Yesterday was Sandy's and my 41st wedding anniversary. We decided to head out east to wine country and enjoy a beautiful sunny 67 degree day.
First stop, Briermere Farm for PIE! Second stop...our favorite vineyard, Pugliese Vineyards, to pick up some of our favorite wines. While we were there, the always affable and hostess with the mostess, Mrs. Pugliese, offered us some cheese and wine as an anniversary gift.
Mrs. Pugleise
Since I had to drive, we decided to graciously accept the cheese platter and taste just a couple of the wines offered to us. We chose a wine you can count on being consistently wonderful on Long Island...ie... the Bordeaux style red blend known as Meritage. Another is the Pugliese selection of of sparkling white and rose'. Thank you Mrs. P!
Cheese and Cracker Platter was YUM!
Sandy & Bert
Next...Jeni's for a quick bite o lunch. Who knew election day was National Cappuccino Day?
We stopped off at an antique shop or two, a couple of farms for some fruits and veggies..and then onto Marissa' Drago's Main Road Biscuit Co. for biscuits. Only open for two weeks, they are already famous for their desserts and local farm to table fare for breakfast and lunch in Jamesport on the beautiful at this time of year north fork. BTW...NOFO = North Fork
A Main Road Biscuit
Apple Surprise
We barely made it and as the clock struck 3 PM the door sign came up saying closed. Marissa, however, was gracious enough to put together for us a box to go with a couple of her famous biscuits with honey butter and an apple dessert which was fabulous. We'll actually have to find out what is was that we enjoyed next time we get out to the NOFO!
On our way back home, wanted to make a a quick stop to see the famous Joanne Zilnicki of NOFO Zilnicki Farms fame.
Guess what?
She was closed. We weren't sure when we would see her again since they close Thanksgiving, so we knocked on her door to say Hi and Bye.
When she found out it was our anniversary, she went out back and presented Sandy with a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Awwwww!
Thank you Joanne! See you again soon.
By this time at this time of year, the sun sets early and Sandy wanted to see the famous NOFO sunset. So off we went to the beach. Check this out!
Sunset in Baiting Hollow
Ok...the sun has set and now off to vote back home in in East Norwich!
Voting Day for the next President of the USA
Ok...so now what's for dinner on this fine Happy Anniversary Day? I had bought some shrimp to make a shrimp cocktail and cocktail sauce made with some of NOFO's 'famous' Schmitt's horseradish...but Sandy had a better idea. "Lets have shrimp scampi"!
Okay!
Which leads me to my new recipe (with Patsy's NYC as my inspiration) for
Shrimp and Clams Scampi
Back in the late 1950's, my grandparents and parents used to eat at relatively new Patsy's restaurant in Manhattan. What I remember most was their tomato/marinara sauce on one pasta or another. To this day I believe that a tomato/marinara sauce is the base flavor of sooo many dishes in an Italian restaurant. IF that red sauce is good, the restaurant, for the most part, will be successful...plain and simple!
One of the dishes that stuck in my head was Patsy's shrimp scampi and it wasn't for many years a recipe I thought about duplicating. When I started going to the food shows some 15 years ago, I befriended Sal Scognamillo, the Patsy's chef and grandson of the original Patsy. I think it was at one of the trade shows where they had a booth introducing their Patsy's sauces in jars that I bought their cookbook and decided to master the shrimp scampi recipe I'd always enjoyed the most.
Patsy's Cookbook
I found, however, that 6 cloves of minced garlic was overpowering the flavors I wanted to bring out, namely the sweet and sour flavors of the shrimp and the lemon. A couple of other adjustments as I mentioned above and Bam!
With Pugleise Rose'
One ingredient to make this dish, and sooo many others, that I won't mess around with are the Patsy's "Seasoned Bread Crumbs" Just fantastic!
Sandy and I were visiting our friend Helen last week and when she scoops out her bread or even bagels, she toasts them and puts the scooped out pieces in a jar to use as bread crumbs. Can't wait to try that.
PATSY'S SEASONED BREADCRUMB RECIPE
1/2 small loaf day-old Italian bread (about 1/2 pound), cut into large pieces
- 3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- Pinch of freshly chopped oregano preferred (I use dried oregano)
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Place bread in the bowl of a food processor; process until fine crumbs are formed. Transfer crumbs to a large bowl along with cheese, parsley, oregano, and garlic; stir to combine. Gradually stir in olive oil until well combined. Season with salt and pepper. Store, refrigerated, in an airtight container, up to 5 days
Getting back to the recipe...
In a restaurant, there is always fresh clam sauce. At home, the store bought bottle of clam juice was what I always used...UNTIL last night!
I was passing by the seafood section, saw a tray of little neck clams and into my head popped an idea. Just use the same amount of fresh clam juice from real live clams and add the clams to the shrimp scampi? Brilliant!
So I bought 10 clams for 4.00 (the clam juice was 4.00) and Bam! Again!
Here is simple service for two:
8 MAIN INGREDIENTS
-4-5 ounces dried pasta like thin spaghetti or linguine prepared al dente (reserve 2-3 Tbsp starched water the pasta cooked in)
-1 lb. fresh from the sea (not farmed) jumbo shrimp (peeled and deveined/tail on
- 1/2 stick of sweet unsalted butter
-2 medium cloves fresh garlic (thickly sliced)
-2 heaping Tbsp seasoned bread crumbs/ I have used seasoned (Patsy's way) panko bread crumbs
-Juice from 1.5 fresh (preferably thin skinned) lemons
-10 fresh little neck clams scrubbed clean
-1 tsp Worcestershire
2 Tbsp EVOO
-1/2 tsp sweet paprika
-Kosher salt and fresh black or white mill pepper to taste
TECHNIQUE
-Preheat the oven to broil
-Cook pasta and drain reserving 2-3 Tbsp. starched pasta water. Keep pasta and starched water in the pot
-Cook pasta and drain reserving 2-3 Tbsp. starched pasta water. Keep pasta and starched water in the pot
-On the stove, use a 12" oven safe fryer and melt butter over medium-low heat.
-Add sliced garlic and saute 2-3 minutes until garlic is a light gold color.
-Add shrimp. Cook, turn and coat the shrimp with the garlic butter for about 1 minute.
-Add the lemon juice, Worcestershire and clams...COVER and cook for another 2 minutes or until you peek under the cover and see clams open slightly.
-Uncover...sprinkle with paprika and place fryer in the oven...and broil for 3-4 minutes until you see the clams open at least half way and the shrimp are golden.
-Remove the fryer...shake the contents and then top with bread crumbs and drizzle with EVOO. Broil until you see the bread crumbs lightly browned (1.5-2 minutes).
-Remove from the oven and with a large spoon place 2-3 Tbsp of the juices from the fryer into the pasta, add salt and pepper, mix over high heat for 30 seconds and plate. Slide shrimp and clams out of the fryer and on to the top of the plate of pasta.
Ahhhhh!
Mangia Baby!
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