Salmon and Bass with Tomatoes & Peppers

This is seriously one of the easiest dishes you'll ever make that seems way more complicated than it really is. This is perfect for the summer, when you don't want to be in kitchen for too long. Buon Appetito!

 

 Ingredients  

 

salmon steak

bass steak

chopped fresh garlic

diced tomatoes or cherry tomatoes

red and yellow peppers 

black pepper

olive oil

salt

fresh parsley

water (replenish while cooking so fish does not dry)

 

let's make it

1. Clean/ Rinse salmon and bass steaks before beginning to cook. 

2. Place a tablespoon of olive oil in a cast iron pot (or medium sized pan) over medium heat. 

3. Mince cloves of garlic, dice the tomatoes and chop up peppers and fresh parsley.  

4. Place the garlic, peppers, and tomatoes in a pot and begin to cook before placing in the fish steaks. 

5. Sprinkle on salt as desired, black pepper, and pour 1/2 cup of water over the ingredients. 

6. Place cover over the pot and cook for about 25 minutes. 

7. Before serving, sprinkle on fresh parsley over the fish.

Spaghetti with Spicy Shrimp and Tomato Cream Sauce

Proverbio Italiano of the day

 "Fà bbene e scuordate; fà male e piensece."

Meaning: Do bad and think about it, do good and forget about it. It's a good reminder to always do the right thing in life regardless of what was done to you. Be the bigger person, do the right things and then forget about it and let things be, as opposed to doing bad things and then having them on your conscience.

I recently found this recipe online but of course tweaked it a bit to my liking. 

I really love cooking with shrimp and linguine type pasta in the summertime, it's a delicious and light combination. Buon Appetito!

 Ingredients  

serves 4   

2 tbsp. olive oil
1 pound shrimp without shells

crushed red pepper
paprika

salt

1 small onion, finely chopped

4 cloves, minced

2 cups crushed tomatoes

1/4 cup water

1 package or half cube chicken stock

basil

oregano

1/2 cup heavy cream

8 oz spaghetti

let's make it
1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add shrimp and cook about 1 minute.

 

2. Add crushed red pepper, paprika and salt. 

 

3. Remove shrimp once cooked and set on a plate aside.

 

4. Using the same skillet, add chopped onion and garlic, cook on medium heat olive oil until onions soften.  

 

5. Dissolve chicken stock in 1/4 cup boiling water. Add to skillet, as well as crushed tomatoes. 

 

6. Add basil, oregano and simmer in mixture for about 10-15 minutes. Make sure all of the tomatoes are crushed into small pieces.

 

7. Add heavy cream, mix well. Boil pasta in another pot according to directions on box. 

 

8. Once pasta is cooked add it to the skillet along with shrimp. Mix all together. Add more salt and pepper if you like. 

 

9. Sprinkle with fresh chopped basil and crushed red pepper, serve hot.

Linguine with Shrimp and Mushrooms

Proverbio Italiano of the day

 "Chi tira troppo a cordo a spezza."

Meaning: Who pulls the rope too much, eventually will break it. Which really means when you overwork something or try to push something beyond its limit, eventually it will reach a breaking point. 

I took this recipe out of a cookbook I recently bought. I love pasta with creams such as penne alla vodka or fettuccine alfredo. 

So I decided to try this one, but changed it a bit to suit my family's tastes more. Everyone really loved it, including my dad who is a restaurant owner and quite a food critic... so I know it must be delicious!  

This is perfect for hosting dinner. It's simple and doesn't take too much time or ingredients. Not to mention looks bellissimo too. Buon Appetito!

 Ingredients  

serves 4   

2 tbsp. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
8-12 fresh raw jumbo shrimp, peeled
7 oz button mushrooms, finely sliced
31/2 oz ham, finely sliced
2 cups white wine
1/2 cup vegetable stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
14 oz linguine
salt and ground black pepper
fresh parsley

let's make it

1. Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat, and cook the garlic for a few minutes, until it starts to soften. 

2. Add the washed and peeled shrimp to the pan, and season with salt and pepper. Sauté for a few minutes, then add the mushrooms and ham.

3. Pour the white wine and reduce the heat. 

4. Next, pour the vegetable stock and continue cooking for 10 minutes. 

5. Add the heavy cream and stir. 

6. In another pot, cook the linguine, slightly salted until al dente. 

7. Drain the linguine, and add it to the shrimp and mushrooms.

8. Mix well and cook for a few more minutes. Add a sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley and serve hot.    

Shrimp Scampi

Proverbio Italiano of the day: 

"Chi è avvisato è mezzo salvato" 

Meaning: Who is warned, is half saved. 

Growing up as an American-Italian, we eat a lot of pasta. If it were for my father, well we would be eating pasta everyday... pasta e salsa, pasta with tomato sauce.

My father owns an Italian Pizzeria and Restaurant so he doesn't often want other fancy things, because he cooks it all day long. 

But thank goodness for my Mamma, she is always looking for different recipes to try. This dish is my version of Shrimp Scampi, and it is buonissimo. 

I love to add a little bit of red pepper flakes to give it a spicy taste... but careful I got a little shake happy once and added one too many. A little goes a long way ;)

It's perfect for those days you're not sure what to cook... and super fast and easy! Buon Appetito!

Ingredients

2  tbsp. unsalted butter

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled & deveined 

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/4 cup chicken stock

juice of 1 lemon

salt

2 tbsp. freshly grated parmigiano romano cheese

2 tbsp. basil

cherry tomatoes

corn starch

linguine

black pepper

white wine (optional)

let's make it

1. Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the shrimp, garlic, pepper, and olive oil. 

2. Cook, stirring occasionally. 

3. In another side pot, bring to boil some water, and mix in chicken stock. (I use the powder packets)

4. Add the chicken stock, lemon juice, and 1/2 cup white wine. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Add the cherry tomatoes. parmigiano cheese, and basil. Mix all together in skillet. 

6. In another side pot, bring some water to boil and add the cornstarch. Then add it to the skillet to thicken the mixture.

7. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

8. Cook linguine in separate pot. Once finished cooking, drain the pasta and add it to the skillet with the other ingredients. Serve hot, with some garlic bread on the side.