaking the pan every so often, for about 3 minutes, or until
the clams are opened. Discard any unopened clams.
Remove the pan from
the heat. Using a slotted spoon, scoop the clams into a serving bowl, leaving
any juices in the skillet, and sprinkle the clams with the parsley leaves.
Add the butter,
thyme, lemon zest, orange zest, and red pepper flakes to the pan with the clam
juices, and place over medium heat. Warm until the butter is melted. Pour the
sauce over the clams or serve it on the side with crusty bread.
Crab
arancini :
In Italy, where risotto is served as both an entrée and
a side dish, cooks often turn leftovers into little fritters called arancini. I
like them so much I make risotto from scratch in the morning, let it cool all
day, and then, in the evening, I make these balls of pure heaven: crispy
outside, creamy inside. You can fill them with meat and cheese if you’d like,
but to elevate them from street food and make them part of my summertime menu,
I stuff them with crab (or even lobster if I want to be überfancy). These are
rich, so allow two or three per serving.
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2
tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons (¼
stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 shallots, chopped
1 garlic clove,
chopped
1 teaspoon kosher
salt
1 cup Arborio rice
1 cup dry white
wine
2 cups seafood
broth or bottled clam juice
½ cup freshly
grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 tablespoons
mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
1 teaspoon grated
lemon zest
2 cups lump
crabmeat, picked through for shells
2 tablespoons
chopped fresh chives
½ cup all-purpose
flour
2 large eggs at
room temperature, lightly beaten
1 cup panko bread crumbs
Vegetable oil, for
frying
1 cup prepared
marinara sauce, for dipping (optional)
Heat a 3½-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the olive
oil and butter, and heat until the butter is melted. To the hot oil, add the
shallots and garlic. Cook, stirring often, with a wooden spoon, for about 2
minutes, or until the vegetables are soft and become fragrant. Add ½ teaspoon
of the salt to the pan along with the Arborio rice. Stir the rice to coat it
with all the flavors of the pan and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the wine,
scraping the bottom of the pan, and reduce the heat to medium. Simmer until the
wine is almost entirely absorbed, about 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add all
of the broth to the pan and stir to combine. Cook, stirring often, until the
rice is tender but not mushy, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir
in the cheeses, lemon zest, crabmeat, and chives. Spread the risotto out onto a
parchment-lined baking sheet to cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic
wrap and refrigerate until completely cold, about 2 hours.
Prepare a breading
station using three shallow bowls. Place the flour mixed with the remaining ½
teaspoon salt in one, the eggs in another, and the panko in yet another. Scoop
out 1 tablespoon of risotto and, using your palms, shape it into a ball. Roll
the ball in the flour mixture, shaking off the excess, then the egg. Lastly dip
the ball in the panko, being careful to coat it completely. Place the ball on a
rimmed baking sheet. Continue making and coating balls until all the risotto is
used.
Fill a medium saucepan with 2 inches of vegetable oil and heat it
to 350°F on a deep-fry thermometer over medium-high heat. Using a wire skimmer
or a slotted spoon, lower 5 or 6 balls into the oil. Fry for 3 to 4 minutes, or
until they are a deep golden brown and heated through. Remove to a paper
towel–lined tray. Continue with the rest of the balls, making sure you don’t
overcrowd the pan to ensure they brown evenly. Serve with warm marinara for
dipping, if desired.
Ham and ricotta pinwheels :
These look really pretty on an antipasto platter, but
Jade loves it when I put them in her lunch box, too. For this, you really want
to use sturdy slices of Italian cooked ham, not prosciutto, which is too
delicate and likely to rip apart when you spread it with the soft ricotta.
Jarred giardiniera gives these simple bites a bit of tangy zip.
⅔
cup whole-milk ricotta, at room temperature
¼ teaspoon chopped
fresh rosemary
¼ cup freshly
grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 teaspoons
extra-virgin olive oil
12 thin slices
Italian cooked ham (prosciutto cotto), about ½ pound
1 cup giardiniera,
drained and chopped
In a medium bowl,
mix together the ricotta, rosemary, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and olive oil with a
rubber spatula until well combined. Set aside.
Lay 2 pieces of ham lengthwise on the board in
front of you, overlapping them by half and patching holes where needed. Spread
about 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture evenly over the ham. Sprinkle the
side closest to you with 2 tablespoons chopped giardiniera and press it gently
into the cheese. Roll the ham into a pinwheel, starting with the edge closest
to you and rolling away from you. Wrap each roll tightly in plastic wrap and
store in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours to firm up. To serve, unwrap the
rolls and use a sharp knife to cut each one into ¾-inch pieces.
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