Italians living along the coast have a bountiful variety of seafood available to prepare their meals. It is not uncommon for them to include seafood in an appetizer, an antipasto, and an entree.  I love this Pasta al Pomodoro with Shrimp for its versatility. It has a short list of ingredients, and you can easily substitute virtually any and all available fresh seafood. I prepared this Pasta al Pomodoro with Shrimp, but feel free to get your Italian on and experiment!

Italians regularly grow their own vegetables, forage for mushrooms, and visit local markets to obtain fresh meats, seafood, and vegetables. They are experts at taking a basic recipe and making it special by using whatever ingredients are seasonal and fresh. The secret to success, as with all Italian cooking, is to prepare the dish with the best ingredients possible.  A quick walk around any town in Italy will quickly reveal a few things. Italians love their food, they eat pasta virtually every day, and they are fit! Given the low-carb craze in the US, I often wonder how this is possible. While there are many theories here, my observations tell me that they eat their pasta mainly at lunch which permits the body to use that energy when it’s active. Breakfast and dinner are much smaller meals, so the body is mainly living off calories consumed during the afternoon siesta.

Feel free to try the Italian method of staying slim, or if you are eating the dish in the evening, you could even substitute carrot or zucchini pasta to keep it low-carb and light.

To begin the dish, prepare the sauce as directed. Then, boil the pasta ensuring it is a minute prior to al-dente when complete. This will allow you to finish cooking the pasta in the sauce and for it to absorb the flavor. Saute the shrimp in olive oil, garlic and a pinch of salt. Don’t overcrowd the pan as the shrimp will steam as opposed to fry. Use a very large skillet leaving room to add the sauce and pasta later.

Cook’s notes: If you are a garlic lover feel free to add extra garlic to the shrimp and pomodoro sauce or red pepper flakes for more heat!

When the pasta is almost complete, add some sauce to the pan with the shrimp.

Drain the pasta reserving 1/2 cup of the liquid to add as needed to the sauce. Mix the pasta into the pan and add a splash of white wine or the pasta water until sauce is at desired consistency.

Garnish and serve.

I hope you love this Pasta al Pomodoro with Shrimp as much as I do. Enjoy!

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Pasta al Pomodoro with Shrimp

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 4 servings

Author My Global Cuisine

Ingredients

• GARLIC PASTE - OPTIONAL
• 2 big heads of fresh garlic or 3 small ones 1 ounce extra virgin olive oil, 1 Tbsp salt
• **********************************
• SUGO AL POMODORO SAUCE
• 4 cups cherry or grape tomatoes cut in half
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 6-7 slivered or minced garlic cloves or 2-3 teaspoons garlic paste
• 1/8 tsp to 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes or Italian Peperoncino
• 1 splash or 2 tablespoons white wine or fish stock
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 small bunch approx 4 Tbsp fresh basil chopped julienned
• **********************
• FOR THE SHRIMP
• 1 pound extra large shrimp cleaned tails on
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 6-8 cloves of garlic peeled and lightly crushed or 3 teaspoons garlic paste
• salt and pepper to taste
• ***********************
• PASTA: 1 LB Spaghetti or linguine

Instructions

• FOR THE GARLIC PASTE
• Peel the garlic heads. Add to a blender with the extra virgin olive oil and blend it until it becomes a paste. Add the salt. Blend it for a second. Remove from the blender and store inside a covered glass container. The garlic paste can be refrigerated for up to 3 weeks.
• ********************************************************************************
• FOR THE SUGO AL POMODORO - TOMATO SAUCE
• In a sauce pan, on a low fire heat up the olive oil.
• Add garlic and red pepper flakes. Sauté until garlic becomes fragrant, about 15 seconds.
• Add tomatoes and stir. Bring to a boil. Bring fire to a medium and cook for 15 minutes stirring from time to time. After 15 minutes add a splash of white wine or fish stock. Cook for a minute or two. Add sugar, salt. Stir. Add basil and turn off fire. Let basil sit in the sauce in order to infuse with the tomato flavor.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta until al dente. Follow package instructions for accurate cooking times and remember to remove pasta a minute prior to become al dente in order for the pasta to finish cooking in the sauce.
• ***********************************************************************************
• FOR THE SHRIMP
• Bring a large skillet to a medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons olive oil. Add 3-4 garlic cloves or 3 teaspoons garlic paste. Sauté the garlic until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Add half of the shrimp. Do not overcrowd the pan. Cook the shrimp for 1 and half minute. Turn shrimp and cook for another minute and a half. Remove shrimp from pan and transfer to a plate.
• Discard the garlic cloves and oil, and add another 3 tablespoons of oil to the skillet. Add the remaining garlic, cook until fragrant and add the remaining shrimp and cook again for a minute and half on each side. Add a pinch of salt and some extra red pepper flakes for more heat to taste.
• Add desired amount of tomato sauce to the skillet, desired amount of pasta and cook the pasta in the sauce with the shrimp for another minute. Add extra basil and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Your comments mean a lot to me. If you made any of my recipes or are considering making them, please leave a comment bellow. Please choose a star rating too. Thank you. Carla!

The post Pasta al Pomodoro with Shrimp appeared first on My Global Cuisine.

Having recently returned from my summer trip to Europe where I was able to spend four weeks sampling food in Italy in the village of Guardia Sanframondi or Guardia (as it is known) is a small medieval village in the Campania region. Each year, Guardia is host to an amazing wine and food festival called Vinalia. During the festival I was able to sample many traditional Italian dishes from the Campania paired with delicious wines from the region.

On a day trip to Naples which is about an hours drive from Guardia, I had the most amazing Spaghetti with Clams. This reminded me of my love for this dish and inspired this post on Spaghetti with Clams. In Naples they serve Spaghetti with Clams with a very special Clam called Vongole Veraci, which can only be found in the mediterranean sea near Italy. They are smaller in size between 3 and 5 cm, and are bursting with flavor. In the United states, chefs often substitute Cockles for the Vongole as they are a smaller sweeter clam.

Step one: Cook the garlic in olive oil for about 3 min. Add the wine and cook until reduced by half, about 2 to 3 min. Add the red pepper flakes. Set aside.

Step 2: While the pasta is cooking add the clams to the garlic, wine, olive oil mixture, cover the skillet and cook on high heat, shaking the pan a couple of times.

Step 3: Once the clams open, add the butter and flour mixture to it. Shake the pot and give it a minute until the butter melts.

Step 4: Reserve some of the pasta water and then drain the spaghetti on a colander. Place the pasta on the top of the clam sauce and mix gently. If the pasta gets too dry add some of the reserved cooking water.

Step 5: Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately!

Some restaurants in Italy will also serve Spaghetti with Clams with fresh tomatoes or tomato sauce. I personally prefer the white sauce as I feel that the tomatoes tend to dominate the delicious flavor of the clam, olive oil and garlic. I could go on and on about the reasons I love this dish so much but I would rather let you try and be the judge.

Enjoy!

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Spaghetti with Clams- Spaghetti alle Vongole

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 6 servings

Author My Global Cuisine

Ingredients

• 3 pounds littleneck clams
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 5 garlic cloves finally chopped
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes or 3 small Italian peperoncinos crushed
• 1 pound spaghetti or linguini
• 2 tablespoons of butter cut into small pieces
• 1 teaspoon of white flour
• 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley leaves

Instructions

• Place all the clams in a bowl and fill it with with cold salted water. Let the clams sit for 30 minutes to an hour. During this time, they will spit out the sand from inside their shells.
• Place your clams in a colander in the sink and run them under cold water. Rinse them to get rid of any debris on their outer shells. Set them aside.
• In a large saucepan or skillet heat the olive oil and sauté the garlic on a low fire for about 2 minutes. Add the wine and the salt and increase the heat so that the wine boils and reduce by half, about 2 to 3 min. Add the red pepper flakes. Remove from the heat.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta according to the package instructions until just al dente.
• While the pasta cooks, add the clams to the garlic-wine-olive oil mix, cover the skillet and cook on high fire. Shake the pot a couple of times until the clams open, around 5 to 7 minutes.
• Remove from the heat. Discard any unopened clams. Mix the butter and flour together and add it to the clam sauce. Shake the pot until the butter melts.
• Reserve some of the cooking water and then drain the pasta in a colander.
• Using a kitchen tongs place the pasta on top of the clam sauce and mix gently. Add a splash of the reserved pasta cooking water if necessary, to loosen up the sauce. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately!
• Buon appetito!

The post Spaghetti with Clams – Spaghetti alle Vongole appeared first on My Global Cuisine.

But don’t take my word for it, make it for your family and friends and see what they have to say. Make it for your grandmother, even if she is Italian, I dare you! I have served this to my friends in Italy, my family and my friends here in the US and they all say the same thing…this is the Best Marinara Sauce EVER!

This recipe is Italian cooking at its best and in its purest form. It uses a few fresh ingredients which are carefully prepared and the results are incredibly delicious. Did I say delicious? I am just coming off my personal holiday eating bonanza. The Christmas cookies and fruit cake are now gone and for the last month I have been on my protein and veggie diet with very few simple carbs. Well that all ended today when I made this dish for you. This dish is always good, but sometimes you hit it just right and WOW! I found myself saying…this is the Best Marinara Sauce EVER!

Ideally, you would be preparing this dish when the tomatoes are in season and you can walk out to your garden and pick some fresh basil. But these days, thanks to our global economy, we can often find great ingredients year-round. When I prepared this dish in Italy, I got up early and went to the market to get fresh tomatoes, basil, fresh pressed olive oil, and fresh cut parmigiano-reggiano cheese. Even if that’s not your world today, do the best you can to gather good ingredients. It will make a difference! Here are some of the fresh ingredients used in this dish.

So, let’s get started. Personally, I prefer not to see pieces of garlic floating in my sauce. To avoid that I prepare this amazing garlic paste. It is simple to make. You do so by peeling two garlic heads and combining them in a blender with an ounce of extra virgin olive oil and a tablespoon of salt. Once the three ingredients are blended together, you can use in in your sauce and store the remainder in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. I use a small glass Tupperware container. You can use the paste in any dishes requiring garlic. Just make sure that when you add your garlic paste to a pan keep the heat low to ensure the paste will not burn.

There are two things to secrets to making a great marinara sauce, or as many Italians call it, gravy. As you may have guessed secret one is to ensure the ingredients are fresh. The second secret is in the preparation. The preparation of this dish begins by carefully infusing the oil with the garlic paste and peperoncino by simmering the mixture at a low temperature. Once the oil has been infused with the flavors of the garlic and peperoncino, it is time to add your tomatoes. With the tomatoes now in the pan continue cooking them until they are partially dissolved into the oil and begin to break down. You will want to the tomatoes to retain some of their shape as it is part of the dishes signature. Below you see the tomatoes cooking in the pot.

Next add the chopped basil.

Continue cooking the sauce over low heat for 1-2 minutes ensuring the flavor of the basil is absorbed into the sauce.

After the pasta is cooked and drained and add 1/2 of sauce to the pasta pot and mix with the pasta. Cook the pasta and sauce together for another minute. This will ensure the flavor of the sauce is absorbed into the pasta. Place the Pasta in a serving bowl, or individual plates and top with additional sauce before serving. Garnish with Basil and cheese. I am sure that once you try it you too will find yourself saying…this is the Best Marinara Sauce EVER!

Enjoy!

Special thanks to Chef Paolo Monti. You are my hero!

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The Best Marinara Sauce EVER!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 4 to 6

Author My Global Cuisine

Ingredients

• 1 LB package fettuccine or spaghetti
• 1.5 LB or 4 cups of cherry or grape tomatoes cut in half
• 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Italian dry peperoncinos smashed or 1/8 TSP of Red Pepper Flakes
• 3-4 garlic cloves slivered thin or minced or 1 1/2 teaspoon garlic paste
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 small bunch approx 4 TBSP of fresh basil julienned chopped
• 4 ounces grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• Optional: If making a garlic paste 2 big heads of fresh garlic or 3 small ones, 1 ounce extra virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon salt

Instructions

• TO MAKE THE GARLIC PASTE: Peel the garlic heads. Add to a blender with the extra virgin olive oil and blend until it becomes a paste. Add salt and blend for a second. Transfer the paste to a covered glass container. The garlic paste can be refrigerated up to 3 weeks.
• ************************************************************************
• In a sauce pan on a low fire add 4 TBSP of extra virgin olive oil.
• Add peperoncino or red pepper flakes and garlic. Sauté until garlic becomes fragrant about 15 seconds.
• Add tomatoes, cover the pot and cook at medium-low heat stirring from time to time for about 15
• minutes.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta.
• Once the tomato sauce has been cooking for at least 15 minutes add one tablespoon of sugar to it. If the tomatoes were sweet to begin with, you won't need any more sugar. If they were not, add another teaspoon of sugar. Add salt. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of the extra virgin olive oil. Stir. Add fresh basil. Turn fire off.
• Cook pasta according to the package instructions, but make sure to cook until the pasta is al dente. If the package says 9 minutes, cook up to 7 minutes. You will need the extra minute in order to simmer the pasta together with the sauce.
• Reserve half cup of the cooked water and drain the pasta in a colander and mix the desired amount of pasta with the sauce. Add two ounces of grated parmesan cheese and cook together for a minute in order for the pasta to absorb with the marinara sauce flavor. If the pasta becomes too tick add a splash of the reserved cooked water to it. Place the desired amount of pasta on individual pasta bowls, and pour some extra sauce on top. Garnish with basil and serve with extra parmesan cheese and freshly ground pepper. Enjoy!

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