Lemon Pasta with Shrimp & Roasted Tomatoes

October 27, 2014 by Laura Messersmith in Cooking

I started making a version of this recipe about a year ago when on a sleepy Sunday afternoon after several days with out a grocery run I had lemons, shrimp, tomatoes and pasta on hand and not much else. My thought process went something like – pasta+lemon+shrimp = good, pasta+tomatoes+shrimp = good, but pasta+lemon+tomatoes+shrimp = ????

I decided it was worth a shot and the results were encouraging enough that I kept making it; experimenting to get just the right combination of ingredients, process and flavors.

Then this summer Mike and I took a little Labor Day weekend excursion to Tribeca to scout out Grand Banks – a little slice of Nantucket just off Pier 25 – and have some dinner. We decided to try out Locanda Verde and I had the double benefit of trotting out joking references to my “friend,” Bob DeNiro, and tasting a real chef’s version of the pasta dish I had been dreaming of, but never quite achieving. It was in a word, heavenly.

As I ate I took careful mental notes of the flavors and textures, and on our subway ride home jotted down all the ingredients I could identify; determined that I’d get it right this time. Further motivation? The dish was one of the evening’s specials, so if I wanted to taste it again I’d have to recreate it at home. And so, I give you Spaghetti with Lemon, Shrimp & Breadcrumbs, a taverna-style recipe that you can make in your own kitchen.

Lemon Pasta with Shrimp & Roasted Tomatoes (serves 4)

Ingredients

2 pints cherry tomatoes
1 pound (31 to 40 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 pound thin spaghetti (I like Barilla)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
Zest of 2 lemons
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons bread crumbs
2 tablespoons fresh, julienned basil
2 tablespoons fresh, minced parsley

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Toss the cherry tomatoes with olive oil, kosher salt and black pepper on a sheet pan. Spread them out into one layer roast for 15 to 20 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft and just starting to blister. Turn halfway through the cooking time.

While the tomatoes are roasting, peel and devein the shrimp. Spread in one layer on a sheet pan and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. When the tomatoes are nearly finished, add the sheet pan with the shrimp to the oven and roast for 2 to 3 minutes. The shrimp are done when they begin to turn pink and are firm to the touch.

Meanwhile, cook the thin spaghetti in salted boiling water according to the package directions, about 6 minutes. Drain well and set aside.

In a large saute pan, heat the butter and oil and cook the garlic and lemon zest over medium-low heat for 1 minute. Off the heat, add 2 teaspoons kosher salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper, and lemon juice and pour this over the pasta. Toss well to coat the pasta.

Add the roasted tomatoes and shrimp to the bowl and gently toss. Serve immediately with a sprinkle of fresh basil, parsley, and breadcrumbs.

Small Kitchen Friendly?

Yes, with a little organization. I used two baking sheets, one large sauté pan, one large pot, a colander, and a large bowl. I also used a medium cutting board, chef’s knife, a microplane zester, measuring spoons and a liquid measuring cup. Tongs and a spatula will also be very helpful.

The Verdict:

I was surprised when I first started making this dish how well the flavors compliment each other and I’ll be honest – I was pretty pleased to see it on the menu of an actual restaurant. Mike and I are both big fans of the combination – garlic, lemon, a little heat from the red pepper – the tomatoes and shrimp are a little sweet once they’ve been roasted and the overall effect is of a complete meal in one dish. Yum!

Lobster & Shells

September 17, 2014 by Laura Messersmith in Cooking with the Contessa

Lobster and Shells | Image: Laura Messersmith — **Lobster and Shells** | Image: *Laura Messersmith*

As inspiration for more adventurous culinary efforts I’m following along with Ina Garten, aka The Barefoot Contessa, in my tiny New York kitchen. Let’s see if I can keep up with the Contessa!

Episode: “Sweet Charity”

The Set-up: Ina donated a lunch to charity and now it’s time to make that $$$ raised worth it.

The Menu: Chilled Cucumber Soup with Shrimp, Lobster and Shells, Eton Mess

0:39 – This is one of my all-time favorite episodes thanks to the awesomeness of ‘guest stars’ Mariska Hargitay and Alec Baldwin. Trust me, this is way better than the Mel Brooks dinner and my photography has improved too, so there’s that…

1:01 – Ina admits that she’s under pressure due to the six-figure pile of cash the auction winners paid, but she’s refusing to be fancy (i.e. fois gras and caviar) and is instead making a simple lunch with a luxurious touch.

2:13 – To start she’s serving Chilled Cucumber Soup with Shrimp which seems to involve all the English cucumbers known to man and a few tubs of Greek yogurt. So far so good.

2:52 – We cut away for a minute to see footage of the bidding on Ina’s dinner complete with shocked reactions from Mr. Baldwin as the figure hits $100K. I’m having flashbacks to my non-profit days….

4:07 – Pureeing in batches is my number one, least favorite part of making smooth soups, but I’m glad to see that Ina has to deal with it too just like the rest of us.

4:55 – Now we go to Quail Hill Farm with Alec Baldwin to get vegetables for Ina. Even the guy at the farm stand knows this is a tricky task…

5:14 – I’m glad to see Mr. Baldwin is taking this very seriously – he is out in the field harvesting dill and scallions in his penny loafers. Fresh!

9:22 – Main course time. Ina is making Lobster and Shells and Alec arrives right on cue with the box of vegetables from the farm stand. They agree how much they “love Quail Hill.”

10:56 – Onward with the cooking, which involves cutting the kernels off corn on the cob. Two observations that make me feel better – Ina doesn’t seem overly concerned with getting every last piece of silk off (I get kinda obsessed) and she also has corn kernels flying everywhere.

11:18 – Alec somehow managed to find the most adorable cherry tomatoes on the vine, those little guys are seriously cute and of course the perfect size to stay whole. Nice.

12:34 – Lobster time and once again Ina and I are 100% aligned on not wanting to cook our own lobsters. She also notes that this is the high part in her “high/low” take on entertaining.

13:09 – We go outside for a moment with Mariska who is looking impossibly lovely in a gorgeous sheath dress as she lays out striped napkins for the table setting. These people are getting their money’s worth!

14:37 – Back inside with Ina who is whipping up a dressing for the lobster and shells. Perhaps I should make clear: this is essentially a macaroni salad, but with diced lobster and Alec-harvested produce.

15:08 – Ina finishes up by stirring in the dill and even her most giant bowl is barely up to the task – it is a MASSIVE salad.

20:25 – Last stop: Eton Mess and Ina has a scheme in mind; she’s making the guests assemble their own dessert and then she reveals that the meringues are from a bakery (“There’s absolutely no reason to make them yourself!) If Ina had an evil laugh now would be the time to unveil it…

22:14 – Eton Mess seems to involve a healthy quantity of fresh raspberries and raspberry sauce, so I’m going to look the other way on the meringue incident.

23:53 – The auction winners have arrived and I’m 98% positive that the wife of the guy doing the bidding left him at home and brought all her girlfriends.

27:06 – Cucumber soup garnished with shrimp is finished; time for the Lobster and Shells which Alec points out, ahem, could not have been made without his help. Props are duly given and accepted with humility.

28:19 – Ina is already my hero, but even more so now – she has the guests crushing up their own meringues. Brilliant.

28:52 – Back outside to the dessert table and Ina demonstrates how to assemble Eton Mess by making one for Mariska. When you’re an Emmy-winning actress some special treatment is to be expected.

29:07 – I can’t tell if the ladies are impressed or not, but except for one woman who looks a little peeved they all seem to roll with it. Alec hams it up by making the messiest Mess.

29:46 – Then everyone receives a copy of How Easy Is That?, which coincidently (?) features that exact recipe on the cover and the ladies go back to their normal, non-celebrity lives. Sigh.

Final Thoughts:

I love Ina’s take on high/low entertaining – centering a dinner party on home style classics, or taking something simple and adding a dash of something really special.

I’m fairly sure that if Mike won this lunch for six people I’d ask if just the two of us could have three lunches instead. Maybe one with Jeffrey and one with T.R.? #envelopepusher

Raise your hand if you also want a show where Alec Baldwin runs errands for other famous people. Sarah Jessica Parker’s dry cleaning, library book returns for Bob DeNiro - think about it…

Lessons Learned:

Full disclosure: I spotted the recipe for Lobster and Shells in my copy of How Easy Is That? earlier this summer and but then promptly forgot I wanted to make it until this episode came along and the light bulb went back on. Since I knew my access to sweet corn and good cherry tomatoes was dwindling I finally got my act together and actually tested this dish out.

One Important Note: I cut the recipe detailed here in half since I was only making it for two people and definitely did not need 16 servings. This is an easy one to do that with though since the ingredient amounts can be easily divided in half – one pepper instead of two, etc.

I also made one substitution and used Chobani Greek yogurt (lemon) in the dressing. It’s quickly become one of my favorite tricks when a recipe calls for sour cream and for lemon juice because it lightens up the calories a little and compliment the flavors. Definitely worth trying.

The main skills for this recipe are prepping the vegetables and coordinating the timing of everything. I’m a little slow when it comes to cutting up produce, mainly because I’m really focused on keeping the sizes consistent and also because it’s a little therapeutic (weird I know) so I tend to get in the zone, which doesn’t really lend itself to quickness. That was a long way of saying, do your veggie prep as the water is coming to a boil and try to finish before you add the pasta so that you can work on the sauce while the shells are cooking.

Small Kitchen Friendly?

Mmmm, kinda. For a half-recipe I used a large pot, large cutting board, a medium sized mixing bowl, one small bowl, a chef’s knife, measuring spoons, a liquid measuring cup, a whisk and a large spoon. If you’re making the full recipe then a very large bowl is necessary and everything else is pretty much the same.

The Verdict:

I made Lobster and Shells on a warm for mid-September Friday and it was so good. All the flavors of a summer meal on the beach whirled together in a dish that manages to combine all four food groups. We tried it again later in the weekend and the flavors do meld together even better with a little more time in the refrigerator. I’m a little sorry that the season for corn and tomatoes is coming to a close since this is a recipe that makes the most of them, but definitely pin this one for next summer’s picnic ideas – it will be something to look forward to!

Lemon Chicken with Broccoli and Bowties

September 03, 2014 by Laura Messersmith in Cooking with the Contessa

As inspiration for more adventurous culinary efforts I’m following along with Ina Garten, aka The Barefoot Contessa, in my tiny New York kitchen. Let’s see if I can keep up with the Contessa!

Episode: “Potluck Party”

The Set-up: Ina is advising the owners of Amber Waves Farm on how to make their potluck classy. If anyone can save them from disaster it’s Ina.

The Menu: Lemon Chicken with Broccoli and Bowties, Wheatberry and Farro Salad, Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons

0:33 – Ina is working on Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons because this cooking lesson is going to be grueling and sustenance is required for both the teacher and students!

1:57 – Pro Tip #1: Add the garlic at the end of sautéing the onions so that it doesn’t burn.

2:15 – Ina recommends canned tomatoes in the winter (since they’ve been packed when really ripe), but it comes out sounding like a diss to all non-summer tomatoes. Harsh.

2:49 – We get a little overview of Amber Waves Farm (an Amagansett-based, CSA) but mainly I’m checking out the fashion of these two women who seem to have been lifted directly from a Barbour catalog. Oh, to be so perfectly wind-blown!

3:22 – Ina’s using orzo in place of the “classic” rice in tomato soup – I did not realize this was a thing.

4:38 – Amanda and Katie arrive at Ina’s and let themselves in through the garden. FYI, no Dobermans greet them, so either security is lax at the Barefoot compound, or they’ve been kenneled during the episode filming.

5:16 – Now for the Grilled Cheese Croutons, which are basically just mini-grilled cheese sandwiches and I ask you “How bad could that be?”

9:03 – The soup and grilled cheese have been served, now to get down to the cooking lessons. First up, Lemon Chicken with Broccoli and Bowties

10:31 – Pro Tip #2: Cook the broccoli first, then strain it out with a slotted spoon and re-use the boiling water for the pasta.

11:24 – As they hear Ina’s words of wisdom on measuring cup usage, Katie and Amanda reveal that one of their past potlucks resulted in everyone bringing beer, but no food. Now I understand why they have come to the master for lessons.

12:45 – Katie of the perpetual smile is assigned the grill work – rookie move, because Amanda gets to come back inside with Ina.

13:02 – Pro Tip #3: Adding the dressing to the broccoli and cooked pasta while it’s warm will help the sauce absorb.

15:18 – Has anything ever been made less delicious by the addition of pine nuts and parmesan? I didn’t think so.

20:30 – Now on to making the Wheatberry and Farro Salad and I have a confession to make: I have no earthly idea what a wheatberry is, or farro either for that matter. It turns out that they’re grains.

21:41 – I may have misjudged Katie of the perpetual smile. While Amanda has been chopping away on vegetable prep she’s doing easy things like draining the wheatberries. Quite a maneuver.

22:27 – Hmm, but now Amanda has been complimented on her perfectly chopped carrots. This is like the most understated Top Chef challenge ever.

23:59 – Taste-test time and I issue a triple-dog-dare for one of those girls to be all, “Eh, it could use a little salt.” No one accepts my challenge and Katie of the perpetual smile double dips her spoon. Two demerits.

26:05 – Fast forward to the day of the party. I can’t tell what season it is, but I’m assuming early spring. Ina is super bundled up against what looks like a really cold wind. Her hair is going 1,000 different directions. Yikes.

27:23 – Ina sent Katie and Amanda a rental list and they’ve gone very simple, but farm-y – white serving bowls, galvanized tubs, jam jar glasses. I approve.

28:14 – This is one of my favorite Pro Tips of all time, classic Ina, but also so easy to do! #4: provide matching bowls and unpack the potluck dishes into them for a pretty, uniform look to the buffet.

29:46 – Ina gives them a few more hints and then leaves Katie and Amanda to their own devices. We get a montage of people arriving and the buffet in the end looks like a perfectly rustic, Pinterest-worthy set up. I hope someone took pictures!

Final Thoughts:

These ladies are pretty lucky to have Ina Garten on speed dial for their party advice needs.

Ina is obviously a master party planner for fancy shin-digs, but I love her ideas for making even the humble potluck stylish.

I think Amanda won the cooking part of the competition, but Katie was definitely Miss Congeniality.

Lessons Learned:

I’m a sucker for any recipe that prominently features lemon and with my new grill pan I’m now able to take on more recipes that involve grilling, hence the Lemon Chicken with Broccoli and Bowties, was right in my wheelhouse. This recipe isn’t necessarily difficult, but it is one that rewards the organized cook, especially because it takes marinating time, multiple stages, etc.

No snafus in the preparation, but a few recommendations:

1. I marinated the chicken overnight, which I think was a good move.

2. The giant-ness (totally a word) of the chicken breasts I had meant that 10 minutes per side wasn’t quite enough to cook the chicken all the way through. I used a meat thermometer - always a good idea when preparing poultry - to help me make sure they were done.

3. My major recommendation is around the proportions. I only needed one large chicken breast and two broccoli heads to balance against 1/2 pound of bowtie pasta. Depending on your preferences this might be something to keep an eye on as you’re assembling the final dish.

Small Kitchen Friendly?

Kinda. I used a large pot (broccoli & pasta), a cast iron grill pan, and a small sauté pan. I also needed a medium cutting board, strainer, medium food storage container (for marinating the chicken), slotted spoon, microplane grater, measuring cups/spoons, meat thermometer, and a chef’s knife.

The Verdict:

Mike and I both loved the Lemon Chicken with Broccoli and Bowties and when the entire recipe disappeared in only a day or two I wished I had made a bigger batch. The flavors are delicious and improve with an overnight in the refrigerator, so don’t be afraid to make this ahead of time or extra for leftovers. Definitely a great dish for an easy lunch with friends or as a contribution to a potluck picnic. It does take a few steps, but the results are worth it.

Pesto Pasta with Green Peas and Chicken

August 04, 2014 by Laura Messersmith in Cooking

When the mid-summer heat and humidity hit (at least the way they do here in New York) my appetite wanes and little and the thought of eating a hot meal is the furthest thing from my mind. While I want something light and fresh with the flavors of summer I also don’t necessarily want to eat salad 24/7 either.

For me this cold pasta dish hits that sweet spot: a happy medium between the clean bright taste of veggies and the substance of a meal that doesn’t feel like I’m missing something. And, as an extra bonus it uses all that great basil that’s growing like crazy at this time of year!

My starting point (surprise!) was an Ina Garten recipe that I then tinkered with a little bit to lighten it up and add a bit more protein. I’m tempted to call the final product something poetic like ‘Viridian Pasta’ because of its varying shades and multiple green ingredients, but in the interest of being direct I decided to go with this more umm, specific title. I’m open to feedback, though…

Pesto Pasta with Green Peas and Chicken (serves 6-8 generously)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 pounds cellentani pasta (like Barilla)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups pesto (purchased, or see recipe below)
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 (5.3 oz.) container lemon Greek yogurt (like Chobani)
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 (14 oz.) package frozen baby peas
1/3 cup pine nuts (aka pignoli)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on

Pesto:

1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup pine nuts (aka pignoli)
3 tablespoons chopped garlic (9 cloves)
5 cups fresh basil leaves, packed (1 large bunch)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups good olive oil
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet skin side up and rub with a light coating of olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and black pepper. Roast in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cooked through according to a meat thermometer. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then remove the meat from the bones and discard the skin. Cut the chicken into small, ¼ inch dice which should yield 2 to 3 cups of cubed chicken. Side aside and continue to cool.

Meanwhile, cook the cellentani in a large pot of boiling salted water according to the package directions (about 10 to 11 minutes) until the pasta is al dente. In the last minute of cooking toss the frozen peas into the pot to defrost and cook. Drain and toss into a bowl with the olive oil. Cool to room temperature.

While the pasta is cooking, make the pesto according to the directions below.

Next, in the bowl of the food processor, puree the pesto, spinach, and lemon juice. Add the lemon Greek yogurt and mascarpone cheese and puree.

To finish toss the cooled pasta and peas with the pesto sauce, then add the diced chicken, grated Parmesan, pignoli, salt, and pepper. Stir until the ingredients are evenly coated with sauce, season to taste, and serve chilled or at room temperature.

Pesto: (yield: 4 cups)

Place the walnuts, pine nuts, and chopped garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 15 seconds. Add the fresh basil leaves, salt, and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is thoroughly pureed. Add the Parmesan and puree for a minute.

Important storage note: This will make more pesto than needed for the recipe and exposure to air will turn it an unappetizing brown. So plan to use the extra right away or store the pesto in the refrigerator or freezer in an airtight container with a thin film of olive oil or plastic wrap pressed directly on top to remove air pockets.

Small Kitchen Friendly:

Yes, assuming you have access to a medium-sized food processor. Ours is a 7 cup and it was just right for this recipe, too much smaller and I would have had trouble getting everything to fit. SInce I made the pesto and the sauce one right after the other I didn't even bother to wash the bowl in between steps. I also used one baking sheet, one large bowl (for the cooled pasta & peas and final mixing), one medium bowl (for the diced chicken), a large pot and a colander. Measuring cups, measuring spoons, a chef’s knife, a rubber spatula and one medium cutting board finished the job.

The Verdict:

Mike and I both loved this dinner – the pesto sauce is flavorful without being overpowering and the ‘sneaky’ vegetables and lean proteins make this a recipe that is on the virtuous side but didn’t leave us feel deprived and wishing for a bedtime snack a few hours later. We had this as a main (and only course) but it could easily be a part of a backyard cookout buffet as a side dish too. It makes a ton, so be prepared for leftovers or to halve the quantities.