Tagala-what??

Good evening everyone! It's hard to believe that it's December 7th already isn't it? It seems like this year has just flown by and now December is shaping up to cruise on past too! It was almost a month ago already that we saw Curtis Stone give his cooking demonstration at the Iowa Food & Wine Expo. Since that time, Maggie has been patiently waiting to try her hand at cooking the dish we saw Curtis make in person. Tonight, the wait is over -

The Recipe:  Tagliatelle with Crab, Cherry Tomatoes, Garlic, and Chili
Original Recipe Found In:  Food.com / As Seen By Curtis Stone

What You'll Need:

3/4 Cup Light Olive Oil
4 Garlic Cloves (Crushed then chopped)
1/2 Red Chili Pepper
9 Ounces Cherry Tomatoes
1 Onion (Small)
10 Ounces Fresh Tagliatelle (Or Fettuccine Noodles)
9 Ounces Fresh Crab Meat
1 Tablespoon Flat Leaf Parsley (Chopped)
2 Teaspoons Lemon Juice

Good evening everyone!  Tonight, we're doing another recipe inspired by the Food and Wine Expo.  You got a little sample of this dish a couple of weeks ago when Tyler posted a video of Curtis Stone making this dish.  My version is slightly different, but all the same principals apply.  Oh, and did I mention neither of us have had crab before?  This will definitely be an experience tonight!  Let's begin:


Pour the olive oil into a deep, heavy frying pan and heat until shimmering.  Add the garlic, chili, and onion.  Allow the garlic and chili to infuse for three minutes then remove and discard the chili.  If you don't want your dish to be super hot from the chili, add a dash of red pepper flakes or red pepper seasoning in place of the chili.  Add the tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes, until they begin to soften and the oil takes on a golden orange hue.  

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the tagliatelle and cook for three minutes and return to saucepan. Remember, since the noodles are fresh, the cooking time is greatly reduced. Mix the crab with the tomato mixture over a medium heat and cook briefly, stirring gently, until just warmed through. Since most packaged crab is already cooked (via flash steaming) all you really have to do is heat the crab. Season with salt and pepper - and a splash of white wine, just  enough for seasoning.

Add the sauce to the tagliatelle and stir off the heat for one to two minutes.  Season with salt and pepper, add a squeeze of lemon juice and a little of the parsley and serve immediately, topping each portion with a further sprinkling of parsley.  Enjoy!


The End Result:

As Maggie mentioned, neither of us had tried crab in our lifetime. I have tried other forms of shellfish and found myself to be indifferent to them. Don't hate them, don't love them. That's sort of where tonight's dish falls. Didn't hate it, didn't love it. If you are a big fan of crab or seafood in general, you're going to love this dish. The crab's flavor infuses with the garlic, onion and tomatoes to create a very flavorful (and aromatic) dish.

If you're like us, however, and are not all that fond of crab - you're simply going to enjoy the dish (As I put it - "It's good, but I wouldn't order it off a menu") After all, crab is the dominant flavor in the dish and if all you can muster when someone says crab is 'meh' then you're probably not the target audience for this particular recipes. Sometimes you win, sometimes you make a great dish that your audience doesn't exactly have taste buds for. Tonight, Maggie hit on the latter.

That's all we have for you this evening. I will be taking to the kitchen tomorrow evening with a dish that I'm very eager to try. It should be interesting (as always right?) so be sure to stop by tomorrow night to see what I've got cooking. Until next time,

~Cheers