Sunday Night Seafood

Kyle and I tried out two new recipes this weekend (I forgot to take pics of the other one) and this one was so worth waiting for a little extra time on the weekend to really enjoy preparing it together. We don't get a lot of time during the week to cook together but when we have the chance, we work like "2 peas in a pod," as my gramma likes to dub the two of us in the kitchen. Cooking with Kyle is one of the activities I really enjoy most that we do as a couple. Anyhow...we tested another Giada recipe tonight, this one from her relatively new Everyday Pasta cookbook. A winner!

A few tweaks from the chefs:

1. we halved the recipe but still used 3 cloves of garlic (you can never go wrong with extra garlic!) and 2 shallots
2. we defrosted some frozen shrimp (cooked, peeled, and deveined) we bought in bulk and added them to the hot mixture (just before adding the spaghetti) to heat them up
3. we substitued the sun-dried tomatoes for roasted red peppers and it was delicious (Kyle doesn't care for sun-dried tomatoes)
4. instead of whole clams (with shells), we used a can of chopped clams and some of the juice
5. the arugula was a wee bit overpowering and next time we'll substitute fresh spinach
6. we added some freshly grated parmesan cheese before serving for a little extra tasty touch

Spaghetti with Pinot Grigio and Seafood

• 1 pound spaghetti
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 shallots, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4 cup chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups Pinot Grigio (or other dry white wine)
• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 pounds littleneck clams, scrubbed
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups arugula, tough stems removed

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and the garlic and cook for 3 minutes, until tender but not brown. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and cook for another minute. Add the wine, shrimp, and clams. Bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the shrimp are pink and the clams have opened, about 7 minutes.
Add the spaghetti to the seafood mixture. Add the salt and pepper and stir to combine. Add the arugula. Stir gently and place on a serving platter. Serve immediately.