Godfather Weekend Cont'd

Fet alf, originally uploaded by Kim De.

Now in my mind, this movie called for baked ziti or lasagna, but Bo loves his seafood, so...

Starting in the afternoon, I though we might need a snack. I decided on biscotti, something I have never made before. I didnt want a sweet snack, I thought something more savory was in order. After an extensive search, I found a recipe on Culinary in the Desert that I thought might fit the bill. It is called Pepperoni Biscotti. I followed the recipe to a T - almost. Instead of pepperoni, I used prisciutto di parma since I had some for our lunchtime pannini.

These biscotti are good - a nice snack. Not something I would want with my coffee, but they were fun. The mixture was crumbly as noted in the recipe, but it wasnt difficult to form the logs. These arent the crunchy cookies you may be used to - they are a bit softer - but very good.

Now on to the main event. Seafood Fettuccine. Wow. That is all. Wow. Yes, this could have been thicker, but it is a recipe from Cooking Light so half -n -half was used in place of heavy cream. I can deal with thinner if I can have my beloved alfredo sauce one to two times a year.

While the pasta is boiling, green onions and garlic are sauteed in butter before shrimp and sea scallops are added. The cream is poured in along with the crab, salt and pepper. When the mixture has thickened a bit, parmesan cheese is stirred in before everything is mixed with the hot pasta (I used penne).

Like I mentioned, the sauce was a bit thin, but the flavor was amazing and I didnt feel the guilt associated with a traditional alfredo. What did Bo think? Major thumbs up!

It was so good, I needed to show you the picture again!

Pepperoni Biscotti (Adapted from BH&G and Culinary in the Desert)

6 tablespoons butter, softened
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 1/2 ounces fresh grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 large egg
1 tablespoon milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup chopped pepperoni
1/4 cup finely chopped red sweet pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 350

In a large mixing bowl, add butter and beat on medium for 30 seconds. Add garlic, sugar, baking powder, Italian seasoning and 1 ounce (about 1/4 cup) Parmesan cheese. Mix until completely combined. Beat in egg and milk. Mix in as much flour as you can with the mixer, then use a wooden spoon to stir in remaining flour, pepperoni, red sweet pepper, onion, and parsley - it should be fairly dry.

Scoop the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead the dough a few times until it holds together. Divide the dough in half and shape each into a 9" x 1 1/2" roll. Scatter the counter with the remaining Parmesan cheese and roll each dough back and forth to coat them with the cheese. Place the dough on to a parchment lined baking sheet and flatten slightly.

Bake until the top feels firm to the touch, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove and let cool on the baking sheet for about 35-45 minutes.

If you turned the oven off, reheat it to 325 degrees. Cut each roll diagonally into generous 1/2" slices. Place the slices back onto the cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes - turn the biscotti over and continue to bake until they have started to crisp up, about another 10 to 12 minutes. Remove and place the biscotti on a wire rack to cool.


Seafood Fettuccine (Adapted from Cooking Light)

1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped green onions
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled
1 pound sea scallops
2 cups half-and-half
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 pound lump crabmeat, shell pieces removed
3/4 cup (3 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
8 cups hot cooked fettuccine (about 1 pound uncooked pasta)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Melt butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic; sauté 1 minute or until tender. Add shrimp and scallops; sauté 3 minutes or until done. Reduce heat to medium-low.

Add half-and-half, salt, pepper, and crabmeat; cook 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring constantly (do not boil). Gradually sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese over seafood mixture, stirring constantly; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Combine pasta and seafood mixture in a large bowl. Top each serving with 1 1/2 teaspoons cheese and 1 1/2 teaspoons parsley.