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January 17, 2012

Cioppino


 If you live in California you know that we've had some of the sunniest weather during winter that we've had in a long time. I hear it's finally suppose to rain (which means snow in the mountains and possibly a future day trip *fingers crossed*) but until then we've been making-do with the sun during the day and the iciness at night! One of the things I couldn't wait for this winter was the opportunity to make soups, or in my case some Cioppino. I couldn't have picked a more suiting night because both of our colds started the night of making it, after that we were out of it for about a week. The soup was hearty, warm, and really really delicious and full of amazing seafood. You're sold right? Good! :)

We've made this before so I was able to make everything pretty quickly. The hardest part is not constantly tasting it while it's cooking.


What You'll Need:
Crab meat
1/2 p shrimp
1/2 p mussels
1/2 p small scallops
1/2 C olive oil
1 Tbsp garlic
1/2 of an onion
14 oz diced canned tomatoes
1 C of seafood broth
1 C of white or red wine
Parsley
3 to 6 oz of tomato paste
Fresh basil
diced chile pepper or cayenne pepper
Linguini or other thin pasta (optional)
Clam juice

We went to Whole Foods to get the mussels because I've never had a bad piece of seafood from them. But the best thing about this dish is that you can use whatever seafood you love, whatever is in season, or whatever you already have. It's a dish that has a lot of variations, would you expect any different from a dish that originated in San Francisco?

Cooking mussels is something that I had never done before making this dish but it's really easy now. Start by putting a small amount of water in a pot large enough to hold all of the mussels and keep it on low heat. After about 5 minutes the steam is going to allow the mussels to open. I only had to discard two because they didn't open, all the other ones opened and looked amazing. When you're done with this liquid strain it into a cup so you can use it later on. If the broth didn't make a cup you can add oyster juice to get it to a cup.

I cooked all of the shrimp and scallops the same way - in a small of amount of hot water because I had some bags of frozen, already cooked shrimp and scallops so they only needed to be defrosted. I checked them constantly to to make sure they weren't frozen so I could remove them from the heat as soon as possible. I knew that I'd be putting them in the hot soup later on so I didn't want them to over-cook. 
I ended up getting my seafood ready before I actually started making the Cioppino because I was in the middle of doing laundry. You could definitely get the shrimp and scallops ready early in the day and just store them in a zip lock bag in the fridge. I would wait to do the mussels though. I just think the longer they stay closed and cold, the better.

When you start the rest of the Cioppino then chop up your onion and saute it with some olive oil. When they start to get soft, add the chopped garlic and the chile pepper or cayenne. When I use a pepper then I leave them in halves so they're easier to take out after.... one of us doesn't always like the heat... If you're using cayenne then just add a little here because you'll be adding more later on.

When everything is cooked, add the canned tomato, the mussel broth, wine, and tomato paste. If you're using white wine I suggest more tomato paste (3 oz.) but less if using red. For this batch I used red, which is delicious but white wine will always have my heart (and therefore always be stocked in my fridge). This is also when you can taste it and see what it needs. I added the basil, parsley, salt and pepper. I also added some more cayenne because I wanted a little more kick. Let this cook for 20 minutes. Oh and don't forget that if you're adding pasta, you should cook it now too.

When the sauce has gotten thicker then add the seafood so that can heat up and absorb some of the flavor.

While everything is heating up cut a loaf of french or sourdough bread. I prefer sourdough but I'm a native Californian so it I just think it goes with everything. Any kind of "crusty" rustic bread will work - you just need it to soak up all of the awesome broth!

Once everything is warmed up and the noodles are done, you can either add the noodles to the pot or plate them first then use a ladle to spoon everything over the pasta. 

The Cioppino is a little spicy but full of seafood, tomatoes and a really rich broth that has the most amazing seafood taste. Mike loves this meal and was so happy when he came home from work and found it ready. And I don't blame him. This with a glass of wine deserves a big cheers! So CHEERS my fellow foodies! Enjoy!

January 16, 2012

Buffalo Wings and Spicy Seasoned Garlic Fries

Like most people know, the Superbowl is around the corner and even though I'm not a huge fan of football (unless it's the SF 49ers) I'm always a fan of an excuse for lots of food and drinks. Now don't get me wrong, this recipe can totally be made anytime of the year and I know you all will have no problem throwing down, I mean come on, THEY'RE BUFFALO WINGS!!! They're really great and spicy - just the way we like them. We use to go to this place in my hometown that had habanero wings that were completely delicious with a level of spiciness that could make you question your own sanity. These aren't even close to that but it's probably a good thing and the reason why we can make these more frequently. We also wanted garlic fries to go with our bar-food theme which ended up turning into seasoned spicy garlic fries. The recipe for those is at the bottom.

Buffalo Wings
What You'll Need:
1/2 C All purpose flour
1/4 tsp paprika 
1/4 tsp salt
10 chicken wings
oil for frying
1/4 C of butter
1/4 C hot sauce
garlic powder 
pepper 

Start by mixing the flour, paprika and salt. Toss the chicken in the flour mixture and let it sit the fridge for 60 to 90 minutes, or longer if you can wait that long. I read a lot of reviews online and they all said the same thing that I'm going to say - don't skip this step. It helps to make the wings more magical and I wouldn't want you to miss out on that.

When the wings come out they're ready for the 375 degree oil.

When the oil is ready shake off some of the flour from the wings to ensure you don't just burn it. Put a few wings in at a time and cook them for 10 to 15 minutes. Place them on a paper towel to absorb the extra oil.
 

Now it's time to get the sauce ready. And trust me, this is a glorious moment. There's a lot of flexibility with the sauce and the amount of spice that goes into it but one thing that should never be changed is Frank's RedHot Sauce! Just sayin'...

To get the sauce base down (that's what we'll call the simple sauce recipe that can be adjusted). Combine the butter, hot sauce, garlic, and pepper in a pot. After tasting it I added more hot sauce and a little paprika. Just a bit for some more spice.

When all of the wings are cooked and cooled I poured the sauce over them then tossed them around in a large bowl.

We also made some seasoned garlic fries because...well... we were hungry :)


 Garlic Seasoned Fries
The seasoned wings are super easy to make and are a really good addition. Besides they help keep with the theme of appetizer, easy-to-eat food that you could easily make for a game or just for fun.

What You'll Need:
8 cloves of garlic
6 Tbl of garlic olive oil
3 T cornstarch
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Start by cutting up a bunch of potatoes, pouring the olive oil on them and putting them in the microwave for 3 to 6 minutes.

 Combine the dry ingredients and toss with the microwaved potatoes.

Place them on an ungreased baking sheet and sprinkle the crushed garlic on them. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes at 225 degrees.

Delish right?

Serve them with the wings and a beer (or margarita if you're like me) and kick back. I promise you'll absolutely love these too!