December Pasta of the Month- Scampi Scallop Bucatini

For December pasta all my favorites from the sea are the stars. On one of our trips to Southern California we stumbled upon a small deli in Seal Beach. The setting was something out of Mayberry with mostly mom and pop type shops and eateries brimming with originality. The quaintness of a few blocks lured us out of our car as it seemed like an invitation to walk the neighborhood. Unfortunately most neighborhoods these days prefer the "allure" of big box stores. I don't get it! Yes, the price can't be beat, sometimes, but is the quality there? Is it a pleasurable experience? So, it's nice to see a neighborhood area revitalized in a friendly tasteful and inviting way.

When you enter an Italian deli the sights should captivate you and the smells should excite and comfort you. We've been in a few of those over the years and I always buy something. This time I purchased some bucatini because I have a hard time finding it in our town. Bucatini is shaped like spaghetti but it is hollow on the inside. How do they do that? But, the shape allows the sauce to coat the inside of the pasta as well as out.

This dish can be an elegant but simple addition to your table. We enjoyed it!

Ingredients:

2/3 pkg bucatini

Cook pasta in salted boiling water reserving about 1/4 cup of pasta water. Meanwhile saute the next four items until opaque.

2 T olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 shallot, sliced and chopped

1/4 c onion, chopped

Add the following to the skillet.

2 T butter

about 12 each of medium shrimp and sea scallops

salt and pepper

1/4 cup pasta water or use white wine plus large ladle of water

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

2 T chopped fresh basil

Cook seafood a few minutes until shrimp starts to turn pink. Turn them over and continue to cook for only a few minutes, maybe 3-5. Add the cooked bucatini with a drizzle of olive oil and mix well. Serve immediately. Serves 4 hungry people

Italian Holiday Quick Brunch Bread

As promised I wanted to present this stollen like bread which could never replace my dad's Czech bread. (see yesterday's post) However, if you are lacking in time, this Italian quick bread stands alone with its flavor and ease in preparation. The "real" Czech bread like most breads requires the resting, rising and kneading. This one does not. The flavors are similar but the consistency is much more dense rather than flaky. I love both!

Ingredients:

4 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups ricotta cheese

3 eggs, beaten

1 tsp vanilla

2/3 cup sugar

4 T candied fruit

2 T golden raisins

1 T chopped almonds

1 T orange zest

1 T sugar

1 1/2 T butter or melted margarine

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl place sifted flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in the ricotta, eggs, raisins, nuts, sugar, vanilla and orange zest. Toss in the candied fruit and mix well. Only knead lightly to form into a loaf about 12 inches long. Place onto a greased and floured cookie sheet. Bake for about 55 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack. Brush with melted butter or margarine and sprinkle the loaf with sugar.

This is perfect all by itself, but it's slightly decadent sliced and toasted with butter on top. Yum!

Christmas is What You Make It

Being with friends is wonderful, coming together with family is comforting, but, remembering the reason for the season is priceless. I wanted to write yesterday, however I found myself a little too introspective at times and maybe a little weepy. I have always known that Christmas is what you make it not what you make, bake, buy or receive during Christmas. I always feel overloaded weeks before and for no apparent reason other than being subjected to the "pull" created by Western civilizations and the media. I yearned for a simple Christmas so I went back to my roots and memories for inspiration.

For my father and mother I digitally copied the dusty slides of their Europe 1972 trip into a DVD they could watch. Photography is one of my "loves" along with cooking. The slides transported them back to a whirlwind tour of 3 weeks which they would never forget, hopefully. From Amsterdam they set off in a VW bug across many countries including Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg and a little corner of France. The country, I believe, that was the most memorable for them was Czechoslovakia which is now the Czech Republic. At the time they had to "check in" at the border because it was behind the Iron Curtain. How frightening that must have been. The border patrol needed to know their exact whereabouts at all times!

My parents went to visit my great aunt and uncle in a small village of Domazlice, southwest of Prague. Never having met them, they were warmly welcomed into their humble home. My Czech relatives continued to treat them as royalty and apologized for having such simplicity in their ways. In my mind, almost 40 years later, I see those pictures and think to myself that they are the ones that are truly "rich". Simplicity and a sense of family is what it is all about.

Getting back to the cooking aspect, there were many family recipes I wanted to make this year, just not enough time. I wanted to mention my dad's Czech bread, though. He tries to bake it every year and there is always some family member to ask if he will do so. This season he did and probably made about 6 or 7 loaves and shipped some to family members out of state. It is the best bread and I regret not being in the kitchen with him this year, snapping pictures of the process and the flour flying everywhere!

A few years ago I wanted Czech bread but did not want to struggle with the process of rising and kneading, etc., so I found a similar recipe of Italian descent. It does not have the yeast making it extremely simple for anyone to make, quickly. I made a large loaf and brought some over to my parents as we watched their travel adventure DVD and exchanged gifts. Although it is easy (recipe tomorrow), it will never replace my dad's Czech bread. Too many memories attached to it making it special to us all.

I hope you all had a merry Christmas and seek the simplicity that is sometimes overlooked in our lives. God Bless..

"In a Pinch" Holiday Appetizer

As the Season gets into full swing many people scramble for easy appetizer ideas. I was reminded yesterday by one of my favorite sister-in-laws, that now is the time to add a simple cheese ball type recipe. I have made this many times and it's perfect for those special Christmas and New Year's parties or all year long for that matter. My mother would make it for her friends and family and it was always a hit!

The variation I make has crab in it but you can easily substitute, chicken, turkey or ham.

1 6.5 oz can crab, drained

3 green onions (finely chopped)

1 8 oz cream cheese

a dash of Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

Mix all ingredients, except the pecans, well with hands and form into a ball. Place the nuts on waxed paper and roll the ball while covering it completely. Refrigerate until firm. Serve with favorite crackers or baguette rounds. So easy! Enjoy!

Merry Christmas, Teri! I hope this becomes part of your traditions for you and your beautiful family!

Spice Cookies for Santa

I remember many a Christmas Eve when my sister and I would lay in our beds and quietly listen for Santa's sleigh bells and reindeers screeching to a halt on top of our roof. I just knew I'd be able to hear them if I listened long enough. I'm sure nobody else did this, right? As a tradition we would bake cookies for Santa and leave carrot sticks for his reindeer, especially Rudolf! In the morning we would check our stockings and always rush to see if Santa enjoyed our cookies. For some reason the carrot sticks would still be there, maybe a little chewed up on the ends but the cookies were always gone. I don't remember what kind we made. It's been many years.

Flash forward, 25 years later, as parents, we made sure Santa and his reindeers were taken care of. I enjoyed the time with my son as we busily baked and baked. Festively frosted and decorated sugar cookies were the most popular. Those "rolls" of cookie dough sure came in handy when I was working and short on time. But, this was a tradition that couldn't be left out during Christmas week, so I did whatever I could to welcome Santa into our home!

This year, I swore to myself that I wasn't going to bake as much. But, tradition got in the way and I proceeded to bake. This time I found a spicy molasses type cookie recipe I've been meaning to try. The results would be good enough for Santa and maybe a few elves. Hopefully someone can carry on those cookie capers with this great recipe! And you should always leave a glass of milk since Santa has acquired the "dunking" skill over the years!

Ingredients:

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 c butter, room temperature

1 egg

3 T molasses

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp ginger, ground

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp each of salt, ground cloves and ground nutmeg

additional sugar in a bowl for rolling

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cream the sugar and butter in a large bowl. Mix until fluffy, and add egg and molasses. In large measuring cup or bowl add sifted flour, baking soda and spices, mixing well. Add to the butter mixture and blend. At this point you can refrigerate and make them later, or not. Place additional sugar into a bowl. Using a teaspoon, scoop dough the size of a walnut, make into a ball and roll in the sugar. Put on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper and bake for 10 minutes. Cool and try not to eat all of Santa's cookies! Makes about 3 1/2 dozen.