Seafood Lasagna

As you can tell from some prior posts, I love seafood and this seafood lasagna is one of my favorites.  I developed this recipe by starting with a basic recipe that came from Paula Deen.  The end result is unique enough that I think I can call it my own recipe.  I have made it using the "no-boil" lasagna noodles as well as the old fashioned kind that you cook first.  I prefer the type that require boiling before use.  They are easier to trim to the right size and I think taste better and have nicer texture.  This recipe will serve twelve people, but if you don't need that much lasagna you can do 3/4 of the quantities and it will work fine.  

Ingredients:

18 Lasagna noodles
41/2 TBSP unsalted butter
1 Small onion, finely chopped
3 Cloves garlic, minced
41/2 TBSP all purpose flour
33/4 Cups half and half
11/2 Cups Grated Romano cheese
3/4 tsps salt
3/8 tsps black pepper
2 TBSP chopped parsley
1 TBSP chopped tarragon
1 Lb bay scallops
1 Lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
8 OZ. canned crab meat
3/4 Cup grated Parmesan cheese
pinch of nutmeg

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray a lasagna pan with vegetable oil cooking spray.  

In a large pot of boiling water cook the lasagna noodles per package directions.  Drain and lay out on wax paper until ready to use.

Melt the butter in a large heavy skillet.  Add the chopped onion and saute' over low heat until very tender.  Add the garlic and cook for another minute or so, until the garlic is translucent.  Turn heat to medium low and stir in the flour with a whisk, then gradually add the half and half a little at a time, allowing the sauce to thicken slightly before you add more of the half and half.  When the sauce has thickened to the consistency of whipping cream, add the Romano cheese and stir well.  Add the salt, pepper, parsley, nutmeg and tarragon and stir well again.  Add the scallops and cook for three to four minutes.  Add the shrimp and cook just until the shrimp turn pink.  Turn off the heat and stir in the loose crab meat. The canned crab is already cooked.  

Using some of the sauce without including any of the seafood, put about three TBSP on the bottom of the pan.  Now cover the bottom of the pan with four of the cooked noodles, laying them side by side.  Spoon about 1/4 of the seafood sauce mixture over the noodles and spread evenly.  Layer four more noodles and again ladle the seafood sauce over the noodles.  Repeat again with four more noodles and sauce.  Cover with the final four noodles and spoon sauce over the noodles, without including any seafood in the sauce used for the top layer of noodles.  Tuck in any loose edges of noodle and top the entire dish with Parmesan cheese.  Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, uncovered, until hot and bubbly.  Allow to sit for ten minutes before serving.  Enjoy with a green salad and chardonnay.  

Brunch at Succotash

I love to go out for brunch after church on Sunday morning.  Our service gets over at 11:30, so we have a brunch for lunch.  My favorite spot is the Genessee Royale.  I wrote about it a little while back.  Right up there on the top 5 list, probably in second place, is Succotash.  This funky spot is located at 26th and Holmes in midtown Kansas City.  I think it is fair to call Succotash a hangout for young counter-culture people.  Let me just say that Jan and I generally stand out in the crowd, especially when we go in our "church" clothes.  Both the staff and the crowd tend toward lots of ink and piercings.  All of that said, the staff is super friendly and the service is excellent.  Generally on Saturday and Sunday there is at least a thirty minute wait to get in, but there is a big urn of coffee sitting right outside the door.  We have also discovered that if we volunteer to sit at the counter, we can usually get right in.

Succotash is only open for breakfast and lunch.  They close at 2:00 PM on Monday and Tuesday and at 3:00 PM the rest of the week. While the menu may not be quite as extensive as an East Coast Greek diner, it does run for several pages.  They have a host of vegetarian and vegan options as well as gluten free entrees like gluten free pancakes.  Just in the Pancake section of the menu there are ten options ranging from plain pancakes, to wild blueberry and pigs in a blanket, to my personal favorite, Swedish pancakes. With the diet, I had to skip those today, but Jan couldn't pass them up. This delightful dish consists of four very light and fluffy Swedish pancakes, each folded in two and stuffed with lingonberries.  They are dusted with a little powdered sugar and served with two eggs cooked to order and two slices of what I consider to be the best bacon in Kansas City.   Believe me, this dish is worth the trip !

If you have a BIG appetite, you can go with the Burrito of Love; scrambled eggs, cheddar and bacon wrapped in an over-sized buttermilk pancake.  And if you have an even BIGGER appetite there is the Sumo Wrestler; three eggs, bacon, roasted red peppers, onions, home fries and cheddar all wrapped in a giant pancake and topped with sausage gravy.  Eat that and you get your name on the wall.

I was looking for something with fewer calories today and went for a salmon wrap.  It was two scrambled eggs with caramelized onions and wrapped in a spinach wrap with smoked salmon, goat cheese and fresh spinach.  It was delicious and a little less like dessert than Jan's Swedish pancakes.  

Other options range from slow roasted pork hash to Monte Cristo sandwiches to crab claw omelets.  

You get the picture.  All fresh squeezed juices, lots of options for the vegan and vegetarian and a host of options to please almost any taste.  An eclectic crowd as well as an eclectic menu.  If you are up to an inner city adventure and happen to be in Kansas City, give it a try.  Succotash is well worth it.  

Grandpa is on a diet

For my few faithful readers you will have noticed that I haven't posted any recipes or blogs for about a month.  That period of time coincides directly with my latest effort to lose weight.  I have struggled with weight all of my life and having wine and cooking as hobbies aren't particularly helpful.  Watch the chefs on TV and you will generally see them expand as the years go by.  I call it the Chef's disease.

I have been recording everything I have eaten for the last 32 days and am trying very hard to keep my calorie count below 1800 calories per day.  That isn't  much for a big guy, so you can see perhaps, why my enthusiasm for food writing has been dampened somewhat.  The good news is, the weight is starting to come off. Oh well, life must go on and I still love food and wine, so I will get back at it starting now.  I just need to learn to use a little moderation.

One of my favorite restaurants in the Hilton Head area has always been Sigler's.  Jan actually hosted my 60th birthday there.  Sad to say that was more than ten years ago.  Owner and executive chef Michael Sigler opened his restaurant in Bluffton in 1996 and it has been going strong ever since. Michael has been recognized as "One of America's Outstanding Chefs" by the National Chef's Registry and has also been featured in "Bon Appetit" magazine.  Here is Michael's family recipe for oyster souffle.  This makes a great side dish on the Thanksgiving table.

Ingredients:

1 Pint - shucked oysters in their juices
Crumbled Saltine crackers - as needed
Italian seasoned bread crumbs - as needed
Grated Parmesan cheese - as needed
Salt and Black Pepper to taste
Butter and whole milk - as needed

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a two quart casserole dish. Layer a thin layer of the crumbled saltine crackers in the bottom of the casserole. Top with a thin layer of oysters and their juice.  Add salt and pepper to taste and a light dusting of parmesan cheese.  Dot with butter.  Moisten a little with whole milk.   Repeat layers until all of the oysters are used.  Top final layer with butter and the Italian seasoned bread crumbs.

Bake in the 350 degree oven for 45 minutes to one hour.  Let stand for 10-15 minutes before serving.