SEAFOOD RECIPES

 Today is the first day of Lent for the Greek Orthodox Church, so here are several seafood recipes:  

                              MUSSELS COOKED WITH WINE AND GARLIC

1 ½ kg (3 lb) shelled mussels

2 tbsp olive oil

6 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced

750 ml (1 ½ ) cups white wine

Lemon juice to taste

1 bouquet garni (1 bay leaf + 1 sprig thyme + 1 sprig rosemary)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper

2 tbsp chopped parsley

 

Sauté the garlic in olive oil for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Pour in the wine and lemon juice, drop in the bouquet garni and bring to a simmer. Add the mussels and cook for 5 minutes.

 

Serve sprinkled with chopped parsley. 

 

 

 

                                            SPAGHETTI WITH MUSSELS

500 g (1 lb) spaghetti, boiled in salted water until “al dente” , strained and sprinkled with olive oil

500 g (1 lb) shelled mussels

2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced

1 fennel bulb, trimmed, halved and thinly sliced

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp oregano, thyme and rosemary chopped

250 ml (1 cup) water

2 tbsp chopped parsley

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Chopped parsley

 

Sauté the fennel bulb in olive oil for 3 minutes, add the mussels and cook for 3 minutes more. 

Stir in the garlic, water, herbs, salt and pepper, lower the heat and simmer very, very gently for 10 minutes. Pour over the hot pasta and serve sprinkled with parsley.

                             

                                   YIANNA’S LOBSTER WITH SPAGHETTI

Most of the Greek islands have their own version of “astakomakaronada”. This is one of the best.  The recipe  was given to me by our Yianna, by a food expert, who lives in the medieval  fortress town of Monemvassia where Yianna has a house.

 

2 lobsters, 1 kg (2 lb) each, washed, halved, deveined, claws and legs removed and reserved

4 tbsp olive oil

2 large onions, peeled and finely chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 liqueur glasses METAXA brandy

500 ml (2 cups) white wine

1 kg (2 lb) ripe tomatoes, halved, deseed, grated, skins discarded

1 tsp or more sugar, according to the acidity of the tomatoes

1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper

500 g (1 lb) spaghetti, boiled in salted water “al dente”, drained and sprinkled with olive oil 

1 tbsp or more chopped parsley

Freshly ground black pepper

 

Cook the onion and garlic in olive oil until soft, remove and set aside. Season the lobster halves with salt and pepper to taste and place in the saucepan, the flesh touching the bottom of the pan.  Add the claws and legs and cook briskly for about 5 minutes until the shells change colour. Then pour in the hot brandy and ignite.  When the flames die down add the wine and simmer until the alcohol evaporates.  Add the tomato, the sauteed onion and garlic, a pinch of salt and Cayenne pepper. 

 

Stir well without disturbing the lobster halves, cover the saucepan and cook very, very gently for 20-25 minutes, shaking the saucepan occasionally.  With a slotted spoon arrange the lobster pieces on a heated dish.  Remove the meat from the lobster halves and place them back into their shells. Also, crack the claws and legs, extract the meat, add it to the lobster shell and keep hot.

 

Reduce the sauce until thick, taste for seasoning and correct with salt, pepper and sugar if necessary.   Sprinkle the lobster with a little sauce. Add the spaghetti to the remaining sauce and simmer for a few minutes.

 

Place the spaghetti on a heated dish and arrange the lobster halves on top.   Serve sprinkled with chopped parsley and freshly ground black pepper.

 

 

 

                               ELPIDA'S  SHRIMPS WITH MUSHROOM PASTA

My mother used to prepare a delightful mushroom pasta dish, so many years ago.  Our Elpida added prawns and the dish reached perfection. Moreover it is very easy to prepare.

 

500 g (1 lb) pasta of your choice, boiled “al dente” in salted water, drained and sprinkled with olive oil, reserving a cupful of the water in which the pasta was boiled

 

Sauce:

4 tbsp olive oil

5 cloves of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

500 g (1 lb) mushrooms, trimmed and quartered

2 tbsp tomato paste

Two 500 g (1 lb) tins of concentrated tomato juice

Salt and pepper to taste

1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper

1 tsp of sugar or more according to the acidity of the tomato juice

 

Cook the garlic in 3 tbsp olive oil for about 1 minute over very low heat.  Add the mushrooms and simmer until almost cooked and quite dry, then remove and reserve.

 

Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, stirring all the time.  Add the tomato juice and sprinkle with sugar, salt and pepper to taste and Cayenne pepper.  Bring to the boil, cover the saucepan and simmer for 15 minutes to ½ an hour, until the sauce thickens and stir in the mushrooms, cover the saucepan and cook for 5 minutes.  Finally, add the shrimps and simmer for 2 minutes more. Taste for seasoning and add salt, pepper, Cayenne pepper and sugar if necessary.

 

When ready to serve, heat the pasta in a large saucepan and cover it with the sauce.  If you think it should be more liquid add a little of the reserved pasta water. 

 

Serve in a heated dish drizzled with a little olive oil and enjoy.