Spaghetti with Fresh Tomatoes,  Grilled Little Neck Clams and Pancetta

Spaghetti with Fresh Tomatoes, Grilled Little Neck Clams and Pancetta

Dena Moran
serves 2

Ingredients:
3 dozen little neck clams
3 slices La Quercia Pancetta Americana
Kernels from 1 ear of corn (just cooked in boiling water for 2 minutes)
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
12 sungold tomatoes (or other cherry-size tomatoes), chopped
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
1 tablespoon Vermont Butter & Cheese unsalted butter
Salt & Pepper (to taste)

    Heat grill to medium and place cleaned clams in a foil pan on top of grill. You’ll need to watch them here and as they open, remove from pan and place in bowl – remove and discard shells. Save and strain the clam juice from the grill pan through a fine cheese cloth lined strainer into a bowl.

    With the grill still on medium cook the pancetta until crisp, about 1 minute, then remove and break into small pieces.

    Meanwhile- While the pasta water is coming to a boil, combine both kinds of tomatoes, basil,  corn kernels,  olive oil, salt and pepper. Let rest until the pasta is ready, then using tongs remove from pasta pot and add immediately to the tomato mixture in the bowl.

    Add 1 tablespoon butter and the clams - toss. Add the clam juice - toss again to combine. Add the panchetta and lightly toss, once again.

    These ingredients can be found at Olde Hudson

     

     

    Read more →

    Grilled Bronzini and Chopped Summer Salad

    Grilled Bronzini and Chopped Summer Salad

    Dena Moran

    These  silver-skinned,  salt  water Aegean  fish  weigh  from 3/4 lb to 1 1/4 lbs and come to Olde Hudson overnight from the Aegean. Their delicate, fresh flavor is the perfect foil for the complex, chutney-like chopped summer salad  below. If you want the salad to be less creamy omit the avacado.

    I hope you try this Flash Recipe -- a delicious minimalist meal made quickly with the best ingredients

     

     For the fish:

    Ingredients
    2 scaled and cleaned Bronzini
    Salt and Pepper (I used Red Hawaiian Sea Salt and a blend of black and red peppercorns)
    2 sprigs each of fresh sage and rosemary
    olive oil for drizzling

      Heat your grill to medium high.  Rinse fish and pat dry then season the cavity with salt and pepper and add the sage and rosemary sprigs.  Season the skin with salt and pepper and drizzle with good olive oil.  Grill quickly on medium-high heat for 4 minutes per side.

       

       For the summer salad: 

      Ingredients
      Finely chopped medium tomato, 1/2 red onion; 1/3 English Cucumber
      1/2 yellow pepper, 1/2 avocado, 1/2 peach
      basil and a squeeze of lemon (to taste)
      Dress with La Castellina Olive OilUnio Cabernet Sauvignon Vinegar 
      salt and pepper
      fold gently together for a perfect partner for the grilled Bronzini

         

        These ingredients can be found at Olde Hudson

        Read more →

        Aromatic Shrimp with Herbs

        Aromatic Shrimp with Herbs

        Dena Moran

        I’ve been serving this with spinach sautéed in grapeseed oil and garlic and I think it exemplifies how we can make an excellent meal with unexpected flavor pleasures in a very short time.

        At the end of the day this comes together quickly and the deep flavors are perfect for a winter weekday dinner. This is not your summer-light-garlic-and-lemon-shrimp but a dish that warms and pleasures and marks the good end to a well-spent day.

        This recipe serves two.

        Ingredients
        12 large Panama shrimp peeled and deveined
        1 tablespoon Mae Ploy Asian Sauce for Seafood
        2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
        1 garlic clove minced
        1/2 medium red onion minced
        1 tablespoon fresh peeled minced ginger
        2 strips of lime rind minced
        Pinch of red pepper flakes
        Herb Mixture
        1 teaspoon fresh minced basil
        1 teaspoon fresh minced cilantro
        4 mint leaves minced
        2 tablespoons Sake

                Marinate the Shrimp in the Mae Ploy Asian Sauce for Seafood for 15 minutes.

                Heat the grapeseed oil in a sauté  pan and add the garlic, red onion, fresh ginger, lime rind and red pepper flakes and cook together over low heat until the onion is translucent.  Add ½ of the herb mixture and sauté together one minute.

                Add the marinated shrimp to pan, raise heat to medium and cook 1 minute until they begin to turn color. Increase heat to high, add the Sake and the remainder of the herb mixture and cook, stirring until Sake is reduced. Lower heat and continue to cook until shrimp are slightly pink and cooked through. Don't overcook.

                 For the Noodles

                4 ounces of Buckwheat Noodles
                1 tablespoon  sesame oil
                1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
                1 tablespoon soy sauce
                1 tablespoon mirin

                   Bring pot of water to boil.  Add 1 tablespoon sesame oil and the buckwheat noodles. Cook until al dente. Remove from heat, drain and rinse under cold water, place in pan with remaining dressing ingredients, toss and reheat until warm.

                  These ingredients can be found at Olde Hudson.

                   

                   

                   

                  Read more →

                  Wild Red Argentinian Shrimp in Mediterranean Green Sauce

                  Wild Red Argentinian Shrimp in Mediterranean Green Sauce

                  Dena Moran

                  I love this dish.  I started making it a few weeks ago when our fish purveyor introduced wild-caught Red Argentinian Shrimp.  Their color is so vibrant that they immediately made me think of the bright green contrast of herbs… a green sauce with the promise of spring!  We’ve been enjoying them with the simply sautéed potatoes you see here.

                  Serves two very happy diners.

                  Ingredients

                  12 Wild Red Argentinian Shrimp, peeled and deveined
                  ¼ teaspoon Sel Magique, Classic Blend
                  ¼ cup La Castellina Extra Virgin Olive Oil
                  8 cloves garlic, peeled, crushed and coarsely chopped
                  8 ounces parsley leaves
                  6 ounces basil leaves
                  6 ounces cilantro leaves
                  Pinch Red Pepper Flakes
                  ¼ cup pitted French Cocktail Olive Mix – white lupine beans removed
                  ¼ cup white wine
                  Freshly squeezed Juice of ½ lime
                  2 tablespoons Vermont Butter and Cheese Butter
                  black pepper, to taste

                  Season Shrimp with Sel Magique Classic Blend and set aside.

                  Gently heat extra virgin olive oil in sauté pan, add garlic and cook until it softens and turns slightly brown.

                  Meanwhile, add parsley, basil and cilantro leaves to mini chop or food processor and finely chop.  Add to garlic and continue to sauté on low heat until herbs soften, about 5 minutes.

                  Add olive mix to mini chop or food processor and finely chop.

                  Add to herb mixture in pan and continue to sauté until olives soften, approximately 3 minutes.

                  Raise heat to medium and add seasoned shrimp.

                  Toss to coat with the herb/olive mixture.

                  Add white wine, raise heat to boil and reduce for 1 minute, then lower heat.

                  Add fresh-squeezed lime juice, butter and freshly ground black pepper.

                  Serve with simply sauteed potatoes, crisped in Extra Virgin Olive Oil and seasoned with Salt & Pepper.

                  These ingredients can be found at Olde Hudson

                   

                   

                   

                  Read more →

                  Alice‘s Shrimp Appetizer

                  Alice‘s Shrimp Appetizer

                  Dena Moran

                   I'm renaming my Spicy Szechuan Shrimp Appetizer. From now on we'll call it ALICE'S SHRIMP APPETIZER for my friend Alice who's been making it to rave reviews since we emailed it as a flash recipe last summer.

                  All the ingredients are available at Olde Hudson and prep and cooking time are minimal. Result? Delicious and piquant… just the perfect appetizer to whet your guests' appetites for the meal ahead.

                  This will make enough for four grateful guests.  Thank you Alice!

                   

                   Ingredients

                  1 cup flour
                  3 tablespoons Teeny Tiny Szechuan Spice
                  salt and pepper
                  12 peeled and de-veined wild-caught Panama Shrimp
                  3 tablespoons Salute Sante Grapeseed Oil
                  Mae Ploy Chili Sauce for dipping

                   

                  Combine flour with 3 tablespoons Teeny Tiny Szechaun Spice and pepper. 

                   

                  Dredge the shrimp in the mixture and shake off excess batter. Heat the grapeseed oil to a sizzle and add the shrimp – fry until the batter crisps and the shrimp pink up.

                  Serve with Mae Ploy Chili Sauce. 

                  These ingredients can be found at Olde Hudson

                  Read more →

                  GRAVLAX with MUSTARD SAUCE

                  GRAVLAX with MUSTARD SAUCE

                  Dena Moran

                  Our friend and neighbor, Bob Rasner, owner with his wife Marie, of The Inn at 34 graciously shared this recipe with us.


                  We think it’s perfect for brunch the day after Thanksgiving when overnight and out of town guests can share this elegant, simple to make delicacy. It doesn’t hurt that this Gravlax makes a beautiful presentation either.

                  One caveat: this is not a spur of the moment recipe… you’ll need to plan ahead…. The salmon takes a few days to cure.

                   

                   Gravlax

                  Ingredients

                  3 lb. filet of salmon, skin on
                  5 Tablespoons white sugar
                  5 teaspoons salt
                  Freshly ground black pepper
                  1 lime
                  Fresh Dill

                    

                  Rinse the salmon filet gently and pat dry with paper towels.

                  If there is a thin strip of meat along the belly edge of the filet, trim it off and save for another use.

                  If your salmon is in a single piece, cut it in half as accurately as possible.  (Not two long pieces but two pieces half the length of the filet.) You should have two pieces almost identical in size.

                  On your work surface, lay out a piece of plastic wrap about 8” longer than the entire filet. Place the filet halves end-to-end on the plastic wrap.

                  Distribute the salt and sugar over the filet halves. Use more on the thick portions of the filet than on the thin.

                  Roughly chop the dill and distribute half of it evenly over one filet half.

                  Zest the lime and distribute over the dill-covered salmon.

                  Using the remaining dill, spread over the salmon.

                  Lay the uncovered piece of salmon, skin side up on top of the dill-covered filet.

                  Wrap the stacked filets as tightly as possible in plastic wrap and place in a non-reactive baking dish. Place in the fridge. Each day turn the wrapped salmon over at least twice.

                  Although cure time is not critical, wait at least two days before opening the salmon.

                  SERVE!  Scrape the dill/lime mixture from the salmon. Bits of dill left are fine. Slice the salmon as thinly as possible and serve with mustard sauce.

                  Mustard Sauce

                  Ingredients

                  1/4 cup Dijon mustard
                  1 teaspoon ground dry mustard
                  3 tablespoons sugar
                  2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
                  1/3 cup olive oil
                  3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

                  Combine the mustards, sugar, and vinegar in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in the oil and stir in the chopped dill. Serve with the Gravlax. 

                  These ingredients can be found at Olde Hudson

                   

                   

                  Read more →