Spicy Tomato and Shrimp Pasta

Spicy Tomato and Shrimp Pasta

Life is about to get hectic once again, with my taco cart opening on Monday and our newly-opened AirBnB room filling up with bookings. Exciting times, yet we also must eat, right? Here’s a quick-fixing dish that’s loaded with flavor and can be on the table in a half hour. I used these cute little hat-shaped spicy tomato pastas in this, but any pasta will work. The pasta itself was truly spicy, so if using plain pasta and like spicy, simply adjust the pepper and red chile flakes in this to your liking. This serves two, but can be easily doubled.

Spicy Tomato and Shrimp Pasta

4 ounces pasta, any kind
12 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
Creole seasoning
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
Ground black pepper, to taste
Pinch of crushed red chile flakes
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed, or a few handfuls fresh
Fresh-grated Parmesan, for serving (optional)

Begin cooking pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, season the shrimp lightly with Creole seasoning. In a medium skillet, heat the butter over medium heat and add the shrimp in one layer. Cook for a few minutes on each side, then remove to a plate and keep warm. Add the olive oil to the skillet then the chopped onion. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for a minute more. Pour in the can of undrained tomatoes, then season with pepper, chile flakes, oregano, and lemon juice. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer, and cook for about 10 minutes.

Your pasta should be done by now, so reserve a half cup of the pasta water, then drain and add pasta to the tomato mixture. Stir in the spinach, then add the shrimp. Add in the half cup of reserved pasta water to loosen it up, and cook a few minutes more to heat through. Serve immediately with fresh-grated Parmesan.

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Pico de Gallo Baked Chicken

Pico de Gallo Baked Chicken

This was hands down my best new baked chicken dish — EVER! I was so absolutely nervous to feed this to my family but we all were shocked by how good this was. I was chagrined I took the time to reduce the sauce after it came out of the oven as I thought it came out too soupy, but then we were all clambering to add more sauce to our plates to sop up with the thick, crusty bread. Reducing the sauce is not necessary, so I skipped that step in the instructions. You won’t be disappointed.

Now, how to shock and amaze your taste buds:

Pico de Gallo Baked Chicken
Adapted from pico de gallo oven chicken @allyskitchen.com

1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved
Ground pepper and sea salt or Mrs. Dash, to taste
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
1/4 cup white wine
3/4 cup homemade or low sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup pico de gallo mild salsa (I used Trader Joe’s)
1/4 teaspoon dried red chile flakes
3 cloves garlic, peeled and whole
1 tablespoon capers
1/2 large lemon, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Add the chicken breasts to a large bowl and sprinkle with the pepper, salt or Mrs. Dash, and flour. Toss to coat.

Browned Chicken Pieces

In a large skillet over medium high heat, add the oil and brown the chicken on each side. Transfer the chicken to an oven-proof lidded casserole dish.

Deglaze the skillet with the wine then pour over the chicken. Add the chicken broth, pico de gallo, chile flakes, garlic, and top with the lemon slices and capers.

Pico de Gallo Chicken Ready to Bake

Cover with foil then top with the lid. Bake for 50 minutes, then remove to the stove top and let sit for about 15 minutes without taking off the lid. When ready, remove lid and serve with thick, hot crusty bread for sopping up the juices.

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Spanakopita

Spanakopita

My sister made this wonderful authentic Greek dish for the family one night when she was here visiting last week. It was so much fun being able to snap some photos while she explained every step of the recipe and demonstrated the “technique” of this dish. This recipe came from her boyfriend’s mother who hailed from Greece, Zora St. Martin (her Greek maiden name was Zaharias, she married a French Canadian). Zora died about two years ago at age 88, and had a successful catering business in Newport, NH. Before she passed on she wrote down the recipe for her son, which I have shared below. As a bonus, she also included the recipe for Tiropita, which is similar to Spanakopita but doesn’t have spinach.

Spanakopita and Tiropita Recipes

The first thing my sister said before making this was to correct my pronunciation of the dish. I’ve been saying it wrong all these years! It is span-uh-KOH-pih-ta, NOT span-uh-koh-PEE-ta. This also makes a very large amount. She said whenever they cook this at home, they wrap up individual packages to give to friends. They actually have friends calling them asking them when they are going to make it again, it is that good! This also makes a wonderful breakfast or brunch. It took us a few days, but we ate every last bit of this! My sister also found some cute little lamb chops on sale at the store, which she marinated in soy sauce, honey, and red chile flakes and grilled them up as a nice “side” to the Spanakopita. Thank you Molly for an awesome dinner!

Spanakopita

1 package Filo (Phyllo) dough, thawed in refrigerator
3 10-ounce packages frozen spinach, thawed
1 bunch green onions
Handful of fresh dill sprigs
16-ounce container cottage cheese
24-ounces crumbled Feta cheese
6 well-beaten eggs
2 sticks melted butter (1/2 pound)

Spanakopita Ingredients

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the thawed spinach in a colander and squeeze out as much liquid as possible with your hands. Literally grab bunches of the spinach and wring it out like a wet washcloth. My sister demonstrated this beautifully:

Squeezing the Water Out of the Spinach

Chop the green onions…

Chopping the Green Onions

then mix them thoroughly with the spinach in a large bowl.

Mixing the Onion and Spinach

Mince the dill, then add to the spinach mixture along with the cottage and Feta cheeses and the beaten eggs. Combine thoroughly.

Spanakopita Filling

Brush a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with some of the butter. Layer 5 or 6 Filo sheets in the bottom of the pan, including up the sides.

First Layer of Filo Sheets

Press in 1/4 of the spinach mixture in an even layer.

First Layer of Spinach Mixture

Layer 3 or 4 more sheets of Filo, then coat with butter evenly with a brush.

Brushing the Filo with Butter

Repeat layers of spinach, Filo, and butter. The top layer should be at least 5 or 6 sheets of Filo. Pour any remaining butter over the top and brush around.

Brushing the Last of the Butter Over Top

Bake in the preheated heated oven for 45 minutes until the top is golden-brown. If it starts to get too brown you can lightly cover it with a piece of foil. After 45 minutes, turn oven down to 350 and bake for 15 more minutes. Remove from oven, and let sit for about 15 minutes before serving.

Spanakopita Out of the Oven!

While the Spanakopita was resting, these pretty babies were thrown onto the grill for a few minutes on each side.

Marinating Lamb Chops

Dinner is served!

Spanakopita and Lamb Chop Dinner

 

 

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One Pot Creamy Sausage and Pasta with Vegetables

One Pot Creamy Sausage and Pasta with Vegetables

I’ve been eyeing a bunch of “one pot” meals lately, which are very much needed in this small temporary kitchen. And what is also great about them is that they are very versatile! You can use pretty much any vegetables you have in your fridge (such as the yellow pepper that needed to be used STAT) and any kind of pasta sitting in your pantry.

And fortunately for me this time, I didn’t have to make a run to our freezer that is stored and plugged in at the garage of our new house, as on my last “house run” I grabbed two bags of frozen chicken broth instead of just one! Even if you don’t have chicken broth on hand, you could always just use water instead.

Last, my FAVORITE thing about this meal, is that you can get it prepped and on the table in about a half hour! Which was also a lifesaver this weekend with a busy schedule running my daughter all over town and helping to decorate for her dance team’s annual Spook House.

And the flavor? DEE-LICOUS! Don’t skimp on the spicy seasoning, it is not that spicy at all but adds just enough heat to round out the creamy, cheesy flavors. I can see this one in my rotation for sure, and I hope you will too!

One Pot Creamy Sausage and Pasta with Vegetables

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 pound smoked turkey sausage (1/2 horseshoe link), sliced
1 cup onion, roughly chopped
4 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
2 cups homemade or low-sodium chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes, homemade if you have some!
1/2 cup heavy cream (half and half or milk will work too)
8 ounces dry pasta (any pasta will work, I used Penne)
1/2 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle seasoning (or sub with 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes)
Ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 green onions, chopped, for garnish

Browning the Sausage and Veggies

Add olive oil to a large pot or Dutch oven pan over medium heat. Add the onions, mushrooms, bell pepper, and sausage. Cook until lightly browned and mushrooms have released their liquid, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and seasonings and cook until fragrant, about a minute more.

Stir in the chicken broth, tomatoes with liquid, cream and pasta. Bring the mixture up to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for about 15 minutes, or until pasta is tender.

Pasta Ready to Simmer in the Creamy Sauce

Turn off the heat and stir in 1/2 cup of cheese. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and cover for about five minutes to allow cheese to melt. Top with chopped green onions and serve.

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