Steamed Crab Legs

Ingredients
2 cans chicken broth
1 lemon, sliced
5 cloves garlic
2 pounds Alaskan king crab legs, split
Drawn butter, for serving
Salt & Pepper, to taste

To a large stockpot with a steamer insert, add chicken broth, lemon slices, and garlic and bring to a boil. Add crab legs and cover. Steam for 5 minutes or until crab is cooked through. Serve with drawn butter. Top with salt/pepper.

Red Curry Marinated Shrimp

Ingredients
1 (14-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
3 tablespoons red curry paste (a little less if you don't like spicy)
1/2 red onion, peeled and finely chopped
3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves, divided
1 lime, juiced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 pounds shrimp, peeled & deveined
1 tablespoon flour
2 tablespoons water
1 bunch green onions, rinsed & chopped

Whisk together coconut milk, curry paste, onion, 1/2 cup cilantro, lime juice, and oil in a large bowl. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Place shrimp in the bowl and toss to coat. Cover and let marinate for 20 minutes at room temperature.

Remove shrimp from the marinade and saute for 4-5 minutes or until shrimp are done.

Meanwhile, boil remaining marinade. Reduce to simmer. Combine water and flour. Add to marinade and continue simmering to thicken into a sauce.

Server shrimp over steamed rice. Top with sauce, remaining 1/4 cup cilantro, and green onions.

Crab Stuffed Chicken Breasts & Thighs

Ingredients
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
9 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/4 cup finely chopped green pepper
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons butter
3/4 pound lump crabmeat
2 cups seasoned stuffing mix (stovetop stuffing)
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon creole seasoning
1 cup italian breadcrumbs
2 (7/8 ounce) envelope béarnaise sauce mix

Saute onion, celery, and green pepper in 2 tablespoons of butter until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Add crabmeat, stuffing mix, eggs, seasoning, and 1/4 cup melted butter. Mix well.

Place chicken breasts & thighs on a piece of waxed paper. Flatten to 1/4 inch thickness.

Spread about 1/4 cup crabmeat mixture on each chicken breast/thigh. Roll up jellyroll fashion pressing edges to seal. Secure with toothpicks. Place seam side down in a greased 13x9 inch pan. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

When ready to cook, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle chicken with generous amount of breadcrumbs. Cover with foil and bake for 50 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes or until golden brown. Temp chicken to 175 degrees.

Meanwhile, prepare béarnaise sauce according to package directions – serve over chicken rolls.

Makes 10 servings (1 chicken breast or 2 chicken thighs)

Risotto in a Lemon Cup

Ingredients
3 cans chicken broth
4 tablespoons butter, plus 2 tablespoons
2 large shallot, diced
16oz (1 box) orzo pasta
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus 2 tablespoons
1/4 cup cream cheese
3/4 lemon, zested and juiced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 lemons, for serving

In a medium saucepan bring the broth to a simmer. Cover the broth and keep hot over low heat.

In a medium, heavy saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and saute until tender but not brown, about 3 minutes. Add the orzo and stir to coat with the butter. Add the wine and simmer until the wine has almost completely evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of the simmering broth and stir until almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking the orzo, adding the broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition of the broth to absorb before adding the next, until the orzo is tender but still firm to the bite and the mixture is creamy, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, 1/2 cup of Parmesan, cream cheese, the lemon zest and juice, and the salt and pepper.

To serve, cut 1/4-inch off the bottom of each lemon so they stand on their own. Take 1-inch off the stem end. Using a grapefruit spoon scoop out the flesh of the lemon and discard. Fill each lemon with about 1/2 cup of risotto. Sprinkle the tops with the remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan.

Serve immediately.

Fettucine Alfredo with Shrimp and Chicken

Ingredients

1 pound dried fettucine (or other favorite pasta)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 shallots, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup heavy cream
1.5 cup half-and-half
1/2 pound fresh broccoli florets, steamed
1 pound shrimp, peeled, deveined
1.5+ cups finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 pound prosciutto, diced, broiled until crisp
Fresh parsley, for garnish, optional

Blanch shrimp. Bring a pot of water to a roaring boil. Turn off heat. Wait 1 minute. Immerse shrimp in water for exactly 60 seconds. Immediately run cold water over shrimp to stop them from cooking further. Set aside.

Cook the fettucine in a pot of rapidly boiling salted water until al dente. Drain in a colander, reserving 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking liquid.

While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and garlic. Saute until tender. Add heavy cream and half-and-half. Bring to a boil. Cook until sauce has reduced slightly, about 5 minutes.  Stir in Parmesan cheese, adding more to taste.  Add salt/pepper. Remove from the heat.

Combine sauce with shrimp, chicken, and veggies.  Top with additional cheese, if desired.  Garnish with parsley and/or crispy prosciutto, if desired. Serve immediately.

Tuna Steaks with Tomato Basil Salsa

Ingredients
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling, plus 2 to 3 tablespoons
2 (1-inch) steaks, 6 to 8 ounces each
Salt and pepper
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
1/2 small red onion, chopped
A handful parsley leaves, chopped
1 cup torn or chopped fresh basil leaves, about 20

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Drizzle extra-virgin olive oil over the tuna steaks spread it around then season with salt and pepper.

Combine tomatoes, onions, parsley and basil in a bowl. Dress with extra-virgin olive oil, enough to coat the tomatoes evenly, 2 to 3 tablespoons. Season the tomatoes with salt and pepper, to taste. Let the sauce marinate at least 10 minutes.

When you are ready to eat, grill tuna steaks 2 minutes on each side for rare, 3 minutes for medium and 4 for opaque, well done. Stir sauce up then serve liberal amounts of it on top of the steaks.

Chicken Parmesan

The chicken thighs in this recipe can be substituted with 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

Ingredients
5-6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 teaspoons Creole seasoning (or Emeril's Essence)
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning pasta
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons milk
3/4 cup dried bread crumbs
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups of Chef Jeff's Pasta Sauce
1/4 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound linguine, cooked al dente and kept warm
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Season each chicken breast with 1/2 teaspoon of the creole seasoning and 1/8 teaspoon salt.

Place the flour into a small bowl. Place the egg and milk into a second small bowl. Place the bread crumbs, rosemary, and thyme into a third small bowl, toss to combine.

Dip each chicken thigh into the flour, then the beaten egg mixture, and finally into the bread crumbs, shaking to rid of excess between each step. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining thighs. When all of the thighs are breaded, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place the chicken into the skillet and cook for 4 minutes. Turn the chicken thighs to the other side and cook for 2 minutes longer. Remove the skillet from the heat.

Spoon 1/4 cup of the tomato sauce over each thigh and divide the mozzarella slices evenly among the chicken pieces. Sprinkle with the Parmigiano-Reggiano, and transfer the skillet to the oven. Cook until the chicken is just cooked through and the cheese melts, about 4 minutes. Adjust the oven setting to broil and continue to cook until the cheese bubbles and is lightly golden, about 1 to 2 minutes longer.

While the chicken is baking, reheat the pasta sauce if necessary. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the pasta and toss until warmed through. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Add enough of the pasta sauce to just coat the pasta and divide between 4 large serving plates.

When the chicken is ready, top each plate of pasta with a little more sauce and top each serving with a chicken thigh. Garnish with the fresh basil and serve immediately.

Creole Scallops

Ingredients
1 pound fresh sea scallops
2 teaspoons creole seasoning
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter

Rinse scallops, dry thoroughly. Toss scallops with salt, pepper, and creole seasoning.

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add oil and butter. Wait for butter to melt.

Add scallops. Sear for 3 minutes. Flip scallops over and sear for another 3 minutes. Toss with additional salt, pepper, and creole seasoning if desired, then serve.

Spicy Gazpacho

Chrissy & I had this Gazpacho at Sandy & Glen's last weekend. I thought it was so good i had to add it to my collection!

Ingredients
2 (32-ounce) cans diced tomatoes in puree
1/4 cup cayenne pepper sauce (for mild heat use 2 tablespoons)
1/2 European seedless cucumber, cut into chunks
1 small red onion, cut into chunks
2 jalapenos or serranos, seeded and coarsely chopped
2 ribs celery, from the heart of the bunch, chunked
Handful fresh cilantro leaves
1 lemon or lime, juiced
Coarse salt and black pepper
Lemon or lime wedges, for garnish

Working in batches, combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse grind into a thick soup. Adjust seasonings. Pour soup into a thermos and chill until ready to serve. Serve in chilled glasses with wedges of lime or lemon for garnish.

Makes 2.5 quarts.

Spicy Shrimp with Rosemary

Ingredients
1 pound medium shrimp, deveined, peeled
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Lemon juice

To a large skillet, add olive oil and garlic. Cook for 30 seconds.

Add rosemary, pepper flakes, and shrimp, and cook, stirring, until just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and transfer to serving dish. Squeeze some lemon juice over shrimp.

Pan Seared Salmon with Cucumber Dill Sauce

Ingredients
1 pound fresh salmon
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Cucumber Dill Sauce

Cut the salmon into manageable portions. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil on top of salmon. Sprinkle fish with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Heat a saute pan over median-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter to the pan.

Sear the salmon, skin side down, for 5 minutes. Flip the salmon and sear an additional 2 minutes or until desired degree of doneness.

Plate salmon and top with a generous portion of cucumber dill sauce. Serve additional sauce on the side.

Cucumber Dill Sauce

This sauces goes great on top of fresh salmon or chicken. Also good as a vegetable dip.

Ingredients
1 English cucumber, unpeeled, roughly chopped
1 bunch of dill, chopped (about 1 cup)
1/2 small red onion, chopped
2 large lemons, juiced
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2/3 cup plain yogurt
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine first four ingredients in a blender and puree. Gradually blend in mayonnaise, oil and yogurt and then season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Makes about 2 cups.

Homemade Salsa

4 pounds vine-ripened red and/or orange tomatoes (about 5 medium)
1/2 medium onion (preferably white)
1 cup fresh cilantro sprigs
4 fresh serrano or jalapeno chiles, seeded and chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Quarter and seed tomatoes. Dice the tomatoes and transfer to a bowl. Finely chop enough onion to measure 1/2 cup and chop cilantro. Stir chiles, onion, cilantro, and garlic into tomatoes with sugar and lime juice and season with salt and pepper.