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Category: Pasta

Shrimp & Scallop Scampi

Shrimp & Scallop Scampi

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with Parsley & Parmesan

Yield: 2 Servings

Shrimp and scallops are sautéed until tender, then tossed with al dente spaghetti. Of course, it wouldn’t be a scampi without plenty of garlic and butter—here, garlic herb butter is the base for an easy, yet wow-worthy, sauce with Parmesan, parsley, and lemon juice. A dash of chili flakes for heat
Prep: 10 Cook: 30

  • 1lemon
  • 10oz shrimp
  • 6oz spaghetti
  • 5TBS parmesan cheese
  • 2cloves garlic
  • ¼oz parsley
  • 10oz scallops
  • 1tsp chili flakes
  • 4oz chicken stock
  • 2TBS garlic herb butter
  • 1tsp olive oil
  • 3TBS butter

Prep:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Wash and dry produce.

Zest and quarter lemon. Peel and finely chop garlic. Finely chop parsley.

Rinse shrimp and pat dry with paper towels. Pat scallops dry with paper towels. Place shrimp and scallops in a medium bowl, toss with lemon zest, ¼ of the garlic, a drizzle of olive oil, and a pinch of chili flakes (add more for an extra kick or leave it out if you’re feeling spice-averse!). Season with salt and pepper.

Cook pasta:

Once water is boiling, add spaghetti to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 9-11 minutes.

Reserve ½ cup pasta cooking water, then drain.

Cook shrimp & scallops:

Heat a large pan over high heat. Once pan is hot, add shrimp and scallop mixture, spread out in an even layer and cook, stirring once, until opaque and cooked through, 2- to 3-minutes.

Stir in 1 TBS plain butter until melted and coated.

Turn off heat, transfer to a second medium bowl (along with any cooking liquid).

Start sauce:

Once spaghetti is done, melt 2 TBS plain butter in pan used for shrimp and scallops over medium heat. Add remaining garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds.

Stir in stock concentrates and ¼ cup pasta cooking water. Simmer until sauce has slightly reduced, 1- to 2-minutes.

Finish sauce:

Stir drained spaghetti, shrimp and scallops (and any cooking liquid), garlic herb butter, half the parsley, and half the Parmesan into pan with sauce. Toss to coat. Add splashes of reserved pasta cooking water as necessary, until everything is thoroughly coated in sauce.

Tip: If cheese clumps, continue stirring and adding more pasta cooking water until smooth!

Remove from heat and stir in a big squeeze of lemon juice. Season generously with salt and pepper.

Finish & serve:

Divide pasta between bowls. Top with remaining parsley, remaining Parmesan, and chili flakes to taste. Add a big squeeze of lemon juice over top and serve with any remaining lemon wedges on the side.

Pork Sausage Cavatappi Bolognese

Pork Sausage Cavatappi Bolognese

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with Roasted Zucchini & Parmesan

Yield: 2

Classic meat sauce, upgraded with spice-flecked Italian sausage. Mixed with roasted or sautéed zucchini.
Prep: 5 Cook: 30

  • 1zucchini
  • 6oz cavatappi pasta
  • 1oz chicken stock concentrate
  • 1yellow onion
  • 1tbs Italian seasoning
  • 9oz Italian pork sausage
  • 1½oz tomato paste
  • 1½tbs sour cream
  • 3tbs parmesan cheese
  • salt & pepper
  • 2tsp cooking oil
  • 1TBS butter

Prep:

Adjust rack to top position and preheat oven to 450°F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Wash and dry produce.

Trim and halve zucchini lengthwise, slice crosswise into ½-inch-thick half-moons. Halve, peel, and thinly slice the onion.

Roast zucchini:

Toss zucchini on a baking sheet with a drizzle of oil, half the Italian Seasoning (you’ll use the rest later), and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Roast on top rack, tossing halfway through, until browned and tender, 14-16 minutes.

Optional: In a hot skillet, add a drizzle of oil, half the Italian Seasoning (you’ll use the rest later), and a pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté zucchini until lightly browned, 4-6 minutes.

Tent with foil to keep warm.

Cook pasta:

Once water is boiling, add cavatappi to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 9-11 minutes.

Reserve 1½ cups pasta cooking water, then drain.

Cook onion & sausage:

While pasta cooks, remove sausage from casing, discard casing.

Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5- to 6-minutes.

Add sausage and cook, breaking up meat into pieces, until browned, 3- to 4-minutes (it’ll finish cooking in the next step).

Make sauce:

Add tomato paste and remaining Italian Seasoning to pan. Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 1 minute.

Stir in stock concentrate, 1 cup reserved pasta cooking water, and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, cook until sauce has slightly thickened, and sausage is cooked through, 2- to 3-minutes.

Reduce heat to medium low.

Finish & serve:

Stir drained cavatappi, roasted zucchini, sour cream, and 1 TBS butter into pan until thoroughly combined.

Tip: If needed, stir in more reserved cooking water a splash at a time until pasta is coated in a creamy sauce.

Divide pasta between bowls. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve.

Italian Seasoning Blend

Makes: 1½ TBS

  • ½tsp garlic powder
  • ½tsp oregano
  • ½tsp basil
  • ½tsp black pepper
  • ½tsp parsley
Pasta Seafood DiScottio

Pasta Seafood DiScottio

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Yield: 2 Servings (can be doubled)
Scott Nowell

Pasta Jay’s in Boulder serves a dish called Seafood DiStefano on their Friday night specials list. Shrimp, crab and scallops, served over linguine with white clam sauce.
This is my version, modified to be a one-pot dish. You can change the seafood items to include some fish, lobster, etc. Be sure to add them in the appropriate order to get them cooked through.
Also note that the ingredients have been adjusted to serve two. Double, triple, etc. as needed. This dish cooks very quick, so it is important to cook the pasta and any optional vegetables first.

21-Apr-20, 22-Aug-20, 30-Oct-24

Pasta:

  • 4-6oz linguine, fettuccine, spaghetti
  • 1medium head of broccoli or other green vegetable (optional)

Aromatics:

  • 1TBS olive oil
  • 1TBS butter
  • ¼cup minced or thinly sliced garlic
  • ¼cup red onion, chopped, minced or sliced
  • 2tsp flour
  • pinch of red pepper flakes

Sauce:

  • ½cup white wine
  • ½cup pasta cooking water
  • 1generous tsp chicken Better Than Bouillon

Seafood/Finish:

  • 110 oz can of baby clams, NOT drained
  • 6peeled and deveined shrimp (16/20 or 21/25)
  • 6sea scallops
  • 6oz lump crab meat
  • ¼cup Parmesan cheese, shredded/grated
  • 1TBS fresh chopped parsley


Pasta: Add the pasta to one gallon of boiling salted water and cook to barely al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water. Remove pasta to oiled bowl and set aside. 

Optional Green Vegetable: If adding and a green vegetable like broccoli, cook it to al dente in the pasta water. Drain and remove to the bowl with the pasta. Return pasta pot to medium high heat.

Aromatics: In the pasta pan add 1 TBS olive oil and 1 TBS butter over med high heat until butter is melted. Add ¼ cup garlic and ¼ cup red onion and sauté for a minute. Sprinkle over about 2 tsp of flour. Stir to tighten. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes.

Sauce: To the aromatics, add ½ cup white wine, reserved ½ cup of pasta cooking water, generous teaspoon of Chicken Better Than Bouillon and stir to dissolve Better Than Bouillon. Boil for a few minutes until reduced to about ¾ cup. Add the undrained can of baby clams, scallops, shrimp, crab and/or other seafood as desired. Stir and cook for a couple of minutes until the shrimp and scallops are almost cooked.

Finish: Return the cooked pasta and optional green vegetable to the pot. Stir to mix well and coat pasta with sauce. Add the Parmesan and stir. Mix in 1 TBS fresh chopped parsley. Check and adjust seasoning.

Plate, top with additional parsley and Parmesan and serve.

Nowell Spaghetti Sauce

Nowell Spaghetti Sauce

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Yield: 4-6 servings
Loosely based on a recipe in the Seven Seas Nantucket Cookbook.

This is a moving target recipe if there ever was one. This is a quick cooking sauce and does not need long simmering.  Once the sauce is mixed and simmering, the sauce will be done in the time it takes to boil the water and cook the pasta.

Meat:

  • 4-6Italian sausages, sweet, mild, hot or combination (optional)
  • 1lb ground beef
  • 8oz ground pork or ground sausage (optional)

Veg:

  • 2TBS Olive oil
  • 1small or medium onion chopped fine
  • 1green bell pepper, small dice (optional)
  • 2cloves garlic minced
  • 1green bell pepper, diced
  • 8oz mushrooms, sliced or quartered (optional)

For sauce:

  • 114-oz can tomato sauce
  • 114-oz can diced tomatoes
  • 16-oz can tomato paste (optional)
  • 16-oz can water (paste can) (optional)

Seasonings:

  • 1tsp basil
  • 1tsp oregano
  • 1tsp salt
  • 1tsp sugar
  • ¼ to ½tsp fresh ground black pepper


For sausage: If adding the optional sausage, place them in a sauté pan over medium high heat with a cup of water. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce to simmer. Turn sausage over after 6 minutes, cover and cook for another 6 minutes. Pour water into a glass measuring cup. Return to stove, and sauté sausage until browned on all sides 4-8 minutes. Set aside.

For mushrooms: If adding the optional mushrooms, place them and a TBS of olive oil to the sauté pan over medium heat. Cook for 4-8 minutes, until water evaporates and mushrooms brown. Set aside.

Sweat vegetables: In a 2-qt sauce pan, heat 1 TBS olive oil and sweat (see Terms) onion and optional green pepper over medium heat for 5 to 8 minutes until soft and translucent but not browned. Add garlic, sauté 30 seconds more. Remove to a small bowl.

For ground beef: Carefully remove any left over garlic, otherwise it will burn and get bitter. Turn heat up to medium-high. Add ground beef and brown until mostly cooked through. Reduce heat to medium.

For sauce: Return onion and garlic to pan. Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and optional tomato paste. Fill paste can with tap or sausage water and add. Add all seasonings and 1 TBS olive oil. Stir carefully. If using, add sausage to pan. Cover, bring to a boil. Turn heat down to low and simmer while pasta cooks.

Options:

Go meatless with no beef or sausage. Ha ha ha.
Replace onion with 1 TBS Minced onion flakes.
Replace garlic with ½ tsp garlic powder (only if desperate).
Adjust seasonings. I always uses a heaping tsp of basil and oregano based on an eye-ball guess.