Squid Stuffed With Shrimp

I love squid whether is fried, sauteed, baked,...you get the idea and I love trying new dishes.  So I put those two together and found a great dish to make.  I got The Silver Spoon Italian cook book for Christmas from my wonderful girlfriend and have been using it quite often.  Maybe she was getting bored with my meals and thought I needed some inspiration...haha (totally kidding)  With 1200 pages and over 2000 recipes I won't run out of meals to cook anytime soon.  So this is where I adapted the recipe from and add some changes to it.  

Squid Stuffed With Shrimp
3 large squid cleaned
300g/11oz cooked shrimp peeled and chopped
1 medium sized potato chopped (peeled if you like, I kept the skin on mine)
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 egg yolks lightly beaten
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp bread crumbs
1/4 cup of double cream
1 cup of passata
2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped (separated)
1 tsp dried basil
S+P

Boil the potato until fork tender, drain and mash with fork or potato masher.  Cook the squid tentacles in salted boiling water for 3 minutes, drain and chop.  Mix together the mashed potato, tentacles, shrimp egg yolks, 1 tbsp parsley, and bread crumbs in a bowl and season with a little S+P.
Spoon the mixture into the body sacs of the squid, making sure not to overfill them, and close with toothpicks (I didn't have any and it started to squirt out but no big deal).

Heat EVOO in a large frying pan, add garlic and cook for a couple minutes until browned, then remove.  Add the squid to the pan and cook over low heat for about 25-30 minutes.  Stir the cream into the passata, add the remaining parsley and basil and pour over the squid heating through.  Taste and add seasoning if needed.

I served mine over whole wheat pene.  Buon Appetito! 

Shrimp Fajita Wrap

I was in the mood for something nice and healthy for lunch.  I bought some frozen tiger prawns (shrimp) recently and decided to make some fajitas with them.  I used to buy Old El Paso fajita mix but after looking at the ingredients I knew it would be easy to replicate.  Plus it's going to be healthier because I know all of the spices that are going in and homemade always tastes better.  Here in the UK the ingredients aren't as bad as in the US.  We don't have any of these in the mixes - Maltodextrin, Hydrolyzed Corn and Soy Protein, Silicon Dioxide (Anticaking Agent), Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Sulfiting Agents, Ethoxyquin (Preservatives).  What is all this crap?  Talk about poising your body.  This is why I make the spice mixes for fajitas or tacos from scratch now.

Shrimp Fajitas
About 20 tiger prawns (shrimp)
4 tortillas

For the fajita mix-
3 tsp chilli powder (I use mild, but you could use hot)
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp sugar

For the guacamole -
1 ripe avocado
1 shallot diced
1 clove of garlic finely chopped
1 red chilli chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh lime juice
cracked pepper to taste





Place the frozen shrimp in warm water to thaw, then put them on a paper towel to dry.  Place all of the spices in a bowl and combine.  Once the shrimp have dried, put them in a bowl and sprinkle over the fajita spice mix.  Give a good toss making sure each of the shrimp is coated with the spice mixture. 

Next it's time to assemble the guacamole.   Cut and peel the avocado and place into a bowl.  If you don't know how to do that then this is a good explanation.  Mash the avocado with a fork and then add the shallot, garlic, red chilli, lime juice, S+P and give a good mix.  Taste and add more salt or pepper to your liking. 

In a pan heat a couple tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.  Toss in the shrimp and cook until they turn white and aren't clear anymore.  The tails also curl up.

To serve -
guacamole

1 ripe avocado sliced 
1 tomato sliced
1/4 red cabbage shredded
bunch of coriander (cilantro) roughly chopped

There you have it - a nice, tasty, and refreshing yet satisfying lunch or dinner.
ENJOY!!

Cacio e Pepe

I love cooking and eating Italian food.  Maybe it's because I have roots from there, but mostly because the food is so darn good!  Food to Italians is very important from preparing it with the freshest of ingredients to sitting down at the table and enjoying what was cooked.  They like to take their time and savor the food, there is no rush to go and do something else.  Also while sitting down over dinner they get the chance to talk, share stories, and bond with each other.  And as you know Italians LOVE to talk!!
I discovered this website a while back and have made a few recipes from it.  It has also given me some inspiration as well!  So while lounging around on New Years Day I wanted to make something simple but tasty - Cacio e Pepe (cheese and pepper) was it.  This is one Roman dish I will make again which was fairly quick as well.  I didn't have any Cacio de Roma so I substituted Parmesan instead.  You could also just use Pecorino Romano if that's all you had.  I also added some shrimp to mine.

1 Pound Spaghetti 

4 tbsp Extra-virgin Olive Oil

2 tsp Freshly Cracked Black Pepper

1 Cup Grated Pecorino Romano Cheese

3⁄4 Cup Grated Parmesan

10-12 Shrimp

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, and cook until al dente. While the pasta is cooking, heat oil in a skillet over medium heat until hot. Add the pepper and cook until fragrant, 1–2 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of pasta water. Add 3⁄4 cup pasta water into skillet with the oil, and then bring to a boil.  Be careful that the pan is not too hot because it will spray out when mixed with the oil (this happened to me).  Using tongs, transfer pasta to the skillet. Sprinkle 3⁄4 cup of the Pecorino Romano and Parmesan over the pasta. Toss the pasta with the cheese and oil mixture to combine until sauce is creamy and clings to the pasta without clumping, adding some additional pasta water if necessary.  Serve hot and sprinkle over the remaining pecorino cheese adding some fresh cracked pepper if desired.
Cheap, simple and delicious!