Scallop and Sweet Pea Risotto as a Celebration Dinner

Good morning all!
It's been a while since my last recipe, but with the Vacation I took and catching up from that...time has been a little short.
Forgive me dear readers, I promise I have a REALLY good reason.
While on vacation (pictures and video will be up this week)...
I'm got engaged!
My boyfriend Matt (also known as the SO, the boy and the one who shoots my videos) and I will tie the knot in October 2011. Planning started almost immediately upon our return home, hence the shortage of time.
So, to celebrate our first night together without family and work insanity, Matt and I decided to make Scallop and Sweet Pea Risotto.
We shared a bottle of wine that was given to me by an awesome friend of mine, and enjoyed the evening of relaxation.
So, here is the recipe for that incredible dish.

Scallop and Sweet Pea Risotto

2 cups sweet peas (frozen or canned depending on preference)
6 cups chicken stock, heated
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
2 cups Arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 pound Sea Scallops, Thawed if Frozen

Directions
Put 1 cup peas and 1/3 cup chicken stock into a blender and blend until smooth; set aside. Place a large, deep skillet over medium heat and pour in 3 tablespoons olive oil. Add celery and shallots and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes, until soft. Stir in rice, making sure to coat all the rice grains with the oil. Add wine and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Ladle in 1 cup of hot stock. Using a wooden spoon, stir gently until most of the stock has been absorbed. Keep adding stock, a cup at a time, and stirring. After about 10 to 15 minutes, test the rice. It should be cooked and creamy but still have a slight bite to it. (You may not need all of the stock.) Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the butter. Gently fold in the pea puree and remaining 1 cup whole peas. Taste for seasoning.
Remove from the heat and cover while you sear the scallops. Set a large nonstick saute pan over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter. Pat the scallops with paper towels to make sure they are very dry. Season on both sides with salt and pepper. Add scallops to pan, making sure not to overcrowd, and cook until they are nicely browned on both sides, about 4 to 8 minutes depending on the size of your scallops. Check the risotto and add a bit more stock if it has gotten too thick. In a shallow bowl or plate, make a nice mound of risotto and top with 3 or 4 scallops. Garnish with the Spring Green Salad, Parmesan, and olive oil. Serve immediately.

Shrimp Tetrazzini

Tis the season to be beyond busy! So it's time to break out my easiest and favorite last minute recipes. Tonight, it's going to be Shrimp Tetrazzini with Garlic Bread. Everything is better with bread. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving, and found plenty of creative recipes for all of your left overs!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
  
• 1 onion, chopped
  
• 8 ounces shrimp, shelled and deveined
  
• 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
  
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
• 2 cups milk
  
• 1/4 cup sherry
  
• 1 (8 ounce) package spaghetti
  
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
Cook spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain well. Over a medium-low heat melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add onion to melted butter and stir until onion is soft. Add shrimp and mushrooms, cook for 5 minutes stirring often. Remove shrimp mixture from saucepan, place in a medium size bowl and set aside. Remove saucepan from heat. Combine flour, mayonnaise, salt, milk, and sherry in the saucepan. Mix well. Return the saucepan to the heat and cook until sauce thickens. Pour sauce into the bowl containing the shrimp mixture. Add the spaghetti to the bowl and mix well. Place all ingredients in a 1-1/2 quart casserole dish (baking pan). Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top of the mixture. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes.
Source: Tetrazzini

Sonoran Shrimp Scampi

If you are longing for a meal with a little Italian flair, I recommend this treasure! It's pretty easy to make for a week night dinner, but I prefer to prepare this on the weekend and make it with home made pasta. Pasta is always better home made, and not too many people know how to make it for themselves. Give it a try for yourself. Combine 1 cup of flour and 1 egg until you have a thick paste, roll out into sheets, cut into noodle from and boil as you would with any other pasta! The trick is to add a little salt, pepper and garlic powder to the noodles before rolling them out and cutting them up, it gives them more flavor and therefor your meal has more flavor!

Ingredients

• 3 Poblano chiles
  
• 1 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
  
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
  
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
  
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  
• 2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded and thinly sliced
  
• 2 tablespoon chopped (or thinly sliced) sun-dried tomatoes (about 3 halves)
  
• 1 tablespoon lime zest
  
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
  
• 1/2 cup white wine
  
• 4 cups farfalle, preferably whole- wheat, cooked
  
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions
Place chilies directly over the burners of a gas stove. Roast over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until skin is charred and chilies soften, 10 to 15 minutes. (To roast in oven, cover a large cookie sheet with foil. Place chilies on sheet and broil, turning occasionally, until skin is charred and chilies soften, 12 to 17 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Remove peel and seeds. Slice thinly; set aside. Sprinkle shrimp with half the salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large pan over high heat. Cook shrimp, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes. Add garlic; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in chiles, red peppers, tomatoes, zest and lime juice. Cook until liquid reduces by half and shrimp are no longer translucent, 1 to 2 minutes. Add wine and reduce until slightly syrupy. Stir in pasta. Reduce heat to low and cover 1 minute. Top with cilantro and serve.
Source:Sonoran

Italian Fish Soup

This recipe is excellent for the chilly fall days that are just around the corner. Feel free to make a huge pot of this soup and save it for later! It freezes beautifully.

Ingredients
For soup

• 1 lb cleaned squid, bodies and tentacles separated but kept intact
  
• 1/2 lb large shrimp peeled, leaving tail and first segment of shell intact, and deveined
  
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
  
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/4 cup olive oil
  
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  
• 1/2 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
  
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
  
• 1 cup dry white wine
  
• 4 1/2 cups water
  
• 12 little neck clams scrubbed
  
• 12 mussels, scrubbed and beards removed
  
• 4 cups fish stock or bottled clam juice (32 fl oz)
  
• 2 (14-oz) cans diced tomatoes in juice
  
• 1 teaspoon sugar
  
• 1 lb skinless halibut fillet, cut into 1-inch pieces
  
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
  
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

For garlic toasts

• 1 (12-inch) Italian loaf, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
  
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
  
• 1 garlic clove, halved crosswise
  
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  
• Accompaniment: extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling

Directions
Rinse squid under cold running water and pat dry. If squid are large, halve ring of tentacles, then cut longer tentacles crosswise into 2-inch pieces. Pull off flaps from squid bodies and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Cut bodies crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick rings. Pat shrimp dry and sprinkle with pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Heat oil in a wide 6- to 8-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sear shrimp in 2 batches, turning over once, until golden but not cooked through, about 2 minutes per batch. Transfer shrimp with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Add garlic, red pepper flakes, and oregano to pot and sauté, stirring, until golden, about 30 seconds. Add wine and 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil. Stir in clams and cook, covered, over moderately high heat until shells open wide, checking frequently after 6 minutes and transferring as opened with a slotted spoon to bowl with shrimp. (Discard any unopened clams after 8 minutes.) Stir in mussels and cook, covered, over moderately high heat until shells open wide, checking frequently after 3 minutes and transferring as opened with a slotted spoon to bowl with shrimp. (Discard any unopened mussels after 6 minutes.) Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F. Add stock to pot along with remaining 4 cups water, tomatoes with juice, sugar, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes. Make toasts while stock simmers.