Shrimp, Clams, and Scallops Pasta

This recipe sounded interesting. I was used to having seafood over pasta, but not this many at once.

INGREDIENTS
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1/2 cup white wine
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
1 (16 ounce) package uncooked spaghetti
1 pound clams
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 pound shrimp
1 pound scallops
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

1.Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat, and cook the onion and garlic until tender. Mix in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, wine, sugar, salt, oregano, red pepper, and bay leaf. Simmer uncovered 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

2.Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Place spaghetti in the pot, cook 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente, and drain.

3.Place the clams in a pot fitted with a steamer basket over boiling water, and steam until opened. Discard clams that do not open. Stir into the sauce.

4.Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, and cook the shrimp and scallops 2 minutes, or until opaque. Mix in garlic. Stir into the sauce. Serve sauce with seafood over the cooked spaghetti, and top with Parmesan cheese.

Crab Rangoon

If I was forced onto a deserted island and I could only bring three things with me. one of those items would be two dozen of these. I LOVE THESE! Whenever my family and I order take-out, I get these as my appetizer.

INGREDIENTS
1 quart oil for deep frying
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 (6 ounce) cans crab meat, drained and flaked
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons water chestnuts, drained and chopped
1 (14 ounce) package won ton wrappers

DIRECTIONS

1.In a large, heavy sauce pan heat oil to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).


2.In a medium bowl, mix cream cheese, crab meat, garlic powder, paprika and water chestnuts.

3.Place approximately 1 teaspoon of the cream cheese mixture in the center of won ton wrappers. Moisten wrapper edges with water, fold over the mixture and pinch to seal.

4.In small batches, fry the won tons 3 to 5 minutes, or until golden brown. Serves 15.

Asian Tuna Salad

My father and I have always loved Asian food, from sushi to egg rolls. I also enjoy tuna salad. So to combine the two? Genius! It's also incredibly easy.

INGREDIENTS
1 (6 ounce) can solid white tuna packed in water, drained
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon wasabi paste, or to taste
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
1 tablespoon minced green onion

DIRECTIONS

1.In a medium bowl, mix together the tuna, mayonnaise, wasabi paste, ginger and green onion. Serve on lettuce leaves or make a sandwich with white bread. Serves 2.

Clams over Linguini

Another favorite of mine are clams. I was introduced to clams at a young age, but I didn't like them. Later, I tried them again, and I loved them! I thought this recipe looked good. Garlic, butter, and clams? What an awsome combo!

INGREDIENTS
1 (16 ounce) package dry linguini
1 onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 (6.5 ounce) cans minced clams
1/2 cup butter
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons dry white wine


DIRECTIONS

1.Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add linguini and return water to a boil. Let linguini cook until al dente; drain well.

2.In a large skillet, saute the onion and garlic in olive oil until the onions are translucent. Drain the cans of minced clams, reserving half of the juice.

3.Stir the clams, reserved juice, butter, salt and pepper, and wine. Simmer the mixture for 20 minutes, until the sauce has reduced 1/3 and has thickened.

4.Spoon the clam sauce over the linguini and serve. Serves 4.

Cioppino

This also is a traditional holiday dish. However, since my family is italian, we normally use salt cod when we can find it. The salt cod makes the soup VERY fishy and strong. Ah, memories!

INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup butter
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
2 (14.5 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes
2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 cup water
1 1/2 cups white wine
1 1/2 pounds large shrimp - peeled and deveined
1 1/2 pounds bay scallops
18 small clams
18 mussels, cleaned and debearded
1 1/2 cups crabmeat
1 1/2 pounds cod fillets, cubed

DIRECTIONS

1.Over medium-low heat melt butter in a large stockpot, add onions, garlic and parsley. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally until onions are soft.

2.Add tomatoes to the pot (break them into chunks as you add them). Add chicken broth, bay leaves, basil, thyme, oregano, water and wine. Mix well. Cover and simmer 30 minutes.

3.Stir in the shrimp, scallops, clams, mussels and crabmeat. Stir in fish, if desired. Bring to boil. Lower heat, cover and simmer 5 to 7 minutes until clams open. Ladle soup into bowls and serve. Serves 13.

Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo

Shrimp is another favorite in my household. I've been eating shrimp as far back as I can remember. I also love Alfredo sauce. It's just so good! I just had to include this recipe.

INGREDIENTS
1 pound fettuccine pasta
1 tablespoon butter
1 pound cooked shrimp - peeled and deveined
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup half-and-half
6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
salt to taste

DIRECTIONS


1.Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

2.In a large skillet, saute shrimp and garlic in the butter for about one minute. Pour in half and half; stir. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese in one tablespoon at a time, stirring constantly. After all Parmesan is added, mix in parsley and salt. Stir frequently making sure it does not boil. Sauce will take a while to thicken.


3.When sauce has thickened, combine with cooked pasta noodles; serve hot. Serves 5.

Baked Tilapia

This recipe is the closest to how my parents make it on busy days. Tilapia is currently my favorite fish. It has a certain earthy essence which I enjoy.

INGREDIENTS
4 (4 ounce) fillets tilapia
2 teaspoons butter
1/4 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning TM, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt, or to taste
1 lemon, sliced

DIRECTIONS

1.Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees F). Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.


2.Place the tilapia fillets in the bottom of the baking dish and dot with butter. Season with Old Bay seasoning and garlic salt. Top each one with a slice or two of lemon.

3.Cover the dish and bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until fish flakes easily with a fork. Serves 4.

Stuffed Calamari

This was always a favorite around the holidays. My dad would always make enough to fill two whole pans. This was in Jersey, because the whole family could get to my parents house. Many of my memories of delicious food were around the holidays.

INGREDIENTS
12 calamari tubes
2 green onions, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 pound chopped cooked shrimp meat
1/2 pound cooked crab meat, diced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3/4 cup butter
12 ounces cream cheese, cut into cubes
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups milk
10 ounces freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 pinch ground black pepper
3/4 cup freshly grated Romano cheese
1 (8 ounce) package linguine pasta

DIRECTIONS

1.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Rinse the calamari tubes and pat dry.


2.In a large bowl, stir together the onions, 6 cloves of the garlic, shrimp, crab meat and lemon juice. Spoon some of this mixture into each squid tube and seal the ends by 'sewing' with a toothpick. Arrange in a single layer in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Set aside.

3.Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in cream cheese and 2 cloves of garlic. Cook and stir until cream cheese has melted. Gradually whisk in the milk. Cook until heated through and then remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese and pepper. Pour over all of the calamari tubes in the baking dish. Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of Romano cheese on top of each one.


4.Bake uncovered until the cheese is browned and sauce is bubbly. While the calamari is baking, Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add linguine pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain. Serve the stuffed calamari and sauce over a bed of linguine. Serves 6.