This pasta dish is a riff on shrimp butter that I’ve used for canapes and the original inspiration came from Dragon’s Kitchen’s Titanic Dinner from last year. Ironically, this dish contains no butter but the richness of pureed shrimp and stuff makes it….buttery! Making the pasta dish is very quick easy – it’s the making of the sauce that’s a little involved but again, nothing too hard.

Sweat onions, garlic, mushrooms, shrimp, tomato paste and then add the shrimp. I also like adding the shrimp shells (wrap in cheese cloth so they can be easily removed) and then some wine, Metaxa (brandy) and reduce. Squeeze out as much of the juices as you can from the cheesecloth and discard and blitz the shrimp mixture in  food processor.

Add a splash of vanilla extract, softened cream cheese and chopped fresh tarragon. Taste, adjust seasoning and you’re practically done. Boil some pasta, sauté some shrimp (toss in a bit of olive oil and Old Bay seasoning) and when the pasta is done, toss with the sauce, top with some grated cheese and sautéed shrimp.

Heaven on a plate. Do not omit the vanilla!

Spaghetti Tossed in Shrimp Butter

(serves 4)

500gr. package of spaghetti or spaghetini

Shrimp Butter Sauce

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup diced red onions

2 Tbsp. diced red peppers

1/4 cup sliced white mushrooms

2 clove of garlic, smashed

1 lb. shelled uncooked shrimp, deveined

the shrimp shells wrapped & tied in cheese cloth

1 shot of Metaxa brandy

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 Tbsp. tomato paste

2-3 drops  of vanilla extract

1/2 to 2/3 cup room temperature cream cheese

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh tarragon

salt and pepper to taste

pinch of chilli flakes

Garnish

grated dry Mizithra cheese (or you favourite grated cheese)

12 medium-sized shrimp, peeled and deveined

extra-virgin olive oil

Old Bay Seasoning

finely chopped chives or scallions

1. In a large skillet add the onions, diced peppers, mushrooms, garlic, tomato paste and sweat for about 5 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally. Increase the heat to medium high and add the shrimp and shrimp shells (in cheese cloth), sauté then add the Metaxa and wine and stir for a couple of minutes or until the shrimp have turned pink.
2. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly then squeeze out all the delicious juices in the cheesecloth and discard. Empty into a food processor along with the softened cream cheese, ground pepper, pinch of salt. Process until almost smooth then taste and adjust seasoning, add a splash of vanilla extract, chilli flakes and fresh tarragon to taste, quickly process again and reserve.
3. Place a large pot of water on your stovetop and bring up to a boil. Season the water with salt and and cook for about 6 minutes.
4. In the meantime, toss your shrimp in some oil oil and season with Old Bay Seasoning. Place a large skillet on your stovetop over high heat. Add your shrimp and as soon as you see the shrimp curl to form a C-shape, turn them and turn the heat off.
5. Reserve some pasta water then transfer your cooked pasta to a colander and strain. Return to the pot and add the shrimp butter sauce along with some pasta water and toss until the pasta is well-coated with sauce. Divide and plate and sprinkle the grated cheese, top with 3 shrimp per plate and finish with chives or scallions. Serve with a Gerovassaliou Viognier.

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The first sign of Spring in Greece is the blooming of almond trees and soon after the wild, edible greens are young, flavourful and ripe for picking. It’s too early to pick dandelions and the like here in Canada but there’s lots of options at the market for using healthy greens in your diet.

Swiss chard, kale and spinach are found at the supermarkets, mustard greens and amaranth (vlita) can be found at Asian grocers. Use what’s fresh and affordable for this dish…very pragmatic we are!

Your choice of fish is also up to your tastes and budget. The best fish is the freshest fish and on the day I made this fish, it was halibut. Simply seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper and served with stewed greens and chickpeas. There’s tomato paste for sweetness, some red wine vinegar for acidity and dried Greek oregano to round’out the flavour. Here’s Greek Spring on you plate!

Seared Halibut With Greens & Chickpeas

(serves 4)

4 fillets of fresh halibut (6oz. each)

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 bunches of scallions, thinly sliced

4-6 cloves of garlic, minced

3 Tbsp. tomato paste

2 bunches of greens (kale, swiss chard or amaranth)

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 cups hot water

3 cups of cooked (or canned) chickpeas

salt and pepper to taste

extra-virgin olive oil

2 tsp. dried Greek oregano

1. Rinse your fish fillets and pat-dry. Drizzle olive oil on them and run all over the fish. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper and place in the fridge. Trim/remove the thick stalks of your greens and rinse well or soak in a basin of water (repeat 2-3 times if necessary to remove dirt). Reserve.
2. In the meantime, place a large pot on your stovetop over medium heat and add the olive oil, onions and garlic and sweat for 5-6 minutes or until translucent. Add the tomato paste and stir for 2 minutes (to cook).
3. Now roughly chop the greens and add into the pot with some sea salt and cover. Allow the steam to wilt the greens for about 6-7 minutes  and then add the wine vinegar, chickpeas and hot water and bring up to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook with the lid ajar for another 15-20 minutes.
4. Remove the lid and simmer uncovered until most of the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt, pepper and add the dried Greek oregano. Keep warm.
5. Take your fish out of the fridge and allow about 5 minutes to return to room temperature. Place a large skillet on your stovetop over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add a good drizzle of olive oil and place the fillets skin side down and saute for 4 minutes then flip and saute for another 2-3 minutes or until the fillets are just opaque.
6. Turn the heat off and remove from pan from the heat source. Allow to rest. Divide and plate the chickpeas and greens as your base then place a fillet on top. Pour some of the liquid from the greens over the fish, garnish with some scallion greens (or chives) and Greek oregano.
7. Serve with a Gaia Notios Red Agiorghitiko.

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© 2013, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

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Cuttlefish Lemonato

(serves 4 as a meze plate)

1 kg. of baby cuttlefish, gutted and cleaned, patted dry

1 medium onion, sliced

the tops of 2 scallions, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1/3 cup olive oil

water

salt and pepper to taste

dried Greek oregano

juice of half a lemon

1. Place your skillet over medium-high heat on your stovetop and add your olive oil. Add your cuttlefish and saute for 15-20 minutes and simmer until most of the water has evaported.
2. Add the onions and garlic and reduce to medium. Add enough water to just cover the cuttlefish and simmer for another thirty minutes (or until tender).
3. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, squeeze the lemon juice toss in the scallion tops and sprinkle with some dried Greek oregano.
4. Serve with some pickled vegetables, drizzle with some extra-virgin olive oil and serve as part of array of mezedes.

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Monkifish is large, triangular with the the body tapering as you near the tail. The head is great for making fish stocks or using for soups and the meat of the fish is located on both sides of its tail. You get two fillets that resemble a pork tenderloin, firm meat that holds up well to heat and of course, rather delicious.

Monkish is ideal for pan-frying, grilling or roasting. Today I am sauteing/pan-frying the monkfish with some fennel/anise flavours, mustard powder and sweet paprika. The dish is served with a fave pasta of mine, Greek kritharaki…shaped like orzo.

The melange of veggies in the orzo are scallions, red peppers, fennel, eggplant and zucchini. The kritharaki are brought together with hot water and another fave, Greek tomato paste made by Kyknos of Nafplion.

When making the kritharaki, remember to toast the pasta so that it keeps its shape and doesn’t go mushy on you. The monkfish is finished with some red wine vinegar, unsalted butter and a squeeze of orange juice to balance the acidity. Fancy looking dish – none too hard.

Monkfish With Kritharaki, Fennel & Orange (Πεσκανδριτσα με Κριθαρακι,  Μαραθο & Πορτοκαλι)

(serves 4)

for the kritharaki

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 scallions, sliced

1/3 cup diced carrot

1/3 cup diced fennel

1/3 cup diced eggplant

1/3 cup diced red pepper

1 /3 cup diced zucchini

2 tsp. Kyknos tomato paste

1 cup Misko kritharaki (orzo)

2 1/2 cups hot water

salt and pepper to taste

for the monkfish

extra-virgin olive oil for rubbing on fish

mustard powder

sweet paprika

ground fennel

salt and fresh ground pepper

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

4 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter

squeeze of orange juice

fennel fronds for garnish

1. Remove the silverskin and rinse your monkfish tail and pat-dry then slice into 4 equal pieces. Rub the monkfish pieces with olive oil and sprinkle mustard powder, sweet paprika, salt, pepper and a little bit of ground fennel on each side. Place in the fridge for 20 minutes.
2. In the meantime, place a medium-sized pot on your stove and turn the heat to medium. Add the olive oil and add the scallions, carrots, fennel, eggplant with a pinch of salt and sweat for 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir for a minute then add the kritharaki (orzo) and stir constantly for 5 minutes to toast.
3. Add the hot water, salt, pepper and cover. Simmer for 8-10 minutes or until most of liquid has been absorbed. Add zucchini, adjust seasoning, cover and keep warm.
4. Take your fish out of the fridge and allow about 5 minutes to come to room temperature. Place a large skillet on your stovetop and and turn the heat to medium-high. When the pan is hot add the monkfish and saute for 4 minutes or look at the fish sideways to see if the fillet is opaque halfway up. If so, flip and saute another 2 minutes.
5. Add red wine vinegar and reduce for a couple of minutes. Add cold butter one Tbsp. at a time and swirl in. Squeeze the juice of half and orange and swirl, take off the heat.
6. Place your meal by placing a mold on your plate and spoon the krithraki in it. Unmold and place the monkfish on top. Garnish with a fennel fronds and enjoy with a bottle of Chateau Mercouri Kallisto.

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© 2013, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

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Reviews of the Toronto location (which is 3 floors of varying Momofuku concepts) have been really good so far, from both foodies and Toronto chefs alike. I have not been yet but it’s just a matter of time.

My interest in Momofuku (means lucky peach) has been heightened with the airing of David Chang’s TV show “Mind of a Chef” being aired on nearby PBS of Buffalo, NY. This Korean-American (Chang) has been the darling of NYC critics and diners and now in Toronto as well.

My only taste of David Chang’s food has been in my kitchen, recreating his oft\enjoyed  ginger scallion noodles. A no cook sauce that is simply tossed in noodles/pasta and despite its simplicity, it’s delcious beyond belief.

Today’s recipe is a riff on Chang’s ginger scallion noodles, with a few additions that still make the dish easy to prepare and every bit as enjoyable. The Greek in me wants garlic, I love sesame seeds and sesame oil, used Boukovo (chilli flakes) for heat and added some protein in the form of shrimp. Sorry, no tofu on this blog.

Ginger Scallion Noodles With Shrimp

(serves 4)

500 gr. package of pasta or noodles (pick your favourite)

12 mendium-sized shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 cups of thinly sliced scallions

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 cup minced ginger

1/4 cup sesame oil

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1-2 tsp. sherry or rice wine vinegar

sea salt to taste

chilli flakes to taste

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

black and white sesame seeds to taste

sesame oil for drizzling

1. Place a large pot of water on your stovetop and bring to a bowl. Add salt and when the water returns to a boil, add the pasta and cook for about 1 minute less than pasta instructions.
2. In the meantime, grab a large bowl and add the scallions, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sherry vinegar, sesasme oil and whisk. Adjust seasoning and set aside.
3. Place a large skillet on your stovetop, turn heat to high. Season your shrimp with salt and pepper. Add a drizzle of sesame oil and saute your shrimp for about 30 seconds a side or until just pink.
4. Remove with a slotted spoon and reserve. Add the cooked pasta in the bowl with the sauce and add the shrimp, chilli flakes and toss well to coat the pasta. Taste, adjust seasoning and divide and plate.
5. Sprinkle with black and white sesame seeds and chopped fresh cilantro and drizzle some sesame oil.

*Who says you can’t pair Greek wine with non-Greek food? Try this Mikros Vorras Riesling 2010.

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© 2013, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

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