Eat this!
When the dot-com boom ended and we couldn't afford to go out to fancy restaurants all of the time, J and I learned to cook. More precisely, J learned to cook. I learned to find good recipies. We've been making our way through a Spanish cookbook I bought in December.
Last night, I didn't eat a single crumb of matzah. Instead, I made this:
Seafood Fideua
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large deep pan (do you have a paella pan? I don't have a paella pan) over medium heat. Add 1 chorizo sausage, finely diced, and cook for 5 minutes, or until slightly crispy. Add 1/3 lb shrimp and cook for 1 1/2 minutes, or until they just turn pink. Remove the shrimp and chorizo and set aside.
Add a little more olive oil to the pan and sear 1/3 lb scallops for 30 seconds on each side, then remove and set aside with the shrimp. Cook 1/3 lb calamari, sliced into 1/2-inch rings, for 1 minute, or until they just start to change color, then add it to the other seafood. Cover the seafood and chorizo and set it aside.
Add 1/2 of a red onion, finely chopped, and 1/4 of a fennel bulb, diced, to the pan and cook for 10 minutes, or until softened. Add 2 garlic cloved, chopped, 1 bay leaf, 1/2 a small red chili, finely chopped, 1 tablespoon of smoked paprika, and 1/2 a small red bell pepper, cut into short thin strips, and cook for 2 minutes, or until softened. Add a 3/4 cup of canned chopped tomatoes, 1/4 cup of dry sherry, and a pinch of saffron. If the tomatoes don't taste sweet, add a pinch of sugar. Bring to a boil and allow to boil for 10 minutes, until the sauce is thick and pulpy.
Meanwhile, pour 3 cups of chicken stock into a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then redice the heat to a slow simmer.
Break 7 ounces of dry spaghettini into 2-inch pieces. Add noodles to the tomato sauce and stir to coat. Pour in the simmering stock and stir to combine. Cook for about 20 minutes, or until almost all of the liquid is absorbed. Stir in all of the seafood and chorizo and cook for another few minutes, or until the seafood is heated through the noodles are tender.
Picada
While the noodles are cooking, put 1 slice of white bread, 3/4 tablespoons of pine nuts (toasted), 1 handfull of Italian parsley, 2 small garlic cloves, chopped, 3/4 tablespoons of grated lemon zest, and 1/4 cup of loosely packed fennel leaves into a food processor and blend to a paste. Yes, you're basically making pesto.
Stir the picada into the noodles just before serving. This recipe is scaled to serve four, but all by itself, it's dinner for two with leftovers.
Last night, I didn't eat a single crumb of matzah. Instead, I made this:
Seafood Fideua
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large deep pan (do you have a paella pan? I don't have a paella pan) over medium heat. Add 1 chorizo sausage, finely diced, and cook for 5 minutes, or until slightly crispy. Add 1/3 lb shrimp and cook for 1 1/2 minutes, or until they just turn pink. Remove the shrimp and chorizo and set aside.
Add a little more olive oil to the pan and sear 1/3 lb scallops for 30 seconds on each side, then remove and set aside with the shrimp. Cook 1/3 lb calamari, sliced into 1/2-inch rings, for 1 minute, or until they just start to change color, then add it to the other seafood. Cover the seafood and chorizo and set it aside.
Add 1/2 of a red onion, finely chopped, and 1/4 of a fennel bulb, diced, to the pan and cook for 10 minutes, or until softened. Add 2 garlic cloved, chopped, 1 bay leaf, 1/2 a small red chili, finely chopped, 1 tablespoon of smoked paprika, and 1/2 a small red bell pepper, cut into short thin strips, and cook for 2 minutes, or until softened. Add a 3/4 cup of canned chopped tomatoes, 1/4 cup of dry sherry, and a pinch of saffron. If the tomatoes don't taste sweet, add a pinch of sugar. Bring to a boil and allow to boil for 10 minutes, until the sauce is thick and pulpy.
Meanwhile, pour 3 cups of chicken stock into a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then redice the heat to a slow simmer.
Break 7 ounces of dry spaghettini into 2-inch pieces. Add noodles to the tomato sauce and stir to coat. Pour in the simmering stock and stir to combine. Cook for about 20 minutes, or until almost all of the liquid is absorbed. Stir in all of the seafood and chorizo and cook for another few minutes, or until the seafood is heated through the noodles are tender.
Picada
While the noodles are cooking, put 1 slice of white bread, 3/4 tablespoons of pine nuts (toasted), 1 handfull of Italian parsley, 2 small garlic cloves, chopped, 3/4 tablespoons of grated lemon zest, and 1/4 cup of loosely packed fennel leaves into a food processor and blend to a paste. Yes, you're basically making pesto.
Stir the picada into the noodles just before serving. This recipe is scaled to serve four, but all by itself, it's dinner for two with leftovers.