Seafood Linguine | A Valentine's Day 20 Minute Meal

 

This is a lovely meal to share with your sweetheart on Valentine's Day. This year Valentine's Day falls on a Monday so you may have less time to prepare. But if you want to have a romantic evening at home, this is the perfect 20 minute (or less) meal. The pasta and seafood cook at the same time and only take about 8-10 minutes. The rest is prep work.

Serves 2-4 People

Ingredients

1/4 lbs Blue Mussels
1/4 lbs Clams
8-10 large Tiger Prawns
1 package Linguine pasta
1/2 stick of Butter
1/2 cup White Wine
1 Lemon
3 TBS Chopped Fresh Parsley
3-4 Cloves of Garlic
2 tsp Salt
3/4 cup Shredded Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese

Directions

Clean and prepare seafood for the pan.

Boil a large pot of water for the pasta. Warm a large skillet with 1/2 stick of butter and white wine.

Chop garlic finely and set aside. Chop Parsley finely and set aside. Zest lemon & squeeze juice and set aside.

When water boils add pasta.

At the same time add the seafood to skillet of butter & wine.

Add the chopped garlic, parsley, lemon zest, and juice. Place a lid on the skillet and steam on medium heat until the prawns are pink and the mussels and clams have opened completely. (If a mussel or clam does not open, discard it.)

When the pasta is al dente (still a little firm) use tongs to remove it from the water and place it directly into the skillet. (It's ok to include some of the starchy pasta water. This helps create a sauce)

Add the Parmesan cheese and salt to taste at the end. Toss the seafood and pasta with tongs. Serve with more parsley and shavings of parmigiano for garnish.

 Recipe by Alisa's Garden. Photography by Maryangelo.

Chicken Alfredo

Chicken Alfredo is a quick and heart meal! It's definitely not diet food but it is delicious. And it's another meal in which you can eliminate the meat if you'd prefer.

The basics to an and Alfredo sauce is a white sauce or bechemel sauce. It is very easy to make and you can add any type of cheese to change the flavor. It is also the base for homemade Macaroni & Cheese.

Ingredients

1 cup Half & Half or Cream

2 cups Milk

3 TBS Butter

3 TBS Flour

1 cup Parmesan cheese

1 package Penne pasta

3-4 Chicken Breasts, cooked and diced

4-5 pieces cooked bacon

Basil & Parmesan to garnish

Directions

Bechemel Sauce

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Whisk the flour into the butter and cook on low-medium heat until it forms a light tan paste. Don't cook too long or it will darken and taste burnt. One your paste is light tan, whisk in the Half & Half or heavy cream. Allow this mixture to thicken and simmer. Once it has thickened, add the milk until you get the right consistency. If the sauce is too thin, let it simmer longer to thicken or add a small sprinkle of flour. If it is too thick, add more milk a little at a time. Once you complete sauce has thickened, add salt and parmesan cheese. Add more salt or cheese to taste. That's your alfredo sauce!

Boil your penne until al dente (slightly firm, still has a "bite" to it).

Add you crumbled bacon and diced chicken to the pasta. Add the Alfredo sauce and mix. Top with more bacon and basil and parmesan.

Enjoy!