With Lent starting on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 14 – which is also Valentine’s Day – Chef Fedele Folino was more than willing to open his restaurant’s doors recently and share a perfect meatless recipe.
This simple dish is not complicated, as it includes ingredients people might already have at home or find at their regular supermarket, Folino, co-owner of Gia Nina’s in Woodbury, N.J., says of his recipe: crab and shrimp in a blush sauce with capellini.
Crab and shrimp in a blush sauce with capellini
Ingredients
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
8-10 medium-large shrimp
1 teaspoon garlic
Pinch of red pepper flakes
2-3 oz. white wine
2 oz. stock, vegetable or seafood for Lent
3-4 oz. tomato passata
3-4 oz. heavy cream
7 oz. cooked capellini pasta
4 oz. crab meat
3-4 oz. Romano cheese
2 tablespoons butter
Fresh basil
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Bring water to a boil, and cook pasta.
- Meanwhile, add extra virgin olive oil to a hot pan. Add shrimp and pinch of salt and sauté for two minutes; add garlic when shrimp are halfway cooked. Stir and add pinch of red pepper flakes.
- As shrimp is almost cooked and garlic starts to turn a golden-brown, add wine to deglaze pan. Cook for about a minute to reduce wine.
- Add stock and stir for about a minute; and tomato passata. After another minute, put in heavy cream and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook to reduce liquid until a bit thickened.
- Add crab meat, pasta, butter and Romano cheese. Stir. Garnish with basil and more cheese, if needed.
For seafood allergies or vegetarians: shrimp and crab meat can be replaced with roasted tomatoes, garlic broccoli, eggplant, zucchini, etc.
For non-dairy: replace butter and cream with non-dairy options like plant butter, coconut cream or cashew cream
For gluten free: replace standard noodles with any gluten free pasta