Cooking Frutti Di Mare with the whole family
4 Dec
During Thanksgiving weekend, I had the pleasure of cooking a meal for our extended family of 13 people. The thought was overwhelming at first, but I had a lot of help, which made the entire process go by quickly. It ended up being a fun group project!
At the kitchen table, I overheard my dad giving directions on how to devein shrimp. The next time I looked over, my uncles and aunts were deveining and peeling shrimp together while my little cousin grated some cheese. My sister chopped onions on the island while my mom peeled the squid skin over the sink, not to mention my other two cousins who ran around slicing tomatoes, turning the basil into chiffonade, and seasoning the caprese salad with fresh cracked pepper and salt. 
We started with a caprese salad. I paired this entree with a simple romaine salad with cranberries, walnuts and feta cheese, along with garlic bread that my cousin so successfully made.
This yummy Italian dish is originally made with littleneck clams and mussels. I chose not to use those, due to a lack of access. Be sure to scrub the clams and mussels well, and make sure they are cooked thoroughly, until they open up.
Recipe: Frutti Di Mare with linguine
Makes 12-13 servings
Ingredients:
2 boxes of dry linguine
2 pounds of shrimp, shelled and deveined (with tails intact)
1 cup of white wine
1 pound of sea scallops
12 oz. can of stewed tomatoes
4 oz. of Snow’s clam juice
1 cup of fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1 small calamari, cut into thin rings (I used squid)
1 large sweet onion, minced
10 pieces of basil
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
Sprinkle of red pepper flakes
(*Though the sauce is supposed a bit watery than let’s say, regular marinara sauce, mine did not thicken enough. The recipe has been adjusted.)
Procedure:
1. Boil water in a large pot, sprinkle with sea salt.
2. Heat olive oil and onions in a large pan over medium heat until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic, bay leaves and red pepper flakes.
3. Add wine to the pan. Raise heat to medium-high and cook for about 5 minutes until the alcohol has evaporated.
4. Add stewed tomatoes and clam juice.
5. Once the pasta water boils, add linguine and cook for 6 minutes (per box), until al dente(slightly undercooked).
6. Stir tomato sauce into the pan. Add shrimp, scallops, and calamari and cover.
7. Cover and reduce sauce to a low simmer and cook until the sauce thickens, about 6-7 more minutes.
8. Toss with linguini.
9. Serve with fresh basil and grated Parmesan cheese.
I was really happy that everyone seemed to enjoy this meal! I’m really thankful for my family!
