Marry Me Fettucine

I'm not actually asking fettucine to marry me. 

Unless fettucine is tall, dark and handsome.

But then my husband might get mad.

Anyway.....

I just named this dish "Marry Me Fettucine" because if you make it for your honey and you are not already married, this dish may induce popping the question.  If you are already married, this will make your honey happy. And that's always a beautiful thing. 

Especially at Valentine's Day.

Especially when you might be looking for something in return.

This is the first meal I made my husband when we started dating.  Actually, it was probably before we were technically dating but this reeled him in.  Like most men, the expressway to his heart is directly through his stomach.

Fettucine – good.

Shrimp – good.

Garlic – good.

Here’s a couple of notes about the ingredients in this dish:

About the fettucine……if you don’t like fettucine, substitute your favorite choice of pasta.  I have used linguine, rigatoni, penne, etc.  If you are making this dish for 2, you will not need the entire 16 oz. box, especially if you are serving a salad or an appetizer.  I would use ½ - ¾ of the box.  Unless, of course, you want leftovers or will use it for something else.

About the shrimp…….if you don’t like shrimp, you can certainly substitute whatever your choice of protein may be - or just leave it out altogether.  Chicken, scallops, crabmeat, etc.  By all means, you can do shrimp AND scallops if you like.  If you have an aversion or allergy to shellfish, use chicken.  And of course, there’s always bacon!!  This dish is wonderful with smoky bacon or prosciutto.  There's also nothing wrong with substituting or adding vegetables.  Like I always say, "Make it your Own."

Do not overcook the shrimp.  They only need a couple of minutes in the pan.  Shrimp cook quickly. 

A note on the size – I used Large Shrimp.  When you see shrimp advertised as 25/30 or 12/15 or any other combination of numbers, those numbers are telling you how many shrimp will be in a pound.  So, 25/30 means there are 25-30 shrimp in the pound.  That’s a little hint so you know how much to order.

And, make it easy on yourself, have your fish monger peel and devein them for you.  Less work.  Tails on or tails off – again your preference.  I take them off because then I don’t have to hear my husband complain.

About the shallots……….the shallot is a member of the onion family.  So, if you don’t have shallot, don’t go running to the store.  Substitute whatever onion you may have on hand.  No biggie.

  

About the basil……..oh, how I love fresh basil!  Like most of the ingredients in this dish, I bought the basil at The Market Basket in Franklin Lakes, NJ.  They have wonderful produce and I like buying the basil with the roots still attached.  You stick them in a vase, cup, plastic container, and the basil will last you more than twice as long – if you don’t eat it all right away, that is.

About the wine......you can use either a Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc for this.  Not a Riesling though since that would be too sweet.  Just make sure whichever wine you use is one you like to drink.  I chose this Pinot Grigio by Little Penguin. I tend to try different wines based on how cute the labels are.  I'm such a snob!  Plus, my son loves penguins. Oh, and check out how cute those little footprints are on the cork!

So, here is what you need:

1 1lb box Fettucine

½ to 1 pound Large Shrimp (25/30 Count) peeled and deveined

3 cloves minced garlic

1 minced shallot

¼ cup White Wine

1 14½ oz can Petite Diced Tomatoes

1 cup Heavy Cream

8 large leaves Fresh Basil

Parmiggiano-Reggiano cheese

Salt and Pepper

Here is what you do:

Bring large pot of salted water to boil.  Cook fettucine according to box directions, but please, don’t overcook.  The pasta should be al dente.  Drain fettucine in colander.

While the water is boiling and pasta is cooking, heat a large skillet with 2-3 Tablespoons of olive oil.  Add in peeled and deveined shrimp.  Cook until pink on both sides.  Remove shrimp to a plate to rest while you make the sauce.

Chop garlic and shallot and add to the pan. Cook for a minute or two or until garlic and shallots start wilting but not browning.  Deglaze the pan by adding the white wine.  Cook for another minute then add in the can of diced tomatoes.  Bring to slight boil and add in cream.  Turn heat to medium low and simmer until the sauce has thickened approximately 10 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

*If sauce seems too thick, you can cut it a little with some of the pasta water or with a little chicken broth.

Once sauce has reached desired consistency (it should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon), add the basil, shrimp and pasta to the pan and toss with the sauce.  If you prefer to be fancy, you can just add the pasta to the sauce and keep shrimp and basil on the side.  Serve pasta in bowl and arrange the shrimp on top.  Top with basil and add some fresh grated Parmiggiano-Reggiano cheese.

Share the love!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Oh, and if any marriage proposals happen after this dish is served – I want to hear about it! And get an invite to the wedding!  And have your first child named after me.

Or, just send me a bottle of wine as a thank you - make sure it has a cute label.

Breakfast for Dinner

Sort of.

I decided to use some of the many eggs I had in the house.  Seriously, I had more than 2 dozen.  Why so many eggs?  Don’t ask – I don't have a good answer for that one.  Maybe I bought them on sale, maybe because I was getting baking ambitious.  I'm not sure.

Anyway, I was staring at all those eggs and thought – ooooh – frittata for dinner! 

I love a good frittata. 

I also love using what I have on hand.  Namely, baby spinach, potatoes, garlic and onion.  But back to the eggs for a moment.

Eggs – the perfect food.  They are a simple, beautiful thing.  They can be eaten on their own or made into any number of dishes.

Little tidbit of trivia if you will indulge me.

A chef’s toque (or hat) is a tall rounded white pleated starched hat.   I know you have seen them.  Traditionally, the toques will have 101 pleats in them, which signify all the ways a skilled chef can cook an egg.

Seriously – 101.  Have you cooked your eggs 101 different ways?  Let’s see, there’s poaching, frying, scrambling, hard boiling, baking, deviling, sunny side up.  You can make quiches, omelet’s, French toast, egg salad, eggs in a hole, soufflé, crepes, flan, crème brulee……okay, you get the point.  I’ve given you some ideas to get started.

So, get on it!

Start with the frittata.

Here is what you need:

1 medium sized Yukon Gold Potato (or your potato of choice)

1 small onion, peeled and thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

5 oz. baby spinach

8 large eggs

½ cup half and half

1 – 1 ½ cups of shredded cheese (your choice here – can be Swiss, provolone, cheddar, parmesan, mozzarella, etc.)

salt & pepper

olive oil

Here is what you do:

Thinly slice the potato and toss in a small bowl with some salt and pepper and about 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Place on a baking sheet or piece of stoneware and bake in a 400 degree oven for approximately 8-10 minutes. When you remove the potatos from the oven, turn the temperature down to 375 degrees.

Meanwhile in a 10 inch sauté pan, cook the onion and garlic in some olive oil (just enough to coat the bottom of your pan) approximately 3-4 minutes or until onions start to become soft. 

Add the baby spinach and carefully keep mixing it into the onions.  The pan will look like this:

Don’t panic, it looks very full but the spinach will wilt down until it looks like this:

While the veggies are cooking, crack your eggs into a bowl. Whisk in the half and half and some salt and pepper to taste.  Add ½ the cheese.

Remove potatoes from oven.  Empty the veggies from your pan into the egg mixture.  In the same skillet, layer your potatoes over the bottom of the pan.  Pour the eggs, spinach mixture on top of eggs and cook in a 375 degree oven approximately 20-25 minutes or until eggs are set and are not runny in the middle.

Top frittata with remaining ½ cup of cheese and place under broiler or back into oven just until the cheese is melted.

Remove from oven and serve.  This is great on its own or paired with a nice arugula salad.

Now you know how I always talk about “making it your own?”  This is the perfect recipe to do this with.  As long as you have your base, you can make this 101 times (little toque reference there) and it will never be the same.  You can substitute any vegetables you have lying around; add in some more, like mushrooms, asparagus, tomatoes.  If you don’t have fresh vegetables, go to the freezer and thaw some that you may have on hand.  You can add in your favorite cheese or leave it out altogether.

The best part is, this is a nice dish to make any time of year or for any occasion.  Breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, parties, snacks.  Okay, I'll stop listing stuff now.

Eggs - it's what's for dinner.