Seafood Extravaganza Christmas

3 tablespoons kosher or coarse sea salt

1 pound linguine

12 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 pound New Zealand cockles or 24 Manila or littleneck clams, scrubbed

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 cup dry white wine

1 (14-ounce) can whole San Marzano tomatoes in juice, juice reserved and tomatoes coarsely chopped

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped

LINGUINE WITH CLAMS

In large pot over moderately high heat, combine 8 quarts of water to boil and salt. Bring to boil,

then add linguine and cook to 1 minute short of al dente according to package directions (pasta should still be quite firm).

Meanwhile, in large sauté pan over moderately high heat, heat 6 tablespoons extra- olive oil until hot but not smoking. Add garlic and sauté until just golden, about 30 seconds.

Add clams and 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes and sauté 1 minute.

Add wine, tomatoes and juice, and 1/2 cup parsley and simmer, uncovered, just until clams open, 7 to 8 minutes.

Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then drain linguine and add to pan.

Simmer, tossing occasionally, until linguine is just tender, about 1 minute.

If necessary, add some of reserved cooking water to keep moist. Remove from heat.

Add remaining 2 tablespoons parsley, 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, and extra-virgin olive oil, tossing to coat. Transfer to serving dish and serve immediately.

BROCCOLI THE ONLY WAY

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

3 pounds broccoli, cut into spears

1 cup white wine

salt

1 tablespoon hot red pepper flakes

Grated zest of 1 lemon

Grated zest of 1 orange

In a 10- to 12-inch sauté pan, heat the olive oil with the garlic over medium-high heat until just sizzling.

Add the broccoli and cook, tossing frequently and gradually adding the wine to keep the garlic from browning until the stalks are tender 8 to 10 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes and zests, and tossing well, serve immediately.

Cioppino is the bomb (pronounced chuh-PEE-no) is considered San Francisco's signature dish, and no trip to this West Coast city would be complete without a bowlful. Because of the versatility of the ingredients, there are numerous recipes for it.

BUT HERE IS MINE! Makes 8 to 10 servings.

CIOPPINO San Francisco's signature dish

3/4 cup butter
2 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch fresh parsley leaves, minced
2 (14.5-ounce) cans plum tomatoes undrained and cup up*
2 (8-ounce) bottles clam juice
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1 1/2 cups dry red or white wine (whichever you prefer)
12 small hard-shell clams in shell
12 mussels in shell
1 1/2 pounds raw extra-large shrimp, peeled and deveined**
1 1/2 pounds bay scallops
1 1/2 pounds fish fillets (halibut, cod, or salmon), cut into bite-size chunks
1 1/2 cups flaked Dungeness crab meat
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

In a large soup pot or cast-iron Dutch oven over medium-low heat, melt butter; add onions, garlic, and parsley. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened. Add tomatoes, clam juice, bay leaves, basil, thyme, oregano, and red or white wine; bring just to a boil, then reduce heat to low; cover, and simmer approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour. If sauce becomes too thick, thin with additional wine or water.

NOTE: At this point, stock may be refrigerated, covered, up to 2 days before using. To use stock that has been refrigerated, reheat to boiling and then reduce heat to low, until broth is simmering gently.

Scrub clams and mussels with a small stiff brush under cold running water; remove beards from mussels. Discard any open clams or mussels. Cover with cold salted water; let stand 5 minutes and then pour off the salted water.

Gently stir in the clams, mussels, shrimp, scallops, fish fillets, and crab meat to the prepared stock. Cover and simmer 5 to 7 minutes until clams pop open and shrimp are opaque when cut.

NOTE: Do not overcook the seafood (the seafood continues to cook after it is removed from the pan). Remove bay leaves; season with salt and pepper to taste.

Remove from from heat and ladle broth and seafood into large soup bowls and serve.

This is all I ever need for Christmas

ROCKIN Seafood Extravaganza Christmas dinner menu

Bacon-Wrapped Scallops with Spicy Cilantro Mayonnaise

Spicy- Cilantro Mayonnaise:
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons ground chili paste
1 medium lime, juiced
1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro

Scallops:
1 1/2 pounds scallops, rinsed and dried
3/4 to 1 pound thin sliced bacon (not center cut), strips cut in half crosswise
sea salt & freshly ground black pepperlarge lettuce leaves, for serving
lettuce leaves, for serving

1. Prepare the spicy cilantro mayo: In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, hot chili paste, lime juice and cilantro; stir well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

2. Prepare the scallops: Preheat your oven broiler. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray. Wrap each scallop with a piece of bacon and secure with a wooden toothpick. Place the bacon-wrapped scallops onto the prepared baking sheet and season them with salt and pepper. Cook them under the broiler for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until the bacon is cooked through- turning once mid-way through.

3. To serve, line a large platter with lettuce leaves and place the bacon-wrapped scallops on top. Serve with a dish of the spicy mayonnaise for dipping.

Tips:

The number of scallops this recipe will yield depends entirely on the size of your scallops. I like to use large scallops. They shrink a little bit during the broiling process, but they make a nice and hearty appetizer. Tiny scallops just aren't very exciting.

*Ground chili paste can usually be found in your market's Asian product's aisle (I used one called Sambal Oelek). If you have something similar- maybe another spicy sauce, try substituting that (just add a little at a time until you reach your desired level of heat).

*Make ahead tip: Make the sauce ahead of time and refrigerate. Wrap all of your scallops and refrigerate, then just put them under the broiler when you're ready to serve!

CRANBERRY MOJITOS

1 bunch fresh mint, stems trimmed
1/2 cup granulated white sugar

2/3 cup blueberries

1 3/4 Bacardi Superior White Rum
1 1/4 cups lime juice, freshly squeezed
3/4 cup frozen cranberry juice cocktail concentrate, thawed
2 (10 ounce) bottles sparkling water, chilled

1. Using a wooden spoon, mash mint with sugar in bottom of large pitcher. Add rum and lime juice; stir to dissolve sugar.

2. Mix in thawed cranberry juice concentrate and water. Mix in 6 cups of ice.

*Use a little less sugar if you prefer a drink that is a little less sweet.

*Use superfine baking sugar for easier dissolving (found in your grocery's baking section).

Apple Cranberry Pie

For pastry dough:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

2 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening (trans-fat-free)

Rounded 1/4 teaspoon salt

3 to 4 tablespoons ice water

For crumble topping:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 stick unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

For fruit filling:

2 pounds Gala apples (about 5), peeled, cored, and thinly sliced

8 ounces fresh or frozen (not thawed) cranberries

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 stick unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Equipment: a 9 1/2-inch glass deep-dish pie plate (6-cup capacity)

Make pastry:
Blend together flour, butter, shortening, and salt in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps.

Drizzle 3 tablespoon ice water evenly over mixture and gently stir with a fork (or pulse) until incorporated.

Squeeze a small handful: If dough doesn't hold together, add more ice water, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, stirring until incorporated. Do not overwork dough or pastry will be tough.

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 4 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather all dough together (using a pastry scraper if you have one) and form into a 5-inch disk. If dough is sticky, dust lightly with additional flour. Chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.

Make crumble topping:
Stir together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Blend in butter with your fingertips until large clumps form, then stir in pecans. Chill until ready to use.

Make fruit filling:
Stir together apples, cranberries, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and lemon juice in a large bowl.

Assemble pie:
Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in lower third.

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 13-inch round, then fit into pie plate. Trim edge, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang, then fold overhang under and crimp decoratively. Transfer fruit filling to pie shell and dot with butter. Loosely cover with foil and bake until apples droop slightly, about 30 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Sprinkle crumble topping over filling and bake, uncovered, until crumble is browned, filling is bubbling, and apples are tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour more. Cool completely, 2 to 3 hours.

Merry Christmas .. I hope you try this "ROCKIN Seafood Extravaganza" Christmas dinner menu or past it on to Family or friends looking for something different this year.

I'm a person who has baked for years, and this pie is one of the best I've eaten.

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