Rao’s Seafood Salad

Ah yes, the big downfall for my DH.  This recipe was featured on Throwdown with Bobby Flay last night, when they were doing the typical Italian Christmas Eve "Feast of the 7 Fishes".  He's now ready to fly out to Vegas for dinner at Raos's.  I have to admit I won't have a problem sharing this with him. Vegas here we come!!

1 lb. Fresh small Squid (Calamari), with tentacles, cleaned
1 cup jumbo lump crab meat
8 large shrimp
1 lb. cooked fresh lobster meat
2 cups fresh lemon juice
4 tablespoons of salt
1 cup Rao’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
1 teaspoon chopped Italian parsley
6 lemon wedges
Salt and Pepper to taste


Separate squid bodies and tentacles, as they must be cooked in different water to keep the tentacles from coloring the rings. Place 1 quart cold water in a saucepan. Add squid bodies, 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice and 2 tablespoons salt. Place 1 quart cold water in a saucepan. Add squid tentacles, 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of salt. Bring both pots to a boil. Lower heat and cook until squid are very tender, about 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and refresh in cold water.


Drain the bodies, pat dry and cut into rings.


Under running water, gently rub, pushing the black specks and colored skin from the tentacles. Drain well and pat dry. Combine the rings and tentacles in a colander and drain. Refrigerate if not using immediately.

Peel, devein, and cover shrimp with water and bring to a boil in a small saucepan. Immediately remove from the heat, and refresh in cold, water. Cut into quarters.


Whisk together the oil, remaining lemon juice, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper to taste.


Add shrimp and squid to the oil mixture. Toss to coat. Add crabmeat and lobster and turn gently to coat. Remove and discard garlic cloves. Refrigerate until serving. Garnish with lemon wedges.

So What Now?

My DH (dear or damn?) who's idea it was in the first place (might I remind him) to become vegetarians is limiting my recipe options. He doesn't like mushrooms (pretty much a vegetarian staple), zucchini, squash of any kind, greens (Chard, Collard, etc), snow peas, sugar peas, cooked carrots, couscous (really? how can you not like couscous?), bulgar, and I can go on. And no it's not the recipes because they are quite good. I guess I should be happy that he likes eggplant and tomatoes.


And so, my DH has decided he wants to be a Pescatarian, but no shellfish (which is funny because we watched Throwdown with Bobby Flay last night and he was all about the Seafood Salad at Raos's Resturant which includes crab and lobster). We did agree that if fish was going to be added back to the menu then we would only do wild caught.


I do not miss any of it, fish poultry, pork, beef, buffalo. The only thing I've told my friends who have expressed an interest in becoming vegetarian, that I miss is the convenience. I have tons of recipes for chicken and right now it just takes more pre-planning. Oh well..

Tuscan Bread and Vegetable Soup

Ribollita ("re-boiled" in Italian) generally refers to leftover hearty vegetable soup with stale bread added during reheating. In our version of this classic Italian soup, we combine fennel, carrots, green beans and kale with hearty cannelini beans, chicken and sourdough bread for a robust and satisfying meal.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 fennel bulb, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 (28-ounce) can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes, with their liquid
8 boneless chicken thighs
1 dried bay leaf
5 cups low-sodium chicken broth, divided
1 sprig parsley
2 (15-ounce) cans cannelini beans, drained
Salt and pepper to taste
6 cups chopped kale or baby spinach
2 cups roughly chopped green beans
1 cup 1/2-inch cubes day-old sourdough or country bread
Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

In a 6-quart Dutch oven heat oil over medium high heat. Add onions and fennel and cook, stirring from time to time, until fragrant and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add carrots and cook for another 2 minutes, then add garlic and cook for 1 minute more, or until fragrant. Add tomatoes with their liquid and let cook for 10 minutes, stirring from time to time. Add chicken, bay leaf, 4 cups of the broth and parsley and increase heat to high. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and cook for another 20 minutes.

Put 1 can of beans and remaining 1 cup broth into a blender and purée. Uncover pot and season with salt and pepper, bearing in mind that there will be some Parmesan cheese added at the end, so salt should be used lightly. Add bean purée, remaining can of beans, and kale and stir. Cook for another 3 minutes, then add green beans. Cook for about 3 more minutes, then add bread and stir. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes more.

If the soup is deemed too thick, add a cup of water, bring back to a simmer, taste and reseason with salt and pepper. Serve soup ladled into bowls and topped with Parmesan cheese and an extra drizzling of olive oil, if you like.