The Traveling Epicurean

Shrimp

Zuppa di Pesce on CT Style with Ryan, Teresa & Bella!

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Zuppa di Pesce on CT Style with Ryan, Teresa & Bella!

What an exciting day at the WTNH studio with Ryan, Teresa and my daughter Bella! Bella and her TV Studio class came in as guests to watch my cooking segment. Ryan, himself, gave them a tour making their experience extra special! It was a busy day in the studio so Bella’s class got to see a lot of action. Ryan and Teresa then invited them on camera for the finally of my segment! It was so nice to share what I do with my daughter and have her there first hand.

Zuppa di Pesce or The Feast of 7 Fishes was the theme of this cooking segment. I know we are already planning for the next holidays so wanted to share this really delicious Italian Christmas Eve tradition with you. Many families cook up a variety of fish and some have a specfic number to which there is a significant religious meaning. For example, the number 7 is the most frequently used number in the Bible, Earth was created is 7 days, there are 7 deadly sins, 7 sacraments or it could represent the 7 hills that surround Rome. Some families have 10 fishes for the 10 stations of the cross, and some have 13 fishes to represent the 12 Apostles and Jesus. What ever the number of fish you have it is supposed to serve as a lighter fare the night before the feast on Christmas day.

Serving this Zuppa di Pesce over linguine is my favorite way to eat it. It is also scrumptious served with garlic bread or sour dough toasts. Don’t get this dish confused with Cioppino. The tomato/wine sauce base is the same between the two dishes but the fish are different. Cioppino has Dungeness crab and Zuppa di Pesce has the lobster. Basically, you use what ever fish is native to your area.

You may want to try a nice light and lemony dessert like Lemon Mousse with Ginger Cookie crumble or Berries in a Dreamy Cream, Death by Chocolate Meringue Pie, Thin Mint Chocolate Mousse Pie or Saltine Christmas Bark! Enjoy & Happy Holidays!

 

 

 

Zuppa di Pesce or The Feast of 7 Fishes

Evitic Ingredients: Serves 6 -8 people

  • 2-3 lbs. mussels (or small clams)
  • 1 lb. shrimp, peeled & deveined
  • 1 lb. scallops
  • ½- ¾  lb. halibut, cod, snapper, salmon or similar cut into 2 “ cubes
  • 1/4 lb. calamari rings
  • 1 1/4 lb. pre-cooked lobster, shelled and sliced up into 1” pieces- NOTE: this is the only fish that is pre-cooked
  • 1 can chopped Snows Canned Clams
  • 1 -28 oz. can peeled whole tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp. tomato paste
  • 1 c. white wine
  • 1 c. red wine
  • 2- 8 oz. bottles clam juice
  • ½ c. finely diced Vidalia onion- 1 small onion
  • ¼ c. finely diced celery (1 stalk)
  • ¼ c. grated carrot (1 carrot)
  • 4 lg garlic cloves, smashed to sauté
  • ¼  cup olive oil
  • 1 tbsp. butter
  • 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper for flavoring flour, plus ½ tsp salt to taste
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ½ c. freshly chopped parsley
  • ¼ c. chopped basil
  • ½ tsp ground, dried Italian seasonings
  • 2 tbsp. sugar
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes or to taste
  • 1 lb. linguine pasta cooked to al-dente

Directions: Approx. 45-60 minutes to prep and cook

  1. Add 2-3 tbsp. olive oil and 1 tbsp. butter to large pot and begin to sauté crushed garlic cloves for 3 minutes
  2. Add in onion, celery and carrots and sauté until translucent approx. 7 minutes on medium heat
  3. De-glaze with 1/3 c. red wine and let reduce 1 minute
  4. Put these sautéed veggies into food processor with the whole peeled tomatoes and puree
  5. Add back to large pan with 2 tbsp. tomato paste, Italian seasonings, sugar and red pepper flakes, mix to combine
  6. Add in white wine, red wine and clam broth and bring to a simmer for 25-60 minutes on low bubbling simmer, the longer you simmer the more the developed flavor
  7. Begin to add fish to the simmering tomatoes …first the cod, simmer 2 minutes
  8. Then add in the raw shrimp, scallops, calamari and top with mussels
  9. Stir to combine before the fish begins to cook thru then…DO NOT STIR as the white flaky fish will fall apart
  10. COVER to help the steam cook all the fish
  11. Bring back to a low simmer for 3-8 minutes until all the mussels open
  12. Then add in the pre-cooked sliced lobster just to warm thru
  13. Garnish with parsley and basil and a drizzle of olive oil and serve with linguine or serve in a shallow bowl with garlic bread or slices of toasted sour dough…mmmm!

CT Style Making Asian Shrimp & Rice Noodle Salad with Ryan & Teresa!

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CT Style Making Asian Shrimp & Rice Noodle Salad with Ryan & Teresa!

Back on CT Style this week with Ryan Kristafer and Teresa Dufour making the perfect summer picnic dish, Asian Shrimp & Rice Noodle Salad, never gets dull with those two! I thoroughly enjoy every second on the WTNH set at Channel 8. There were several groups going on camera this week making it even more exciting then usual, if that’s at all possible.

Not only do I try to offer appropriate seasonal recipes but its important for me to find out what recipes my followers and friends want to see so please feel free to make suggestions always. That’s how I came up with this Asian Shrimp & Noodle Salad… it was the #1 request, a picnic-beach salad that won’t spoil.

You can find the wriiten recipe for this Asian Shrimp & Rice Noodle Salad and how I originally got it from my big foodie friends Karen and Ken from Andover, MA by clicking on the hyper-link.

Here are some other summer dishes you may enjoy like my 2 minute Homemade PESTO on crostini with roasted cherry tomatoes and mozzarella, EGGPLANT BALLS, ZUCCHINI TORTA, Mediterranean Chicken Kabobs, or Dreamy Cream & Fresh Berries.

 

Shrimp & Scallop Ceviche

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Shrimp & Scallop Ceviche

mixedcevicheMaking shrimp & scallop ceviche really can’t get an easier then this! Ceviche is a South American dish that’s usually served as an appetizer. The fish cures/cooks in citrus juice for an hour or two while you get all your salsa ingredients in order. The citrus curing juices are drained from the fish, leaving a tender shrimp & scallops to be tossed with salsa and voilà. The base of the shrimp and scallop ceviche here is my mango salsa recipe.

When I thought of making ceviche this week, sombrero popped into my head! I went to several store’s, costume store’s included which don’t exist anymore, and was out of luck. I then called my dear friend Maria who to my surprise had an authentic sombrero for me to borrow that her parents had picked up on a cruise to Cozumel, Mexico. I have to say it is a very cool hat, not to mention really beautiful. Although it has some weight to it so your neck gets a bit of a work out and you have to be careful not to knock into the walls because depth perception can be deceiving.

When I make this shrimp & scallop ceviche. or any ceviche for that matter, I like to cure my fish in lime juice and then drain that juice before adding the fish to my salsa ingredients. In my opinion, the flavors stay fresher that way. By draining the fish juice that’s released from the shrimp and scallops in the curing process it keep’s a better balance between fish and salsa. There are some recipe’s that have you toss everything into one bowl but I feel it taste’s better when you drain the curing fish juices prior to adding the fish into the salsa.

Since the texture’s of shrimp & scallops are a little different I have you cut the shrimp in 1/2 horizontally, and then dice, so the needed curing/cooking time between the two is closer. You could always change up the fish in this recipe to and go with all scallops or another favorite flaky fish. It’s all about being creative and using what’s freshest at the market!

Remember, always when preparing a fish dish, you will want to serve it the same day you make it and odds are there won’t be any leftovers! You may want to make it a party theme of appetizer’s to go along with this shrimp & scallop ceviche, and serve something like buffalo chicken dip, salmon BLT slider’s, fresh pesto, mozzarella and roasted tomato on a crostini, or shrimp & mango in wonton’s and end it with a dessert that will have everyone talking...fresh berries in a dreamy cream topping made from melted cream cheese and fluff that’s an incredible taste SENSATION!

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Ingredients:

  • 1/2 lb. lg shrimp, peeled and deveined, 1/3″ diced
  • 1/4 lb of sea scallops, 1/3″ diced
  • 1/2 cup diced sweet mango
  • 1/2 cup sweet onion – Vidalia onion -finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup mini cucumber diced 1/3 cup cherry tomatoes finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup cilantro chopped (1/2 cup after it’s chopped)
  • 1/3 cup finely diced cherry tomato
  • 1/3 cup finely diced avocado
  • 1 jalapeno finely chopped without the seeds
  • juice from 1 lime – for the final ceviche
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice – for the final ceviche
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar – (“seasoned”)
  • juice from 4 limes for the shrimp/scallop for the curing marinade
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • dash of Tabasco
  • Bag of blue corn chips (optional)

Directions:

  1. Wash and devein the shrimp
  2. Wash the sea scallops and remove little fibrous side muscle that’s attached to the scallop
  3. Pat the shrimp and scallops dry on paper towels
  4. Cut up the shrimp in 1/2 horizontally and then into 1/4″ pieces
  5. Slice up the scallops in 1/2 horzintally and then into 1/2″ pieces
  6. Put them into the same bowl… a non-reactive bowl like a glass bowl
  7. Roll the limes to soften them up
  8. Squeeze the lime juice over the shrimp and scallops
  9. Make sure there is enough juice so all the shrimp and scallop pieces are submersed in the lime juice and place into the frig until they are opaque…and place into the frig for 1- 2  hours
  10. NOTE: you should check the fish at 30 minutes intervals to see how it’s curing/cooking …depending on the coldness of the fish, kind and size it wil be ready at different time’s but it’s EASY – if it’s opaque then it’s done!
  11. Finely chop the tomatoes, jalapeno, sweet onion, cucumbers, mango and cilantro and set aside in a large bowl
  12. Drain all the liquid out from the shrimp and scallops and discard
  13. Add the shrimp and scallops to the large bowl with the salsa, add in juice of 1 tbsp lemon juice, juice from 1 lime, 2 Tbsp olive oil, 2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar, dash of Siracha, salt and pepper to taste
  14. Put back into the fridge for 15 minutes for flavors to marry
  15. Serve in martini glasses with blue chips…YUM!

Best Shrimp Scampi!

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Best Shrimp Scampi!

shrimpyShrimp scampi is one of those delicious dishes that’s sure to bring a smile to everyone’s face just on aroma’s alone! Shrimp sautéed in olive oil and butter with lots of garlic, shallots, clam broth, and white wine topped with fresh lemon juice, parsley and Parmesan make’s for a grand party atop a pile of linguine!

This quickie gourmet sauce I have created for you in this shrimp scampi dish is a light sauce, yet packed with flavor. The way we do this is by concentrating the juice’s released from those sautéed shrimp along with a couple of bottles of clam stock simmering for a brief seven minutes. The traditional and time consuming way to create this lovely stock would be to simmer the shrimp shells in white wine for a while like you would for a lobster bisque stock. The objective here was to take a short cut to accommodate our busy every day lives without foregoing taste by using bottled clam stock. Voilà, you have an amazing flavor base for our shrimp scampi with linguine in seven minutes.

One of my favorite way’s to serve the shrimp scampi with linguine is by offering up a Parmesan with red pepper flake’s mixed right into it. It’s nice to offer two small dishes of Parmesan, one with the pepper flakes and one without. By adding the red pepper flakes to the grated cheese guests are less likely to accidentally sprinkle on too much because it’s dispersed throughout the cheese.

You might want to try some homemade pasta to go with this wonderful shrimp scampi or even a Caesar Salad.  Some chocolate crackle cookies would be great for dessert or homemade chocolate eclairs with an incredibly easy and luscious vanilla filling. Then again there those drunk blondie bars with the bourbon caramel sauce that are to die for! Enjoy! 🙂

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Ingredients for Shrimp Scampi with Linguine – 6-10 People:

  • 1 – 1 1/2 lbs of peeled & deveined large shrimp (ask for a certain number of shrimp …2-5 per person depending on what other side dishes you are serving)
  • 2 bottle of Snows clam broth
  • 1/2 cup white wine – pinot grigio
  • 4 lg garlic clove finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped shallot
  • 2 lg garlic clove smashed
  • 1/4  cup finely chopped FRESH FLAT LEAF Italian parsley
  • 5 Tbsp salted butter
  • 3 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 lb pasta – linguine or linguine fini
  • 2 lemons
  • Reggiano Parmesano
  • Red pepper flakes -OPTIONAL
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Peel and devein shrimp
  2. Bring large pan of salted water to a boil
  3. Add 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp butter and 2 lg crushed garlic cloves to large sauté pan over med/high heat
  4. When the pan is hot add in the shrimp
  5. Saute for 2 1/2 minutes per side
  6. Remove shrimp and garlic – set aside
  7. Add in 1 tbsp olive oil, finely chopped garlic and shallots into the same pan and saute til soft (lightly golden) for about 2-3 minutes
  8. Then pour in both cans of clam juice with the garlic and shallots
  9. Bring to a boil over high heat, turn down to a low simmer for 7 minutes
  10. Add pasta to boiling salted water and cook until aldente (don’t over cook!)
  11. Let pan with the clam broth/garlic simmer and reduce by 1/3
  12. Add shrimp back into reduced clam broth/garlic
  13. Add in juice from 1 whole lemon and 3 tbsp of chopped parsley to shrimp scampi
  14. Add in salt and pepper here to taste
  15. Simmer on LOW for 2 more minutes
  16. Drain pasta and pour out pasta into a large serving platter or bowl
  17. Add in 4 tbsp of butter to pasta and toss, add in salt and pepper to taste …taste the pasta and make sure the pasta is PROPERLY seasoned at this point
  18. Pour the shrimp scampi mixture over the pasta
  19. Sprinkle with more fresh chopped parsley and grated cheese and serve…YUM!
  20. NOTE: Make sure that each person gets some of that tasty broth in their dish

Curry Shrimp & Snow Peas

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Curry Shrimp & Snow Peas

Curry shrimp & snow peas is a luscious dish with a complex sauce that tastes like you spent all day on it! I serve up this yummy creation with fresh chopped dill and jasmine rice. Basmati is my other go to rice. This curry shrimp dish is made with snow peas, coconut milk, white wine, curry, turmeric, coriander, sour cream, half and half, chicken broth and fresh limes.

For goodness sake, don’t waste your time with an instant rice with no texture or flavor. Making good jasmine or basmati rice couldn’t get any easier just follow the directions on the label. When I make rice I always turn off the stove five minutes early. I then stir the rice and let it sit for ten minutes with the cover on. When you are ready for the rice give it another stir, add a tablespoon or two of butter, a sprinkle of salt and voilà.

One of the best things about making this incredible curry shrimp and snow peas is getting it done in fifteen minutes. A good time saver when cooking with shrimp is to buy already peel and devein shrimp. Make sure to get good, meaty shrimp from your local seafood store where all they sell is seafood. Considering the shrimp takes on a main roll in this curry shrimp and snow peas you better darn well get some decent shrimp and make your efforts worth while!

Before serving up this velvety curry shrimp and snow peas you will probably have time to make some appetizer’s like my best guacamole ever, or black bean & mango salsa, or baked sweet potato fries with my green goddess dipping sauce. For dessert, maybe something sweet but on the lighter side you should try fresh berries in a dreamy cream or my fresh berry granita!

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Ingredients for Curry Shrimp & Snow peas -(makes 6 servings):

  • 1 lb large good meaty shrimp from your local SEAFOOD store- peel & devein (better results if you don’t use pre-packaged frozen shrimp)
  • 1 1/2 cup fresh snow peas
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped sweet onion
  • 1 clove garlic put through garlic press
  • 1 can coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup half & half
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 1/4 cup chicken broth
  • 3 tbsp sour cream
  • juice from 1 1/2 -2 limes
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp curry powder
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder (if you don’t have turmeric or coriander use 2 1/2 tsp curry)
  • 1/2 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil or olive oil
  • 4 cups cooked rice – Jasmine or Basmati rice cooked to directions
  • fresh dill – 1/2 cup chopped coarsely added to cooked rice

Directions:

  1. Remove tail shells from all the shrimp and set aside
  2. Cook Jasmine rice and set aside
  3. Add coconut oil or olive oil and chopped onion to a large sauté pan on med/high heat
  4. Add in curry spices, and a sprinkle of salt stirring with onions sautéing for 2 minutes
  5. NOTE: Adding in curry now with onions will elininate potential of curry becoming grainy
  6. Add in garlic and stir
  7. De-glaze with wine
  8. Simmer and reduce the sauce for 2 minutes
  9. Add chicken broth and bring back to a simmer
  10. Add in snow peas and simmer 1 minute
  11. Add in coconut milk, whisk to mix
  12. Add in half and half, bring back to a simmer for 2-3 minutes
  13. Add in 1 tbsp butter and all of the raw shrimp simmer for 3 minutes until the shrimp are cooked through
  14. Whisk in 3 tbsp sour cream and just warm through
  15. Take off heat and squeeze juice from 1 1/2 fresh limes
  16. Taste and add sprinkle of salt if needed
  17. Add fresh chopped dill to Jasmine rice and serve with Curry Shrimp & Snow Peas
  18. Optional: Add a few dashes of Siracha, Franks Red Hot or Tabasco to heat it up a little

 

Bloody Mary Shrimp & Mango-Curry Shrimp At Nancy’s

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Bloody Mary Shrimp & Mango-Curry Shrimp At Nancy’s

Bloody Mary Shrimp & Mango-Curry Shrimp in Wonton Cups

These two homemade shrimp appetizer’s are fun and delicious! Bloody Mary Shrimp and Mango-Curry Shrimp in wonton cups will soon be on your go to list for summer appetizers! My good friend Nancy passed these wonderful recipes on to me which she found at epicurious.com. They certainly have a an enormous assortment of recipes there to choose from and sometimes it can be overwhelming finding the ones you like so I feel fortunate to have a fellow foodie pass these on.

These two shrimp appetizer’s just might be the easiest and most delicious recipes you’ll have this summer. The Bloody Mary shrimp is so flavorful with all the same condiments that make up “the” cocktail including the vodka but in little nibble sizes.  Serving up this appetizer on a spoon makes for a lovely presentation too. You can find these spoons at party stores and sometimes even at Stop & Shop.

The Mango-Curry Shrimp in wonton cups is another winner with a variety of fresh flavors from the green curry sauce to the mango chutney which both come prepared from the specialty section of the grocery store totally saving you time in the prep department …Hallelujah! You know me with the mayo thing … as much as I love my Hellman’s Mayo I do like to cut the mayo with some plain Greek yogurt to give it a little tang and a wonderful fresh texture so I give you that option in the list of ingredients for this appetizer.

It was an enjoyable day shooting this show and having my good friend Nancy share with us a couple of her favorite appetizer’s that she frequently entertains with. We will definitely be back cooking with Nancy this summer and visiting her garden to pick heirloom tomatoes for that scrumptious homemade Tomato Tartan! Hope you enjoy the show and let me know how you like the Bloody Mary Shrimp & Mango-Curry Shrimp appetizer’s.

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Ingredients For THE BLOODY MARY SHRIMP:

  • 1 pound medium shrimp in shell, peeled and de-veined
  • 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced celery (2 -3 ribs)
  • 1 cup thinly sliced scallions (about 6)

Directions For THE BLOODY MARY SHRIMP:

  1. Bring a large saucepan of salted water (2 tablespoons salt for 2 quarts water) to a boil.
  2. Add shrimp, then remove from heat and let stand in water until cooked through, about 5 minutes.
  3. Drain in a colander and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
  4. Cut shrimp into thirds and transfer to a large bowl with celery and scallions.

Ingredients For THE SAUCE:

  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 1/4 cup vodka (preferably Absolut Peppar)
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons bottled horseradish (not drained), or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Tabasco OR Siracha (also found where the tabasco is shelved at the store)
  • S&P to taste

Directions For THE SAUCE:

  1. Whisk together all sauce ingredients
  2. Just before serving, stir sauce into shrimp mixture.
  3. Spoon 2 shrimp pieces with vegetables and sauce into each soup spoon and arrange spoons on a platter.

NOTE: Shrimp can be cooked and tossed with vegetables 4 hours ahead, then chilled in a sealed bag. Sauce can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Mix the sauce and shrimp right before serving.

Ingredients For THE MANGO-CURRY SHRIMP:

  • 12 wonton wrappers (from one 12-ounce package), each cut into squares
  • Vegetable oil
  • 1/3 cup mayonnaise OR split the 1/3 cup mayo in half with Greek yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
  • 5 teaspoons fresh lime juice
  • 2 teaspoons mango chutney
  • 1 teaspoon Thai green curry paste (Thai green curry paste is available at Asian markets and in the Asian foods section of some supermarkets)
  • 12 ounces peeled cooked medium shrimp, coarsely chopped
  • 1 cup Fresh cilantro leaves coarsely chopped

Directions For THE MANGO-CURRY SHRIMP IN WONTON CUPS  – Pre-Heat oven to 325º:

  1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
  2. Place wonton squares on work surface and brush lightly with oil
  3. Press each into miniature muffin cup, oiled side down
  4. Bake until wonton cups are golden brown, about 10 minutes
  5. Cool completely in tins -Can be made 3 days ahead
  6. Remove cups from tins and store airtight at room temperature
  7. Whisk mayonnaise, chopped fresh cilantro, lime juice, chutney, and curry paste in medium bowl to blend
  8. Stir in shrimp. Season salad to taste with salt and pepper. (Salad can be prepared up to 1 day ahead – Cover and refrigerate
  9. Place wonton cups on serving platter
  10. Spoon 1 tbsp shrimp salad into each cup
  11. Garnish with cilantro leaves

 

Vodka Sauce with Shrimp

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Vodka Sauce with Shrimp

072This homemade gourmet vodka sauce with shrimp has always been one of my very favorites since first having it in Urbino, Italy at a restaurant called La Rustica thirty years ago! La Rustica was one of my favorite restaurants in Urbino where I went to college for a summer and fall semester. After cappuccinos in Piazza and before venturing off to Club 83 for some Italian Discoteca dancing we would make that special stop at La Rustica for a scrumptious plate of “penne all vodka con gamberetti”!

Yes and the surprise here is vodka sauce that’s gluten free…and tastes amazing! In my gluten-free recipe I use vermicelli rice noodles and switch out the heavy cream for coconut cream. This makes for a heavenly change and actually makes the dish a tad lighter then if you were to go with the heavy cream. The vodka sauce starts off with my homemade gourmet tomato-basil pasta sauce recipe which we add to the coconut cream and coconut milk…then the vodka, the extra dry vermouth (or white wine) and the grated Reggiano Parmesan . All these steps in the end take the Asian flair off the dish and transform it into a Roman Forum.

You just might start to crave those very delicate and flavorful vermicelli rice noodles. I suggest you give them a try and see the difference. If you can’t find the “vermicelli” rice noodles at your local market you can definitely find them at the Hong Kong Grocery off the Trumble St. exit (and Whitney Ave.) in New Haven, CT. or in most Asian markets and also in many specialty cheese shops like Fromage in Old Saybrook (you should call first just to make sure).

I have you using my quick and easy tomato-basil pasta sauce which is packed with flavors from the sautéed carrots, sweet onions, garlic and red wine and only takes 30 minutes to make. It’s a great idea to make this sauce the day before then putting together the vodka sauce will take you all of 20 minutes. I promise you will love this sauce and not think for a moment that it is gluten free. Make sure to watch the video above to see how easy it is to make this gourmet vodka sauce with shrimp.

INGREDIENTS:

NOTE; IF YOU DO NOT WANT GLUTEN-FREE  AND WANT A BASIC VODKA SAUCE JUST USE REGULAR PENNE PASTA AND HEAVY CREAM INSTEAD OF RICE NOODLES AND COCONUT CREAM/MILK AND FOLLOW THE REST OF THE RECIPE 🙂

  • 1 lb. large shrimp (approx 21-25)
  • 1 pkg. rice vermicelli noodles (approx. 6.34 oz equivalent to 1 lb. reg. pasta) OR 1lb. PENNE PASTA if you are not going Gluten-Free
  • 1 can coconut cream (14 oz. can from Trader Joes) OR 1 c. heavy cream FOR BASIC VODKA SAUCE 
  • 8 cups pasta sauce from Tomato-Basil Pasta Sauce 
  • 1/4 plus 2 tbsp. cup vodka
  • 1/4 cup extra dry vermouth or white wine (optional)
  • A few dashes of Tabasco or your favorite hot sauce (optional)
  • 1/2 tsp salt (or more to taste)
  • 1/2 c. of Reggiano Parmesan
  • Truffle oil (optional) (Star Fish Market has the best called La Truffiere Tartufo Bianco – a white truffle oil that’s amazing)
  • Red pepper flakes for garnish (optional)
  • More Reggiano Parmesan for garnish
  • Fresh chopped chives for garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Make 1 pkg of RICE vermicelli noodles (the 6.34 oz. of rice noodles ends up to be about equivalent to 1 lb. reg. pasta)
  2. When noodles are finished cooking RINSE with COLD water til completely cooled and not stuck together or gummy …This step is very important especially for the “vermicelli” rice noodles because they are so thin and delicate
  3. Pour the 1 1/2  cans of coconut cream/coconut milk into a sauce pan and turn on to medium heat whisking slightly to help loosen up coconut cream
  4. Add cups pasta sauce into the cream
  5. Add 1/4 vodka and 1/4 dry vermouth and bring to a simmer
  6. Simmer for about 10 minutes on low to let alcohol burn off and thickens slightly
  7. You can add in a several dashes of Tabasco or your favorite hot sauce here …it’s OPTIONAL
  8. Whisk in 1/2 cup of Reggiano Parmesan
  9. Add 1 lb. of RAW shrimp to sauce, bring back up to simmer and cook thru til shrimp is cooked approx. 2 minutes only
  10. Begin to add in the rice noodles pasta into sauce pan 1/2 at a time to make sure you have enough sauce and heat thru
  11. Plate up the noodles and sprinkle with Parmesan, chives, red pepper flakes or blk pepper and mangia!