Tomorrow my transfer over to
wordpress begins. It will take about a week to complete. In the meantime
everything will stay the same and when it changes over, everything will be the
same, but easier.
Menu board: Spruce Home and Garden
I’m thinking now that we
had better weather on the 14th with the rain, than the heat wave we’re having now.
Once again, I want to thank all of the companies that
participated in loaning props or supplying wine. Thank you for your generosity
and for making the arrangements so easy.
Included in the Connecticut Cottages &
Gardens magazine photoshoot were:
DJ Carey, Editorial Director, Connecticut Cottages & Gardens;
http://www.cottages-gardens.com/Connecticut-Cottages-Gardens/;
Randy O’Rourke,
photographer, www.rorphotos.com/(all photos on my blog are taken by me);
Peggy Tagliarino, writer;
Peggy Tagliarino, writer;
Jim Frey of Walker Road Vineyards – Gertrude’s Garden
White Wine, Woodbury, Ct.
Ralph Gorman’s White Silo Farm and Winery, Sherman, Ct.; Sangria
and Sparkling Wine, www.whitesilowinery.com ;
Jackie Mihaley, owner of The Ulster Linen Co.
Inc. www.ulsterlinen.com/;
Lillian August, Norwalk, Ct.
DK Schulman, New Preston, Ct. dkschulmandesign.com/;
Spruce Home and Garden in New Milford
Ct. www.sprucehomeandgarden.com ;
Michael Marchetti of the Marchetti family owned restaurants, including
Columbus Park Trattoria, Stamford, Ct.
(crabs and recipe for Fra Diavolo)
(crabs and recipe for Fra Diavolo)
The long table set up outside. It's covered with butchers wrap paper. Fab disposable crab printed paper place mats (mine, that I bought at Spruce). How perfect!
I wrapped the eating utensils ( wooden mallet, shell crackers, seafood fork, pasta spoon and fork) in large red checkered napkins and tied them with nautical twine. Napkins: Ulster Linen Co.; Wood and glass Lanterns and candles: Spruce Home and Garden; Wooden dough bowls and stone bowls: Lillian August; Red Milk vase: DK Schulman;
We are covered by the tent, expecting rain at any time or all the time. It worked! The wooden dough bowls are lined with newspaper, awaiting the cooked crabs.
Walker Road Vineyards, Gertrude's Garden, white table wine.
The plated Crab Fra Diavolo and spaghetti.
THE PHOTOS OF THE PILES OF COOKED MARYLAND BLUE CRABS and the entire party and prep WILL BE PUBLISHED IN Ct Cottages & Gardens Magazine. I will let you know what issue it will be in.
Having fun in the kitchen after the shoot,
Jeffrey,my daughter Paisley and me with fashion
designer Jeffrey Banks.
Pasta cooking al dente.
Jeffrey, ladling out the sauce on the pasta.
The hard working kitchen work table.
Crab Fra Diavolo with Pasta recipe:
serves 6
recipe: Columbus Park Trattoria, Stamford, Ct.
recipe: Columbus Park Trattoria, Stamford, Ct.
Ingredients :
2- 28oz cans of peeled tomatoes in
water ( separate the water & tomato) crush the tomatoes by hand
4 garlic cloves
4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive
oil
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1/2 cup chopped Italian flat parsley
6 live Maryland Blue crabs
Salt
pepper
chili flakes to taste
1 pound Spaghetti or Linguine
Steam 6 crabs in
boiling water for about 10 minutes. Remove from the pot and let cool for 15
minutes.
When the crabs are cool enough to
handle remove all the legs from the knuckles and also remove the claws and set
aside.
Remove the upper hard shell or body
of the crab. With a pair of kitchen scissors trim the gill-like part of the
crab. Remove the eggs ( if they are female crabs) that are located in the center part of the cavity
leaving a hollow shell. With a knife remove the cap shell where the legs are
attached. You will find all the white lump crab meat. With a spoon scoop out the meat and set aside.
In a large sauce pot heat 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Add the garlic cloves.
When the garlic is browned, add the
crab claws and legs and crab meat. You may want to add some of the body pieces
also for added flavor. Let the crab absorb the garlic and oil. Season with salt
and some chili flakes to taste. Add 1 1/2 cups of dry white wine. Allow the
wine to reduce a little, than add 2 28oz cans of crushed pealed tomatoes. Add
the parsley; cover the pot and simmer for about 20 minutes. Cook your spaghetti
or linguine. When the pasta is cooked al dente and strained return it to the pot it was
cooked in and add some of the sauce, stirring them together over low heat.
Add some more fresh chopped parsley. Place the pasta in a large serving
platter, add the remaining sauce and crabs and serve.
I hope you all had a wonderful July 4th weekend. Happy Very Summer!
As Always,
xxoo Sheila
http://www.marchettimanagement.com
