In Italy, you’ll often come across pastas with briny and salty aspects from a lot of pantry ingredients like anchovy paste and capers. Those flavors always take me back to Italy! I used them in my lemon zucchini spaghetti, and brightened it up even more with lemon, fresh herbs, aromatic ingredients like garlic and shallots, fresh zucchini… and cheese! The flavors all come together to become this really delicious pasta with a lot of flavor interest, and something about it just reminds me of summer in Italy. This lemon zucchini spaghetti would be so delicious paired with some grilled seafood – and a glass of prosecco!

Serves 4

giadzy.com

INGREDIENTS
1 lemon (thinly sliced and seeds removed)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots (sliced)
2 cloves garlic (smashed and peeled)
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (divided)
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
1/4 cup capers (drained)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 small zucchini (about 2 pounds total, halved and sliced 1/3 inch)
1/2 pound pasta, such as Spaghetti Chittara or Vermicelli Lunghi
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup fresh dill
1/2 cup fresh basil (roughly chopped or torn)
1 cup crumbled feta or goat cheese

INSTRUCTIONS
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Season it generously with salt. Add the sliced lemons and blanch for 30 seconds. Using tongs, remove the lemons to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Dry well.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and heat another 30 seconds. Add the shallots and garlic to the pan and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring often with a wooden spoon for about 2 minutes or until fragrant and beginning to brown slightly. Add the anchovy paste, capers, red pepper flakes and the blanched lemon slices. Cook for another 2 minutes stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon to ‘dissolve” the anchovy paste and brown the lemons. Add the zucchini and remaining salt. Cook on medium high for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Parts of the zucchini should turn deep brown while some parts remain al dente.

Meanwhile, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes less than package directions, about 8 minutes. Add 1/3cup pasta water to the zucchini pan and stir to deglaze. Use a pair of tongs to remove the pasta directly to the zucchini pan. Sprinkle the bare pasta with the parmesan cheese and toss well to coat the pasta with the zucchini sauce. Some of the zucchini should have gotten rather soft to help create a silky sauce. Add another 1/2 cup water if needed to maintain the sauce. Top the pasta with the herbs and feta cheese and serve.

Shrimp Stew is made with traditional Greek ingredients Ouzo and Feta.

Serves 3-4

gustotv.com/recipes

INGREDIENTS
4 tablespoons (60 ml) olive oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
14 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) dried oregano
½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) salt
¼ teaspoon (1 ml) pepper
½ cup (2.5 ml) ouzo
1 ½ cups (360 ml) chopped tomatoes
4 ounces (114 g) feta cheese, cut into cubes, portion reserved for garnish
1 tablespoon (15 ml) minced parsley, for garnish
Rustic bread to serve

INSTRUCTIONS
Heat olive oil in skillet.

Add red onion and garlic and fry until soft.

Add shrimp, oregano, salt and pepper, and cook 1 minute.

Deglaze with the ouzo (Note: pan will flame up so be careful).

Cover pan with lid to put out flame.

Add tomatoes to the skillet and simmer until reduced.

Add feta.

Remove from heat and stir.

Top with minced parsley and reserved feta.

Serve hot with slices of rustic bread

Shrimp Enchiladas in a Rich Tomato Sauce, from Pati’s Mexican Table Season 7, Episode 11 “New York”

Serves 6

patijinich.com

INGREDIENTS
For enchiladas:
1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp
5 sprigs fresh parsley
2 garlic cloves peeled
3 to 4 bay leaves
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt divided, or to taste
1 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes
1 to 2 serrano or jalapeño chiles to taste
4 scallions trimmed and coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
3 tablespoons canola or safflower oil divided
1 cup Mexican cream Latin style crema, or heavy cream, plus a bit more for garnish
12 Corn tortillas
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

For garnish:
4 scallions trimmed and light green and white parts thinly sliced
1 ripe avocado halved, pitted, meat scooped out and sliced
2 ounces queso fresco farmer’s cheese or mild feta, crumbled (½ cup)

INSTRUCTIONS
Remove the shells and tails from the shrimp and reserve. Rinse the shrimp and pat dry. Cut each one into 3 or 4 bite-size pieces.

In a medium saucepan, combine the shrimp shells and tails, parsley, 1 of the garlic cloves, bay leaves and ½ teaspoon of the salt. Cover with water, place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 20 minutes. Strain the broth into a large measuring cup or heat-proof bowl.

Combine the tomatoes, remaining garlic, and chile(s) in a medium saucepan. Cover with water, and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer uncovered until the tomatoes are thoroughly soft, about 10 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the tomatoes and garlic clove to a blender. Add the 4 coarsely chopped scallions; if you have simmered 2 chiles, begin by adding only 1 of them to the blender, then once you taste the finished puree you can decide if you want to add the other. Add ½ teaspoon salt, the grated nutmeg, and 1 cup of the strained shrimp shell broth. Purée until completely smooth, taste and add the other chile if you would like more chile presence and heat (the sauce will become milder as it cooks and other ingredients are added).

Rinse and dry the saucepan, add a tablespoon of the oil and heat over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add the pureed tomato sauce, being careful to avoid sputters, and cover partially with a lid. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, seasons and deepens in color to a much darker red, about 10 minutes. Uncover, reduce heat to medium-low and stir in the cream. Keep at a steady low simmer for 8 to 10 more minutes, or until the sauce is thick, creamy, and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Taste and adjust salt. Remove from the heat and keep warm.

Prepare the tortillas for enchiladas by either heating them in a comal or passing them through hot oil.

To cook the shrimp, work in batches so that they will sear and not steam. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet over high heat until hot, but not smoking, and the butter is bubbling. Add half the shrimp and season with salt. Cook for just a couple of minutes, stirring and flipping a few times, until just cooked through and lightly browned. Remove with a slotted spoon, add the remaining tablespoon of oil and butter to the skillet, and once the butter is foaming, cook the remaining shrimp.

Reheat the sauce if necessary. One by one, sauce and fill the tortillas. Glide each prepared tortilla through the sauce and place on a plate. Spoon about 3 tablespoons of the seared shrimp down the middle and fold in a half like a quesadilla. Place on a platter and continue with remaining the tortillas, overlapping the half moon-shaped enchiladas slightly. Once all of the enchiladas are filled, spoon the remaining tomato sauce on top. They should be sauced generously. Garnish with the sliced scallions, slices of avocado and crumbled cheese.