Tag: pasta

Food & Beverage

BLUE CRAB ARANCINI

I hope you saved some of that risotto from the other day, because your gonna need it for this arancini! If you dont have any left over, or didnt make and you need the recipe, you can find it right here…blue crab risotto. The best part about this Italian street food is that if you dont like blue crab, you can make whatever kind of risotto you like, and stuff it with whatever you want.

Because risotto can be time consuming to make, I always make enough to have leftovers, just so I can make this. Once the risotto is already made, the rest of the ingredients you should already have on hand, so it doesnt require too much. I always like to have some sort of sauce for mine, and this simple pomodoro fits the bill nicely.

The crab in butter was just an added garnish, nothing to special about it. I had some left over crab, tossed in a pan with some butter and parsley and then seasoned it up. I think it made it more of a complete dish, than just a “street food snack”.

Hope you enjoy!!

Grocery Cart:

Day old risotto

1/2 cup of all purpose flour

4 TBL Bassetts Blends All Purpose Seasoning (split)

2 eggs (beaten)

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

2 cups oil for frying

Directions:

First we need to heat 2 cups of oil (i used canola) to 375 degrees.

Next, grab your day old risotto, and using a 1 oz ice cream scoop, form little balls and place them on a baking sheet. Once you have made all the balls you will need, place them in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

While your little risotto balls are in the fridge, grab 3 mixing bowls. In the first bowl, add in 1/2 cup of all purpose flour and 2 TBL of my Bassetts Blends All Purpose seasoning. In bowl number 2, add 2 whole eggs and whisk together. Finally in bowl number 3, add in 1/2 cup of panko bread crumbs and 2 TBL of my Bassetts Blends All Purpose seasoning and mix together.

Now that you have your dredging station set, grab your ball from the fridge! First we are going to coat them in the seasoned flour. Then drop them in the egg. Next coat them in the panko mix.

Once all the balls are coated, gently place 2-3 of them at a time into the hot oil and fry. Use a spoon to baste them and get them all a nice golden brown color. They will need about 3-5 minutes to heat through and be crispy on the outside, and creamy on the inside.

After frying, place them on an cooling rack and immediately hit them with some flaky salt.

Until the next dish ya’ll!

Food & Beverage

NO CREAM PASTA SERIES: LINGUINI W/ CLAM SAUCE

We are back with another “no cream” pasta. This one even has SEAFOOD in it. Not your favorite, shrimp, lobster, crab….but clams. Now traditionally this dish uses fresh clams and parsley. I chose the canned clams because not everyone has access to FRESH seafood all the time. I also just wanted to see if I would like it as much as well (I did).

We did make another change to the classic as well. Normally fresh parsley is great in this, and it adds a brightening note. Either way, the wife has been craving some spinach, so we went that direction. If I’m being completely honest, some tomatoes and mushrooms would have been another great addition to round out this pasta.

Anyway, heres the recipe:

Grocery Cart:

1 # pasta of your choice ( I used linguini)

10 oz canned clams (save the juice)

2 cloves garlc

1 small shallot

2 oz white wine

2 tbl olive oil

2 cup fresh spinach

red pepper flakes to taste

salt & pepper to taste

2 tbl butter

1 lemon

DIRECTIONS:

First things first, we are going to open up the canned clams and drain them, making sure to save the juice.

Next, peel and dice very finely 1 small shallot. Then peel and slice, as thin as you can, 2 large cloves of garlic.

Using a saute pan, on medium low heat, gently saute the garlic. Be sure to not get any color (brown) on the garlic, we dont want it to become bitter. Once the garlic is an opaque/translucent color, add in the shallots and red pepper flakes. Saute until fragrant.

Turn the heat up to medium high, add in 6 oz of clam juice, 2 oz white wine, and juice from 1/2 of a lemon. Reduce by 1/4, and then add in the clams.

Add in your pasta noodles and finish cooking in the sauce.

Add in the butter and once incorporated into the sauce, add in the spinach. Mix thoroughly until the spinach is just wilted, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Food & Beverage

NO CREAM PASTA SERIES: FETTUCINE W/ TOMATOES, BURRATA, & CRIPSY GARLIC

Ok, I know I promised you all weeks ago that I was going to show that you DO NOT need to use heavy cream and cajun seasoning in EVERY pasta dish that you make. Well here is the first dish in that series.

Now, I did kinda cheated a bit using burrata cheeses. Burrata does have a little cream, called stracciatella that is injected into it when it is made. I just had to let ease you all of the heavy cream, while still giving creaminess. Just trust me on this one.

I actually came across this recipe while looking for some inspiration for some other project I am working on and saw this. I thought to myself, damn, this looks good, but I would change soooo many things about the way I made this. And so I did! Let me know what you think and if you would try this one!

#GROCERYCART

1 box pasta of choice ( I used Fettucine)

2 garlic cloves

10 oz grape tomatoes

4 oz romano cheese

4 oz Burrata cheese

8-10 good sized fresh basil leaves

2 oz goat cheese (optional)

2 TBL pistsachios

3 oz Olive Oil

Splash of red wine (optional)

Salt & Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

In a large pot salt some water and bring to a boil for your pasta.

Next peel, and THINLY slice 2 garlic cloves, then using a medium sized skillet, on a medium heat, add in the olive oil. Slowly heat the oil, and then add in the sliced garlic cloves. Gently fry the garlic cloves until they become a nice caramel color. DO NOT burn them, or they will become bitter. Once you get the desired color, remove the cloves from the oil and set on a paper towel to dry.

Now, slice your tomatoes in half and add those to the same skillet that we used with the garlic cloves. Keep the oil in the pan, do not remove it. Season the tomatoes with a little salt. Once the tomatoes start to blister and get soft, deglaze the pan with some red wine. This step is optional and not required, but I think it adds more flavor.

Empty the skillet with the tomatoes, wine, oil into a blender. Add in the 4oz of burrata cheese, and then blend until smooth.

Next, in a food processor, add in the romano cheese, pistachios, and basil leaves. Blend this until combined.

Add the blended tomatoes and burrata back to the skillet and bring to a low simmer. Add in your pasta and finish cooking until al dente. If the sauce begins to thicken too much, add in a little pasta water to thin it out.

Check for seasoning and then plate up. Garnish the pasta with the fried garlic cloves, and romano/basil mixture!

Food & Beverage

RASTA PASTA w/ JERK SHRIMP

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OK you “cream sauce crusaders” I hope this dish is to your liking! I loved it! This one is an easy one to do and has a TON of great flavor. The best part is that aside from cooking the pasta, it only requires 1 pan, so there is minimal clean up. I used the Walkerwoods HOT & SPICY jerk seasoning, so feel free to get a milder version or even use a dry rub if that is too hot for you. This is not a “traditional” rasta pasta” but I believe it rings true to the original dish. Dont eat me up too much in the comments for it. I say it in the video, if you are vegetarian, and dont want to do the shrimp or sausage, a good “meaty” mushroom is a great substitute here.

Grocery Cart:

2 tablsepoons avocado oil
1 pound shrimp
1/2 pound andouille sausage
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
1/2 yellow bell pepper, sliced
1/2 red onion, sliced
2 teaspoons garlic paste
3 oz white wine (optional)
2 tablespoons jerk seasoning (wet)
2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
1 cup pasta water, if needed
salt and pepper TT