I often feel redundant in saying things like: "this is the best"!! but, THIS IS. There was a time when my husband and I traveled to California to visit family. My brother in law owned a great restaurant in downtown Palo Alto called Lavanda Restaurant & Wine Bar. One night we were treated to a feast which consisted of so many great foods and flavors but, the one dish that stood out to both my husband and I was the Scampi. This was true Scampo/Scampi that was flown in for the occasion. Such a treat that I never knew existed!! True Scampi is very similar to lobster in taste (sweet & succulent!) The ones my brother in law had flown in that night were from the silty bottom of the Mediterranean and so incredible! Nowadays Americans think of "Scampi" by itself as a dish of shrimp, served in garlic butter and dry white wine. The word "scampi" is often misconstrued as that style of preparation rather than an ingredient. Still, we always wanted a recipe that brought back that memory. I was watching the Food Network one day and watched Ina Garten make her 'Baked Shrimp Scampi' and decided it was something we needed to try. It truly is an 'easy to assemble' recipe. The shelling of the shrimp, de-veining and butterflying was the most time consuming of the entire preparation. Being a "canner" i must note that you should save your shrimp shells to make shrimp stock but, that's another recipe in itself. Ina did remark to leave the 'tails-on' the shrimp and after assembling the dish for the oven, I see why. You need the tails on as they help to hold the tails in the air so you can spread the butter/breadcrumb mixture around the butterfly part of the shrimp easily. It's ok if you don't leave the tails on (but, you will be spending a bit more time in assembling the dish.) I admit that I giggled a bit as I kept flashing back to the movie "Beetlejuice" when preparing this for the oven!! Best part is, the taste and mix of succulent flavors push pass the silly movie reference and put this dish over the edge into the "oh my god this is SO good" stratosphere!!!!!! Give her recipe a try - you won't be sorry! ~Enjoy! Diane
Baked Shrimp Scampi 2 pounds (12 to 15 per pound) shrimp in the shell 3 tablespoons good olive oil 2 tablespoons dry white wine Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature 4 teaspoons minced garlic (4 cloves) 1/4 cup minced shallots 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 extra-large egg yolk 2/3 cup panko (Japanese dried bread flakes) Lemon wedges, for serving Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Peel, devein, and butterfly the shrimp, leaving the tails on. Place the shrimp in a mixing bowl and toss gently with the olive oil, wine, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Allow to sit at room temperature while you make the butter and garlic mixture. In a small bowl, mash the softened butter with the garlic, shallots, parsley, rosemary, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, lemon juice, egg yolk, panko, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper until combined. Starting from the outer edge of a 14-inch oval gratin dish, arrange the shrimp in a single layer cut side down with the tails curling up and towards the center of the dish. Pour the remaining marinade over the shrimp. Spread the butter mixture evenly over the shrimp. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until hot and bubbly. If you like the top browned, place under a broiler for 1 minute. Serve with lemon wedges. Recipe by: Ina Garten "Baked Shrimp Scampi" Photos by: Diane Baker for Canning and Cooking at Home
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Baked Macaroni & Cheese
Ingredients: 1/2 pound pasta (shells or elbow macaroni) 3 tablespoons butter 3 tablespoons flour 3 cups milk, warmed slightly 1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced 1/2 teaspoon paprika, optional 1 1/4 cups sharp cheddar, shredded 1/4 cup Parmesan, shredded 1 large egg, tempered into cheese sauce 1 teaspoon sea or kosher salt Fresh black pepper to taste Topping, optional: 3 tablespoons butter 1 cup crushed garlic croutons or crushed bread crumbs Directions: Preheat oven to 350 F. Pasta: In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente (you don't want it too soft or it will get mushy.) if the pasta finishes cooking before your sauce is done, toss 1 tbs butter in with drained, cooked pasta and place in greased baking/casserole dish and await the sauce. Sauce: In a separate sauce-pot, you'll make the sauce to pour over the cooked pasta. Melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and keep it moving for about 3-5 minutes, or until roux mix is blond in color and nutty smelling. Stir in the warmed milk slowly while still whisking. Add in the onion and paprika Use some of this sauce to temper your egg (about 2-3 Tbs should work) Add tempered egg into sauce-pot and simmer all for another 8-10 minutes. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Butter a 2 Quart baking/casserole dish, add in cooked pasta and gently stir/fold the macaroni sauce mix into the pasta. Top with remaining cheese and Topping. Topping, optional: Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Cover/sprinkle over the top of the macaroni. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving. Recipe and Photo by: Diane Baker for Canning and Cooking at Home |