Proud Italian Cook

My Big Fat Thick Pasta!

June 4, 2012 by Marie 18 Comments

Do you ever have the urge to try different pasta shapes? I do, all the time. In fact, if you were to look on my pantry shelf right now you would see quite a few out of the ordinary shapes and sizes.
What can I say I get bored with the same old same old!

For my latest pasta shape adventure I tried Mezzi Ziti #9, it’s like bucatini on steroids! Thick and long but perfectly toothy tubular strands, it was an eating adventure to say the least.
Don’t even think about trying to twirl this pasta around your fork, it’s not going to happen. But I guarantee you’ll be hearing a lot of slurping going on!
My advice is to eat among those close to you!

My sauce was created with vegetables, it was light and very flavorful. I used cherry tomatoes that I roasted with generous amounts of garlic and olive oil, cooked on foil until they burst, then added in fresh basil. The tomatoes will create a great base for your sauce. To that I added in roasted eggplant, artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers and zucchini ribbons which were quickly sauteed just until they wilted slightly.

Cook your pasta according to directions then toss everything together making sure to scrape all the tomato juices off the foil lined pan. This is a light but still very substantial, meatless meal.

If you want to be polite you could cut them with your fork as you eat, but it was much better slurping!

18 Comments Filed Under: Pasta, Vegetables Tagged: bucatini, mezzi ziti, pasta shapes, thick pasta, vegetarian pasta dish, zucchini ribbons

Grilled Shrimp and Lobster Gremolata

May 30, 2012 by Marie 33 Comments

Gremolata is not just for garnish anymore! Here it serves as the main ingredient to intensely flavor baby lobster and shrimp, then all is cooked rustic style in foil right on top of your grill. Perfect for summer entertaining or a special dinner for two.

Gremolata is so easy to make, I used my mini food processor or you can chop it all by hand. Start with four large garlic cloves and a full bunch of Italian parsley, process or mince them together. Place in a bowl, then add the zest of two lemons, the juice of one and enough olive oil to make the consistency loose. Rub the mixture all over your seafood and let it sit for about twenty minutes or so.

Have your grill heated on medium and make a “pan” out of heavy duty aluminum foil. Add your marinated seafood, a little red pepper flakes if you so desire, a handful of grape tomatoes, lemon slices and an extra drizzle of olive oil.

I had two baby lobsters that I precooked in boiling water for five minutes ( I wanted to make sure the lobsters would be cooked through) and a pound of shrimp, you could use shrimp alone or even some scallops. May I suggest reserving some of the gremolata to toss into warm angel hair pasta, the perfect accompaniment for those flavorful juices!

Cook open faced, with no foil on top, just the lid of your grill down until juices are sizzling and the fish is cooked through.

The smell in my backyard was so enticing that my neighbors were all commenting!

You have to try this!

See what I mean about the pasta and the juices?

Happy Grilling!

33 Comments Filed Under: Pasta, Sauces, Seafood, Summer Tagged: fish in foil, gremolata, grilled lobster, grilled seafood, grilled shrimp

Let the Grilling Begin!

May 21, 2012 by Marie 45 Comments

Memorial Day is right around the corner, here’s a few tasty ideas you might want to try.
First up, Chicken Flavored with a Mustard and Herb Paste.

Place 1 1/2 cups of loosely packed herbs of your choice into a food processor, I used parsley, basil, rosemary and thyme. Add 3 cloves of garlic, the zest of a lemon, salt and pepper then process to a fine chop. Add the juice of one lemon, a healthy glop of dijon mustard then drizzle in some olive oil until you get a thick paste consistency.

Now rub it all over your chicken, under and over the skin and let it sit for a few, then it’s time for the grill!

The end result is chicken flavored to the max!

When the chicken is done and resting you can make these Garlic Grilled Tomatoes, a recipe adapted from Steven Raichlen the BBQ king.
Cut your tomatoes in half crosswise, season with salt and pepper.
In a small frying pan add crushed garlic, olive oil and fresh thyme, cook til golden, take off the heat and add in grated parmesan cheese. Place your tomato halves cut side down on and oiled grill until you get grill marks, then turn them over with tongs and spoon the garlic cheese mixture on top and continue cooking.

This is a wonderful side for anything you might be putting on your grill.

You might also want to plan ahead and grill up some eggplant.

Then pair it with a caprese salad for another side or appetizer. Oh, this is so good!

Then finally, you have to have dessert! My go to, no brainer, quick dessert is a scoop of
vanilla ice cream drenched with Amaretto and topped with chopped almonds, so simple and a hit every time!