Recipe bombs happen to the best of us I guess.  I try not to let it bother me.  But as violent sobbing isn’t really my best look, I’ll just be on my way.  I’m going outside to do my holiday pots in the way Margaret taught me.  I hope I have better luck on my front stoop than I did this morning in my kitchen! ;-)

ANGEL HAIR PASTA WITH CRAB AND PROSCIUTTO
Serves: 4
Source:  foodandwine.com

1 T. olive oil
2 thin slices of prosciutto, cut into thin strips (I used domestic)
3 T. butter, divided
½ c. sliced shallots
1 small clove garlic, minced
¾ c. dry white wine
½ lb. lump crab meat, thawed (Boston Pride Frozen Lump Crabmeat)
½ t. dried thyme, crumbled
½ lb. angel hair pasta (Barilla Brand or DaVinci Brand)
Salt and pepper to taste
Chopped fresh Italian parsley for garnish

Heat olive oil in a large, deep skillet over moderate heat.  Add prosciutto and sauté for a minute or two or until beginning to crisp.  Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.  Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the pan and swirl to melt.  Add sliced shallot and garlic and sauté until beginning to soften, about three minutes.  Add the wine to the pan and boil until nearly all of the liquid has evaporated, about five minutes.  Add in the crab meat and the thyme, and toss to heat through.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to the package directions.  Drain pasta, reserving 2/3 cup of cooking water.  Add prosciutto, pasta, remaining butter, and reserved cooking water to the pan with the crab mixture.  Toss to combine.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Divide pasta between four shallow bowls, garnish with chopped parsley, and serve.

I grew up in Minnesota and never had grits until I landed at Winthrop in 1987.  The college cafeteria is really a lousy place to try grits for the first time, even if said college happens to be in South Carolina, because plain cafeteria grits have the look, taste, and texture of wallpaper paste: bland and boring.  My opinion changed when I went home with a friend from Atlanta for a weekend, and her momma fixed ‘em up right:  she stirred in half a stick of butter, and handfuls of crispy bacon bits and shredded cheese.  With a side of scrambled eggs, are you kidding me?!  That weekend in Atlanta introduced me to my favorite breakfast of all time.

It really was no small wonder my button fly GUESS jeans didn’t fit long into sophomore year.

I still love grits for breakfast, of course.  But shrimp and grits are also about the most delicious thing you’ll ever eat.  I have two recipes that I love – one comes from a restaurant called The Boathouse on the Isle of Palms.  It’s to die for, but I only bring it out on special occasions.  Like when I’m entertaining in the dead of winter and everyone’s wearing big sweaters and it feels perfectly acceptable to serve a sauce whose main ingredient is two cups of whipping cream.  Remind me in January, I’ll make it for you.

In the interest of swimsuit season and keeping things quick and easy for summer, I make today’s recipe when I need a fix.  It comes from Cooking Light and I’ve been making it since I first saw the recipe in 2010.  I’m not sure why I’ve never brought it out before now.

Maybe I had to make sure you really liked me before I hit you with a recipe for grits.

SPICY SHRIMP & GRITS
Serves 4
Source:  cookinglight.com

3 c. 1% milk
1 c. water
1 T. butter
1/2 t. salt, divided
1/4 t. black pepper, divided
1 c. uncooked quick-cooking grits**
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
4 slices applewood-smoked bacon
1 lb. peeled, deveined large raw shrimp (these are on sale this week, 7/6/11 – 7/12/11)
1 c. thinly vertically sliced white onion
2 c. grape tomatoes, halved (on sale this week, 7/6/11 – 7/12/11)
1 t. Tabasco sauce
1/8 t. cayenne pepper
1/4 c. scallion strips for garnish

Combine milk, water, butter, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper in a saucepan over medium high heat.  Bring to a simmer; gradually add grits, stirring constantly with a whisk.  Reduce heat to medium, cook 4 minutes or until thick, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat; stir in cheese.

While grits cook, cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp.  Remove bacon from pan, discarding all but 2 teaspoons of drippings; crumble bacon.  Add shrimp to remaining 2 teaspoons of drippings in pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until done.  Remove shrimp to a plate.  Add white onion to pan; saute 1 minute.  Stir in bacon, tomatoes, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/8 teaspoon black pepper; saute 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add shrimp, Tabasco, and cayenne; cook 1 minute or until shrimp are heated through.  Serve over grits; garnish with scallion strips.

** You’ll find them in the cereal aisle, right next to the oatmeal on the bottom shelf. 

Other than my brief time spent as a waitress at Red Lobster back in the late 80′s (it’s true), I have had very little experience with crab legs.  Truthfully, the home cook in me has always been a little intimidated by cooking larger shellfish of any sort, so when I was asked to chat about snow crab here today, I nearly collapsed in a blubbering heap.  The last thing I wanted to do was flunk Crab Legs 101.  So I gathered my courage, pulled myself together, and got to work.

A little r & d was all I needed, and I found that from boiling, to baking, to steaming, there are many, MANY methods of cooking snow crab legs.  After reading countless recipes and many differing opinions, I decided to apply the KISS principle.  I settled on an uncomplicated steaming process and I’m happy to tell you, it worked like a charm.  The crab doesn’t really need much in the way of effort to taste delicious;  a quick, no-frills steam allows its natural sweetness to shine.  Lemony butter on the side adds a tangy, rich touch.

You won’t believe how easy it is to make this gourmet treat at home.  But feel free to let Dad believe you worked your tail off all afternoon. 

Note:  The snow crab legs you’ll find at the Store are already fully cooked.  You’re really just heating them through, so don’t let them steam too long or you’ll end up over-cooking them.
STEAMED CRAB LEGS
Serves:  2, can easily be multiplied

2 clusters of frozen snow crab legs, rinsed to remove any bits of ice (on sale)
1 lemon, sliced
Italian parsley, small handful
Several garlic cloves, smashed
Kosher salt

4 T. butter
1 clove garlic, pressed
Fresh lemon juice to taste

Additional lemon wedges for serving

Helpful to have on hand:
crab crackers and small seafood forks or picks
plenty of napkins and wet-wipes
finger bowls of lemon water (if you’re feeling extra fancy)
a basket to collect shells

You’ll need a pan large enough to hold the crab in one layer (I used my roaster).  Add enough water to come approximately 2 cm. up the sides of the pan.  Add lemon slices, Italian parsley, garlic cloves, and a hefty pinch of kosher salt to the pan and bring to a simmer over medium high heat; continue to simmer several minutes to dissolve salt and blend flavors.  Add the snow crab clusters and cover pan tightly (I used a large piece of foil).  Steam crab until heated through, about 7 minutes  (adjust time accordingly if you’re working with more crab).

While crab is steaming, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Add pressed garlic and saute lightly; swirl in fresh lemon juice to taste.  Pour butter mixture through a fine mesh strainer and into a small bowl.

Transfer crab legs to a serving platter and serve immediately, along with the melted butter mixture and additional lemon wedges.

After a week-long hiatus, I’ve resumed my roll as the official DamFam taxi driver, laundress, short order cook, maid, and  referee, and my ‘to-do’ list is spiraling out of control. I have about 8 loads of laundry piled up in the hall upstairs, which must be dealt with, because while Camp Minikani is a wonderful place to visit, the scent that lingers is, well…not so pleasant.

Seriously, laundry from camp reeks — I would even place it in the same smelly category as my brother’s old goalie bag.  P.U!!!

When I’m going to find time to wash, dry, and fold this laundry remains to be seen.  We’re on our way to a 5-hour swim meet this afternoon, and then of course, I’ve got my daughter’s 9^th birthday party to plan.

Oh, when is her birthday?  How nice of you to ask.   Uhm, it’s tomorrow.   (Yeah, tomorrow.  That’s how I roll).   Bad Mom, reporting for last minute birthday planning duty, that’s me.

Anyway, in the midst of all this craziness, dinner still found it’s way to the table.  All three of my DamKids were off doing their own thing, so I whipped up these crunchy little Shrimp & Sweet Corn Cakes with Basil-Jalapeno Tartar Sauce for the Husband and myself.

Oh. My. Gravy.  We LOVED these!

I  used the Censea Cleaned Jumbo Shrimp that are on sale, $12.99 for a two pound bag.  Although it says “JUMBO” on the bag, I have to tell you, I think that’s a little misleading to the average shopper.  These shrimp are 26/30 count, which (in case you didn’t already know this) means that there are between 26 and 30 shrimp in each pound.  This also means the shrimp are, well, a little shrimpy.   These are not the shrimp I like to throw on the grill or serve in a shrimp cocktail (that’s just me); I prefer much larger shrimp for those types of preparations.

I like to use these shrimp for recipes such as this one, where their size doesn’t really matter, because they’re chopped up pretty finely in a food processor.

With the help of your Cuisinart, this recipe comes together quite quickly.  You’ll just need to set aside an hour or so for them to chill in the fridge before they’re quickly sautéed.  As I mentioned, I did serve these Shrimp Cakes for dinner, but they could easily be formed into teeny little cakes and served as an hors’ doeuvre.  ENJOY!  Now if you’ll pardon me, I’m off to sort more laundry.

SHRIMP & SWEET CORN CAKES WITH BASIL-JALAPENO TARTAR SAUCE

Makes 4 Servings (or 8 appetizer servings)

Adapted from The Dean Bros. Cookbook, Recipes from the Road, by Jamie and Bobby Dean and Melissa Clark, p. 206 (a really fun cookbook that I highly recommend!)

CAKES:

• 3 scallions, rough chopped
• 1 smallish clove garlic, rough chopped
• 1 lb. raw shrimp, tails removed
• ½ c. fresh corn off the cob (*see note)
• 1 egg
• 2 T. mayonnaise
• 1 T. Dijon mustard
• 1 hefty pinch of chopped cilantro or Italian parsley
• 2 c. Panko breadcrumbs, divided (find these in the Asian aisle on the bottom shelf)
• Salt and ground pepper
• Neutral cooking oil for sautéing

BASIL-JALAPENO TARTAR SAUCE

• ½ c. mayonnaise
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and rough chopped (please, wear gloves!)
• 1 smallish clove of garlic, minced
• 5-10 basil leaves, rough chopped
• 2 t. capers, drained
• Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
• Salt and ground pepper

Place the first eight shrimp cake ingredients into the bowl of your food processor.  Pulse enough times to coarsely chop the shrimp, but not to the point of turning them to total mush.  Add one cup of panko, and pulse to blend.  Season with salt and pepper and pulse a couple more times.

Form the shrimp mixture into individual cakes (I got 8 cakes out of this).  Place the remaining cup of panko into a shallow bowl.  Dredge each shrimp cake in the panko, and place cakes on a plate.  Refrigerate the cakes for one hour.

Meanwhile, make the Tartar Sauce:

Place all tartar sauce ingredients into the bowl of your food processor (which you’ve cleaned out, of course – or avoid handwashing it altogether and use a mini-prep).  Pulse to combine to desired consistency –  I like mine pretty smooth.   Transfer to serving dish and chill until serving time.

Place a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add enough oil to evenly coat the bottom of the pan (1-2 T.).  When oil is hot (a crumb or two of panko will immediately sizzle when dropped in the oil), add the shrimp cakes (don’t crowd your pan; this took me two batches).  Brown 3 minutes on the first side (or until they reach a pretty golden color), flip; brown about 2 minutes on the second side.  Remove to a plate lined with paper towels, drain.  Transfer to a pretty platter, serve with the Basil Jalapeno Tartar Sauce.

**NOTE: Cutting corn off the cob can be a messy job.  You can avoid having it fly willy-nilly all over your kitchen by doing this simple trick:  get out a medium sized glass mixing bowl.  Place a smaller bowl upside down in the mixing bowl (I use a little cereal bowl).  Cut the bottom off of the corn cob to make it flat.  Stand it on top of the upside down bowl, and slice the kernels off of the cob.  They should all land in the mixing bowl.  Nifty, right?!

No need to thank me, I live for this stuff.