Shrimp with Pancetta and Cannellini Beans

The discovery that my local supermarket now carries pancetta already diced up sent me scouring my cooking files for recipes made with this tasty Italian bacon. Serve this one with plenty of crusty bread to sop up every bit of the delicious sauce.

SHRIMP with PANCETTA and CANNELLINI BEANS

4-5 Tbs. olive oil                                         6-8 fresh sage leaves, chopped
4 oz. chopped pancetta                              4-5 large garlic cloves, sliced
1-2 fat shallots, minced                              ½ cup dry white wine
1 lb. raw shrimp, peeled and deveined       2 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley
1 15-oz. can cannellini beans,                     Fresh ground pepper
     rinsed well and drained

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1. Heat 2 Tbs. of oil in a large skillet over low heat. Sauté pancetta slowly until fat is rendered and meat starts to brown. Raise heat to medium, add shallots, and sauté until golden, about five minutes. Fold sage and beans into bacon mixture and set aside until ready to serve.

2. Reheat beans over low heat. Heat garlic in remaining oil in large skillet over medium heat until garlic colors. Remove garlic and discard. Add shrimp to oil and sauté for 1 minute. Add wine, parsley, and a grind or two of pepper (salt if desired, keeping in mind that pancetta is fairly salty). Cook until shrimp are done, another 2-3 minutes.

3. Toss hot beans and shrimp together. Add more liquid if necessary. Serve at once with crusty bread and a salad, if desired. Serves 2-4 depending on side dishes. Don't be looking for leftovers!

White Clam Pizza

Contributed by Dawn Marie Hamilton

When the weather cools, Friday is pizza night.

We like thin crust pizza at our house. You can start with a ready-made pizza crust or make the crust from scratch. I've been experimenting, trying to make a crust containing whole wheat that isn't heavy. I think I've finally come up with a recipe I like, using whole wheat pastry flour and unbleached white flour.

The recipe makes enough for two 15-inch crusts. I use one crust on Friday with one topping and keep the second in the refrigerator for Sunday night with a different topping.

Ingredients for two 15-inch pizza crusts:

1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (100°F-110°F) (or more if necessary)
2 cups unbleached white flour
1¼ cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt

Ingredients for topping for one 15-inch pizza pie:

2 tablespoons olive oil
6-8 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup coarsely minced fresh basil
1 6.5-ounce can chopped clams, drained
1 6.5-ounce can minced clams, drained
1 cup ricotta cheese
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
ground black pepper

Preparing the crust:

1. Combine flours, yeast, and salt in a mixing bowl. (I use a food processor with a dough blade.)

2. In a large measuring cup, combine water, honey, and olive oil. Pour into flour mixture and stir or whirl until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and forms a ball. (Add a wee bit more water if too dry.)

3. Remove dough from mixing bowl and lay on floured surface. Flour hands and knead dough with the heel of your hands until no longer sticky, adding additional flour as needed. (About five minutes.)

4. Place in large, oiled bowl and flip to coat. Cover and place out of drafts. Let rise for one to two hours, until doubled in size.

5. Remove dough from bowl and divide into half. Shape one half into a disc and place on a seasoned 15-inch pizza stone or well-greased baking pan and roll out dough with a floured roller to within 1/2 inch of edge.

I've found it helpful to prepare the dough the evening before and store in a cake pan with a plate on top in the refrigerator until needed.

Hint: Sprinkle surface of baking stone with cornmeal to help prevent crust from sticking.

Preparing the topping:

1. Mix oil with minced garlic in a small bowl and spread evenly over prepared crust. Sprinkle minced basil over garlic. Evenly spread chopped clams then minced clams over top. Sprinkle with black pepper to taste.

2. Drop teaspoonfuls of ricotta over top. Complete with shredded mozzarella cheese.

3. Bake in a 400 degree preheated oven for about 15-18 minutes until slightly brown on top.

Trofie with Spinach, Garlic, and Shrimp

Trofie

Our writers' group revisited an old favorite tonight, a wonderful Italian casserole dish for seafood and pasta lovers. Vegetarians can omit the shrimp. Vegans can omit both shrimp and cheese, or serve Veggie cheese on the side. All variations are scrumptious.

Trofie, a thin, squiggly Ligurian pasta with tapered ends, is traditionally served with pesto sauce. It's perfect in this dish, as the spinach would become entangled in longer pastas like linguine. Don't let all the steps discourage you. This one is delicious!

TROFIE WITH SPINACH, GARLIC, and SHRIMP

Bread Crumb Topping
8 Tbs. fresh bread crumbs                     3 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley
3-4 garlic cloves                                      2 tsps. olive oil
3 tsps. grated Parmesan Reggiano        Salt and pepper

Pasta
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil                 ¾ lb. trofie or other small pasta
6 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced           1 cup reserved pasta cooking water
A pinch of dried red pepper flakes        ¼ cup grated Parmesan Reggiano
10 oz. fresh spinach,                               1 lb. raw jumbo shrimp
        stemmed and chopped *                2-3 Tbs. dry white wine

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1. Make fresh breadcrumbs by dropping fresh or day old bread in the food processor with garlic cloves. Combine topping ingredients in small bowl and reserve.

2. In a large pasta pot, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil and add salt. Preheat the broiler.

3. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and garlic over a low flame. Slowly cook the garlic slivers until they turn a light golden brown. Remove garlic slivers with a slotted spoon and discard.

4. Add red pepper flakes to the oil. Cook 30 seconds. Toss spinach in the oil. Add wine and cook until limp, turning often with tongs or a kitchen fork. Remove pan from  heat and reserve until pasta is done.

5. Plunge the pasta into the boiling water and cook until al dente. Just before draining the pasta, ladle 1 cup of cooking water into the spinach and oil and place the pan over moderate heat. Drain pasta and add to the pan with the spinach and oil. Sprinkle the cheese directly onto the pasta and toss well. Transfer pasta to an ovenproof serving platter and sprinkle with the breadcrumb mix. Broil until the crumbs are golden brown and serve immediately.
 
* Frozen chopped spinach, thawed before adding, works well. Decrease cooking time.
 
** To add shrimp, shell, clean, and sauté it with the spinach, but not too long, as it will continue to cook when the pasta is added, and again in the broiler.

Serve with crusty bread, salad, and white wine. Serves 4-6.

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Slow Cooker Rosemary Chicken

Contributed by Dawn Marie Hamilton

This summer was hot in Southern Maryland. I didn't cook much. Now that the weather has cooled, I'm back in the kitchen.

There are many great techniques for preparing roast chicken. As an aspiring author with a busy schedule, I appreciate the convenience of a slow cooker. A 6-7 quart size slow cooker is required for this recipe.

I usually slow cook the chicken early in the week so we have leftovers for several days, and I have time to write instead of preparing meals. On the first night, I like to serve the chicken with Garlic Green Beans and Shitake Mushrooms.

Ingredients:

1 6-7 pound roaster chicken
1/2 lemon
6 cloves garlic, cut in halves
4 sprigs rosemary, plus 2 teaspoons fresh minced rosemary
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1. Remove giblets and neck from cavity of chicken.

2. Place garlic, rosemary sprigs and lemon in chicken cavity.

3. Blend minced rosemary, sea salt and black pepper. Rub on outside of chicken.

4. Place chicken in crock, cover and cook according to manufacturer's recommendation. Internal temperature should measure at least 165°F (74°C).

For my slow cooker: HIGH for 4 hours. LOW for 8 hours. My old cooker had an auto-shift option. Since I like to start the cooker around noon, I simulate the auto-shift by cooking on high for 1 hour then switching to low for 5 hours.

Garlic Green Beans and Shitake Mushrooms

Contributed by Dawn Marie Hamilton

Store bought produce just isn't as tasty as fresh-picked veggies. My dad used to grow a variety of string bean (green bean) known as Kentucky Wonder. I remember sitting on the patio in a webbed chair on a hot summer evening, helping my mom snip the ends and remove the strings from the beans before she'd cook them for dinner. They both have passed, but I think of my parents every time I cook green beans.

Most green beans purchased from the local grocery store no longer have strings—all you need do is wash and snip the ends.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound green beans, washed and ends snipped
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 ounces shitake mushrooms, sliced
pepper
¼ cup sliced almonds

1. Pour olive oil into a large sauté pan. When hot add beans and whirl in oil to coat. Cover and cook on med-low for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Add garlic and mushrooms and cook until beans are al dente and mushrooms are softened. Sprinkle with pepper to taste. Stir in almonds and cook uncovered for 5 more minutes.

Makes 4 side-dish servings.

Serve with chicken, steak or lamb. Try Slow Cooker Rosemary Chicken.

Enjoy!

Shrimp Scampi with Rice and Spinach

Contributed by Dawn Marie Hamilton

Gardening is one of my many hobbies. The other day I was at the garden center, ogling this plant and that, when I found the cinnamon basil plant pictured above. Of course, I had to have it. I took the herb home, snipped off a few of the spicy-sweet leaves and used them in a romantic shrimp scampi dinner for two.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup brown rice
2 cups spinach, chopped
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons olive oil
8 cloves garlic, minced
½ pound shrimp
6 leaves basil, minced
¼ teaspoon dried mustard
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
black pepper

1. Add rice to two cups boiling water, cook on medium heat (low boil) with no lid for 30 minutes. Stir in spinach, cover with lid, remove from heat and set aside.

2. Melt butter in sauté pan. Add olive oil and garlic and stir over low-medium heat to flavor oil. Raise heat to medium, add shrimp, basil, mustard and lemon juice, and stir often until shrimp is opaque and cooked through.

3. Drain rice in colander. Split rice and spinach between two bowls. Pour scampi over top of rice mixture and sprinkle with pepper to taste.

Serve with white wine. Enjoy!

Chicken and Baby Portobello Pizza

Contributed by Dawn Marie Hamilton

It's Friday pizza night, and chicken and baby portobello mushrooms are two of my favorite ingredients. Add those to garlic, basil, and mozzarella and you have the makings of a great pizza.

I cheat on the crust by starting with a prepared mix. I use 'Pizza Crust & Roll Mix' offered by The Pampered Chef. Other brands are available at the local grocer.

Ingredients for one 15-inch pizza:

pizza crust mix or pre-prepared crust
2 tablespoon olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup coarsely minced fresh basil
3 cooked chicken thighs, meat cut from the bone into small pieces
4 ounces baby Portobello mushrooms, diced
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
Crushed red pepper

Preparing the crust:

Follow directions for whatever pizza crust mix you choose. I like a thin crust, so I divide the dough from one pouch in half and use a 15-inch pizza stone. I've found it helpful to prepare the dough the evening before and store it in the refrigerator in a cake pan with a plate on top until I'm ready to use.

1. Place dough ball on a seasoned pizza stone or well-greased baking pan and roll out dough with a floured roller to within 1/2 inch of edge.

Hint: Sprinkle surface of baking stone with cornmeal to help prevent crust from sticking.

Preparing the topping:

1. Mix oil with minced garlic in a small bowl and spread evenly over prepared crust. Sprinkle minced basil evenly over garlic spread. Spread chicken pieces and diced mushrooms evenly over top. Complete with shredded mozzarella cheese.

2. Bake in a 425 degree preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes.

3. Sprinkle crushed red pepper over top to taste.

Hint: When baking two pies, switch position in oven halfway through cooking time.

Chicken and Spinach Enchiladas

Contributed by Dawn Marie Hamilton

I have a 'thing' for kitchen gadgets and equipment. Two food processors sit on my kitchen counter, a large one and a mini-prep. I call them 'Big Moe' and 'Little Moe'. For this recipe, I use Big Moe to shred the cheese and Little Moe to mince the garlic. I just love my power toys.

I usually make this dish with leftover chicken after I've either baked or broiled or barbequed a large family-pack of thighs. I use a stoneware baking-dish, but any baking-dish will do. This recipe is spicy and rich and delicious. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onions
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
4 cooked chicken thighs, meat cut from the bone into small pieces
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 box (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 package (8 ounces) Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeno peppers,
shredded (split into 2/3 and 1/3)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili pepper powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 can (10 ounces) hot enchilada sauce
8 10-inch whole-wheat tortillas

1. Pour oil into a frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot add onion and jalapeno. Stir frequently until onion is limp.

2. In a large bowl, mix onion mixture with chicken, garlic, spinach, 2/3 cheese, mayonnaise, Worcestershire, chili powder, chipotle chili pepper, and black pepper.

3. Pour just enough enchilada sauce into a 9 by 13 inch baking dish to cover bottom. Place a rounded 1/2 cup of chicken mixture onto a tortilla, roll, and place in pan. Repeat with remaining tortillas, arranging in a single layer over the sauce. Top evenly with remaining enchilada sauce and sprinkle remaining 1/3 cheese over top

4. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes. Cheese should be brown and bubbling. Let cool for 5 minutes and serve.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream. Makes eight enchiladas.