The Lemon Vinaigrette Makes This Salad Outstanding!

When I gave a bridal shower for my daughter Randi in May of 2006, of course I went all out. Randi is the sweetest, most wonderful daughter to me, and as far as I’m concerned, nothing I can ever do for her is enough. I held the shower at my boyfriend Jim’s house in Bricktown, New Jersey. We had about 40 people as guests. Anyway, it was a wonderful day. The weather was beautiful, and the guests were able to sit out by the pool. I had worked hard for weeks before doing as much as possible in advance. Most of my preparations, though took place during the week of the shower, which was a little difficult since I didn’t take one day off from work. The food spread was incredible! Here is the menu: macaroni and cheese casserole, french toast bread pudding, noodle kugel, mushroom, spinach, and Gruyere egg casserole, a strata (which I really didn’t like), lime jello mold, tossed salad with vinaigrette, tuna salad and egg salad, sliced cheeses, bagels and assorted cream cheeses, and finally, incredible smoked fish platters from the amazing Jerry and Harvey’s Delicatessen in Marlboro, NJ (their appetizing stuff is the best!). Luckily, I did get a little help. My Aunt Sally Hindes made the egg salad, and my mother, Shirley Fried, made her lime jello mold. But you have to understand, that I’m not complaining. I loved making everything for the shower. I live for these family milestones, and I love every second of the preparations involved. Of course, we had dessert, and everything was homemade (by me). I baked cheesecake, carrot cake, my vanilla cake with chocolate frosting, chocolate chip cookies, jam diagonals, oatmeal cookies, and rugeluch. The food was wonderful, but the real reason the shower was so outstanding was because of how sweet and incredible Randi is. How lucky I am to be blessed with Randi as a daughter.

for the vinaigrette:

• juice from 1 large lemon (about ¼ cup)
• ½ cup olive oil (I use a combination of light and extra virgin)
• 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

For this particular party, I made a huge salad so I doubled the recipe for the vinaigrette as follows:

• ½ cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 large lemons)
• 1 cup olive oil (combination of light and extra virgin)
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

In a mixing bowl, whisk the lemon juice, the oregano, the salt, the pepper, and the garlic. Then add the oil slowly as you continue to whisk. You can make this earlier in the day, and put it in a plastic container with a tight fitting lid. Then when you are ready to use it, give it a few good shakes, and pour it over the salad right before you serve the salad.

for a really big salad:

a combination of romaine and green leaf lettuce

2 English cucumbers, sliced lengthwise and then cut in half

2 pints of cherry tomatoes, halved

1 red onion, sliced thinly

2 large red bell peppers, cut into ½ inch pieces

1 large green bell pepper, cut into ½ inch pieces

Note: Possible additions to the salad include black or green olives, radishes, 4-8 ounces of feta cheese crumbled, good croutons

My son Danny loves chicken, so I am always trying to come up with  updated and delicious recipes to try out on him.  I made this recipe last week, and he went absolutely gaga over it.  I’ve already made it twice since then, and I think he loves it so much, he could eat it at least once a week.  This chicken is extremely tasty and very healthy, too!

for the chicken: 

• 1 pound of thin sliced chicken cutlets
• kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
• 3 garlic cloves, minced  
• about 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves (if you have both fresh thyme and fresh oregano, use a combination of the two)
• olive oil (I use light)

for the tomatoes and shallots:

• 6-7 plum tomatoes, cut into chunks (each chunk should be about 1/2 the size of a cherry tomato)
• 4-6 shallots, small dice
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• about 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• olive oil

to pull it all together:

• 1 cup of chicken broth or stock
• 1 can (15 oz.) of white beans, drained
• a little more fresh thyme (or fresh thyme and oregano)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  On half sheet pan, drizzle about 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Then place tomato chunks on pan along with chopped shallots.  Sprinkle with minced garlic, thyme leaves, kosher salt, and some cracked black pepper.  Toss to coat with the olive oil.  Cook for about  45 min. to 1 hour or until tomatoes start to shrink and shallots are beginning to carmelize.

Right after you put the tomatoes and shallots in the oven, prepare your chicken.  Place the cutlets on a sheet pan which you have drizzled with olive oil.  Season the cutlets with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle the cutlets with the minced garlic and the thyme (or the thyme and oregano).  Put in the oven and bake for about 20-30 minutes until cooked through, depending on the thickness of the chicken.  Let cool for a few minutes, and then cut into bite sized pieces. 

In a large skillet, pour about 1 cup of chicken stock, add the drained beans, the cut up chicken, and the roasted tomatoes and shallots.  Sprinkle with about 1 more teaspoon of fresh thyme or a combination of fresh thyme and oregano. Mix gently, and heat together over a medium flame for about 3-4 minutes until beans are heated through.  Reseason if necessary with salt and pepper.  Serve.

 Notes:  You can substitute 1 pint of cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes cut in half for the plum tomatoes.  I used canneloni beans, but you can substitute any type of canned white beans.

If you buy fresh oregano or fresh thyme, you can store it in a ziploc bag covered with a damp paper towel, and it will keep for a few weeks.

I wanted to make a lighter version of lasagna, but without sacrificing any flavor.  I added spinach to make the dish a little healthier.  I used my simplest homemade marinara sauce.  The homemade sauce makes all the difference!

for the marinara sauce:

about 1/3 cup olive oil ( I use light)

2 28-ounce cans of crushed tomatoes (preferably Sclafani brand; these crushed tomatoes are so delicious, you could eat them right out of the can!)

1 medium onion, medium dice

3 large garlic cloves, grated

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

1/4 to 1/2 cup water

for the lasagna rolls:

about 1 pound uncooked lasagna noodles (do not use the no-boil noodles)

1 15 oz. container ricotta cheese (either whole milk or part skim)

1 10 oz. box of frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry

1 large egg

1 pound of grated mozzarella cheese, divided (I usually use whole milk)

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves (I prefer thyme)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

light sprinkling of red pepper flakes

some freshly cracked black pepper

for the sauce:

In large deep skillet or saucepan, pour the live oil.  Sprinkle in the red pepper flakes and the diced onion.  Saute for about 4 minutes over medium flame until onion is translucent.  Grate in the garlic, and saute 1 more minute.  Pour in the crushed tomatoes, sprinkle in the salt and the freshly cracked pepper.  Cover and simmer over lowest flame for about 20 minutes.  Sprinkle in the fresh thyme leaves and stir.  Add about 1/4 cup water if sauce is really thick.  You may even need another 1/4 cup of water.  This will make about 2 quarts of sauce.  You will need about 1 quart of sauce for this recipe. You can freeze the leftover sauce.

for the lasagna rolls:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. 

In a medium mixing bowl, mix the ricotta, the spinach, one cup of the Parmesan or Romano cheese, salt, red pepper flakes, freshly ground pepper, 1 large egg, 1 cup of grated mozzarella, the fresh thyme leaves or the freshly chopped basil, and about 1/4 cup of reserved pasta water.  Set aside.

Boil lasagna noodles until cooked, reserving some pasta water.  Rinse under cold water, and lay noodles out on sheet pan. 

Spoon some marinara sauce on the bottom of a 9 by 13 oval or rectangular baking dish (sauce should be about 1/8 inch high in pan).  Take one lasagna noodle, and spoon about 3 tablespoons of the spinach cheese mixture on the noodle. Then with a knife or rubber spatula, smooth the mixture evenly on the entire noodle.  Roll the noodle up, and place seem side down in the dish.  Repeat with each lasagna noodle.  You should have enough filling for about 17 noodles.  Then spoon some marinara sauce on top of each lasagna roll.  Sprinkle lightly with the 2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan or Romano.  Then sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese over each roll. 

Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil.  Bake until heated through, about 20 minutes.  Uncover and bake until the cheese on top becomes golden, about 15 minutes longer.  Let stand for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, heat some leftover marinara sauce and serve it alongside.

Notes:

I usually try to buy mozzarella that is not pre-grated in the bag, because the pre-grated mozzarella is just not as good.  It is very easy to grate the cheese yourself, it is less expensive, and it is just better all-round.

I make this and freeze it unbaked.  Then I let it defrost in the refrigerator the day I want to bake it.

This Dish Is A Treat For Your Tastebuds!

This is a wonderful dish that I concocted and cooked for my daughter Randi and her husband Dan last summer.  They are both huge aficionados of Greek food and they were getting ready to go on a trip to Greece.  They wanted to get into the spirit of things, so I cooked them a shrimp dish with a distinctive Greek flavor.  They both went crazy for this dish!  

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 5-6 garlic cloves minced
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 pint of grape or cherry tomatoes, halved if you are using larger cherry tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 pound of raw extra large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/2 cup of fresh Italian parsley, chopped and divided 1/4 cup and 1/4 cup
• 4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
• 1/2 pound of spaghetti
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (use a little of the grated rind if you like a more intense lemony flavor) 
• a few grinds of freshly cracked pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Heat the olive oil in a large skillet.  Add the red pepper flakes and the minced garlic.  Saute 1 minute over low flame.  Add the tomatoes.  Sprinkle the tomatoes with the salt and 1/4 cup of the parsley.  Saute over medium flame until the tomatoes start to look soft or cracked- about 3-4 minutes.  Add the shrimp, and cook for about 3-4 minutes just until the shrimp are starting to not look raw.  Take off stove.  Put into casserole dish.  Sprinkle crumbled feta on top and bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes. Take out of oven and sprinkle shrimp with reserved 1/4 cup chopped parsley and 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice and a little freshly cracked black pepper.   

Cook spaghetti while shrimp is in the oven.   When you are ready to serve, put a portion of spaghetti on each dinner plate, and then a portion of the shrimp on top of the spaghetti.

Notes: 

1.  You can serve over rice instead of over spaghetti.

2.  You can prepare the dish ahead up until the point where you put the shrimp in the casserole dish, cover it and then refrigerate it.  About a half hour before you put it in the 400 degree oven, take it out of the fridge and let it come up to room temperature.  Then bake in the 400 degree oven for 10 minutes.

THIS IS A VERSATILE, AUTHENTIC ITALIAN MARINARA SAUCE YOU CAN MAKE IN 30 MINUTES AND YOU CAN USE WITH CHICKEN PARMESAN, BAKED ZITI, LASAGNA, PIZZA, OR TO GO WITH YOUR FAVORITE PASTA!

Recently, I developed a new recipe for marinara sauce, and it was so rich and delicious, and so so easy to make.  This marinara sauce is as good as any I have eaten in any Italian restaurant!  I have used it to make my chicken Parmesan, my baked ziti,and for pasta with marinara, and it is superb!  You just have to try it!

• 1/4 cup of olive oil (I use light)
• 3 large garlic cloves, grated (Use a micro-plane and grate garlic right into the pot)
• about 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 medium onion, diced 
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
• about 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, or 1/4 teaspoon dried herbes de Provence
• 2  28 oz. cans good crushed tomatoes (the quality of the tomatoes makes a huge difference.  I love the brand, Sclafani- the tomatoes are incredible)

Over low flame, pour oil into pot.  Sprinkle in red pepper flakes.  Saute for a minute.  Then cook onions about 3 min.  until translucent.  Add garlic, salt, and pepper.  Saute for one minute more.  Pour tomatoes in.  Put thyme in.  Cover and simmer over low flame about 20 -30 min.  Taste and re-season.  If sauce seems too thick, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water.  

Note:  I got the idea from watching Rachel Ray to use the micro-plane to grate the garlic, and it’s a great idea!

This Is The Best Recipe For Passover Spinach Pie Or Passover Spanikopita!

Last year, our wonderful friends, the Slotnicks, invited us over for a Passover Seder.  I wanted to bring a main course dish that my daughter and her husband, who are both vegetarians, would enjoy.  My daughter loves the Greek dish called spanikopita or spinach pie, so I decided to create my own Passover version of it.  It turned out delicious!  And it only took about 30 minutes to prepare.  We’re getting very close to Passover, and I definitely plan to make this Passover spanikopita for Seder or just for a light dinner this year!

• about 6 matza boards
• 5 extra large or jumbo eggs (3 for filling, 2 for pouring over the top)
• 1-10 ounce box of frozen spinach, defrosted and drained well
• 8 ounces of feta cheese, crumbled
• 1/2 of a medium onion, chopped finely
• about 1/2 teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon of dried dill or 2 tablespoons of fresh chopped dill
• about 2-3 tablespoons of butter or margarine, plus extra for greasing the pan

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Grease sides and bottom of  a 9 x 13 pyrex or ceramic baking dish well with butter or margarine. 

In a medium mixing bowl, gently mix the drained spinach with the crumbled feta, the chopped raw onion, 3 eggs the pepper, and the dill; set aside.  

Soak about 3 matzas in warm water in another 9 x 13 baking dish.  When the matza starts to soften, gently squeeze the water out, very carefully, so that you don’t crumble the matza.  Then place the matzas in the bottom of the pan to cover it.  Do not overlap the matza; just lay it side by side covering the bottom of the pan the way you would if you were making lasagna. 

Spread the entire spinach mixture evenly over the matza, covering the matza completely.  Then soak another 3 matzas in warm water, gently squeeze out excess water, and place the matza over the top of the spinach, covering the spinach completely.  Beat the remaining 2 eggs and pour over the matza.  Dot with butter or margarine.  Bake covered for about 30 minutes till hot and bubbly. 

Note #1:  You can prepare this in advance and refrigerate this up until the step where you pour the 2 beaten eggs over the matza.  Then when you wish to bake it, let it come to room temperature for about 30 minutes, pour the 2 beaten eggs over it, dot it with butter or margarine and bake covered, for about 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. 

Note #2:  You may substitute 1 pound of fresh spinach for the frozen, but you will need to saute it (very briefly) in a little oil, butter or margarine, just until it wilts and turns a dark green before you mix it with the feta, egg, onion, pepper, and dill. I like to use the frozen spinach, because 1-16 ounce box of frozen spinach is equivalent to much more than 1 pound of fresh spinach.

My cousin Debbie e-mailed me a recipe for fish that her husband Philip made for her a few days ago that sounded really delicious to me.  I made it last night for my son Danny and me.  It was as good as Debbie said it would be.  When Danny ate it, he said it looked and tasted as good as food from a fancy restaurant in New York City!  The great thing was that because I bought the fish on sale, the whole dish cost less than $10.00, and if we ate this out in a nice restaurant in New York City, it would have cost about $27.00 per person, or $54.00 for the two of us!  I made 1 pound of fish, which really was too much for only two people, but of course we ate it all, because it was just so delicious!

• 1 pound of fish fillet (I used pollack which is similar to cod, but Philip used mahi mahi, so I recommend any mild fish that is a little thicker than flounder)
• 1 box of grape tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1 medium onion, cut into a small to medium dice
• about 3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped 
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• a few tablespoons of olive oil (I used light olive oil, but you could use extra virgin)
• 1 tablespoon of fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped (optional)
• fresh lemon slices for serving (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a cast iron or other oven proof skillet, heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil over a medium flame.  Put the diced onions in, and sprinkle with a little salt and a few grinds of black pepper.  Cook for a minute or two, and then add all the tomatoes and the garlic.  Continue to cook over a medium flame.  Mix every so often.  Cook for about 10 minutes or so, just until the onions and tomatoes start to get a little carmelized.  When that happens, transfer the vegetable mixture to a bowl and set aside (You may mix in the chopped parsley at this point if you happen to have it). 

In the same skillet,  add about 1 tablespoon of oil, and put the heat on medium.  Sprinkle the fish on one side with kosher salt and about 10 grinds of black pepper.  Put the fish in the skillet seasoned side down.  Then season the tops of the fish with some more grinds of pepper.  Cook no more than 1 minute on each side.  The fish cooks really fast, especially in a cast iron skillet.  Then spoon the tomatoes, onions, and garlic over the fish, and place the skillet in the preheated oven to finish the cooking.  The cooking time at this point will depend on the thickness of the fish.  I kept the fish in the oven for about 5 minutes.  Bring to the table and serve right from the cast iron skillet.

Note:  You could substitute shallots or red onion for the onion, and you could add a few fresh sliced mushrooms too, when you saute the vegetables.  You could also eliminate the salt, and just use the pepper.

If You Want A Recipe For Easy To Make, Authentic Maryland Style Crab Cakes, This Recipe Is A Winner!

When I got married, I loved going with my husband, Joe to visit his Aunt Francine and Uncle Richard Shure and their two children, Andi and Kenny in their home in the suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland.  Aunt Frannie and Uncle Richard were the warmest, most loving, and most fun people to be with.  But on top of that, Francine was an incredible cook, so of course I loved being invited over to their house, because I knew there would be some sort of delicious food there to eat!  Everybody in that family loved crabs and they especially loved Aunt Frannie’s  crab cakes.  Her recipe for crab cakes is so easy to make and so delicious, even a beginner cook can make them!  

• 1 pound of lump crabmeat (picked over to remove any bits of shell)
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 extra large or jumbo egg
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon  dry mustard or 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
• 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup seasoned or plain bread crumbs

Preheat oven to broil.  Cover a half sheet pan with heavy duty aluminum foil, and spray it with Pam or grease it with butter, margarine, or oil.

In large mixing bowl, mix bread crumbs, egg, mayonnaise, worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, mustard, and Old Bay.  Add the crabmeat.  Gently fold the crabmeat in with a rubber spatula to avoid breaking the nice, big pieces of lump crabmeat. If the mixture seems too dry, add another tablespoon of mayonnaise.  Shape the mixture into 6 cakes, the way you would would make hamburger patties.  You want the crabcakes to be about 1 inch thick and about 3 inches in diameter. 

Place the crabcakes on the prepared pan.  Broil about 5 minutes on each side. 

Note:  Francine’s original recipe calls for using Italian seasoned bread crumbs, but if you want to cut down on salt, I suggest using plain bread crumbs because there are plenty of tasty spices already going on in this recipe. 

This Recipe For Spaghetti and Marinara Sauce Is Light And Healthy! 

For years, whenever I made spaghetti, I made my recipe for spaghetti with meat sauce.  But when my daughter Randi was in fourth grade, she started to not like eating meat in general.  I realized that I needed to master the art of cooking a really good marinara sauce.  It did take quite a bit of experimenting before I hit on really good recipe that my kids really liked.  I love the fact that this recipe makes about 4 quarts, because then I can freeze 3 quarts and always have some homemade sauce on hand in the freezer.  I use this sauce for my baked ziti, my homemade pizza, for eggplant parmesan, and of course for any type of pasta over marinara sauce.  You will be happy and your family will be very happy when you make this, I promise!

for the marinara sauce:

 This recipe makes about 4-5 quarts of sauce, so if you wish to make less, just halve each ingredient.  

• 4- 28 ounce cans of peeled plum tomatoes in thick puree or tomato juice (I prefer the puree because it makes the sauce a little thicker)
• 1- 8 ounce can of tomato paste
• 1 very large or 2 medium onions
• 6-8 cloves of garlic
• extra virgin, pure, or light olive oil (I use the light)
• kosher salt
• crushed red pepper
• fresh ground black pepper
• scant teaspoon granulated sugar
• herbes de provence
• freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese for serving

Peel and quarter the onions.  Put them in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade.  Pulse the onions until they are almost pureed; they will have the consistency of apple sauce (this adds body and flavor to the sauce without the pieces of onions that many children find objectionable). Then peel the garlic cloves, and crush them using a garlic press.  Set the garlic aside. Put about 1/4 cup of olive oil in the bottom of a pretty big and heavy pot over a low to medium flame.  Put about 1/2 teaspoon of crushed pepper in the oil. (I’ve been using my Le Creuset dutch oven lately, but for years, I made this sauce in my big Farberware pot, and it came out just as good.)  After a minute or so, dump the onions in, and saute them until they are really translucent and soft.  Then add the crushed garlic and cook for another minute or two.  

Rinse out the bowl and blade of the food processor, and then put all the whole tomatoes in, reserving all the puree or juice.  Pulse the tomatoes, until they are quite, but not totally smooth.  You want the tomatoes to still have just a little bit of texture to them, but they should not be in large chunks. Dump the tomatoes into the onion and garlic mixture, and add all of the puree from the cans.  Then, add the one can of tomato paste.

Add kosher salt to taste, about 2 teaspoons, and some freshly ground pepper, about 8 grinds, put the top on, and simmer over a low to medium flame for about 30-45 minutes.  Then, taste the sauce.  At this point, I usually add a little less than a teaspoon of sugar, and about 1/4 teaspoon of herbes de provence.  If you can’t find herbes de provence, you can substitute an Italian seasoning blend.  You may also need to add more salt, and a little more crushed red pepper - if you like your sauce to have a little more heat.  Simmer it (cover on) for another  45 min. or an hour over a low flame so that all the flavors can meld with the tomatoes.

to put the whole thing together:

• 1 pound of spaghetti or your favorite pasta
• 3/4 quart, about 28 ounces of marinara sauce
• freshly grated parmesan or romano cheese

Bring 1 large pot of water to a boil.  Place pasta in water. Stir around to separate the noodles.  Cook according to package directions to your liking.  Drain in collander.  Then place the pasta back in the pot you cooked it in.  (For 1 pound of pasta, add about 3/4 cup of already heated sauce.  For 1 1/2 pounds of pasta, you will need 1 quart of sauce.)  Then over a low heat, just stir the sauce gently so it coats the pasta.  Serve with freshly grated romano or parmesan cheese on the side.

Note:  For pasta, I love the brand DeCeco because the pasta really stays al dente even if you cook it a little longer.   

Learn To Make This Amazing Shrimp With Feta Cheese And Pan-Roasted Tomatoes Tastes Wonderful And Looks As Pretty As A Picture!

My daughter Randi and her husband Dan are healthy eaters. They use as many organic products as possible in their cooking and they are vegetarians. They do eat seafood and fish, though. One day last summer, Randi asked me to come over and cook with her. She wanted to prepare something new and special for her husband Dan. She also wanted to make something with a Greek flavor to it, since she and Dan were gearing up for a trip to Greece. Randi and I came up with our own amazing recipe using shrimp, tomatoes, and feta cheese. It turned out fabulous, and Dan loved it. He said it was the best shrimp dish he had eaten. It is fresh tasting, and very satisfying.

• 1 pound extra large fresh or frozen raw shrimp
• 1 pint whole grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes
• 2-4 ounces of good feta cheese, which you break into small pieces
• 5-6 garlic cloves, minced (sliced very thinly)
• 1 fresh lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• fresh parsley (chop 1/2 cup - 1/4 cup + 1/4 cup and set aside)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• light or extra virgin olive oil, depending upon your preference
• 1/2 pound spaghetti or penne for serving (rice can be substitued)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet. Add minced garlic cloves

and 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, and saute over a medium flame

just for 1 minute. Add tomatoes. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon kosher salt

and a few grinds of black pepper. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup chopped fresh

parsley. Saute until tomatoes just start to look soft and are beginning to

crack- about 3-4 minutes. Then, add shrimp and cook over a medium to

high heat for 5 minutes just until shrimp are starting to NOT look raw.

Take off stove. Pour everything in pan into an oven proof casserole dish.

Then sprinkle the 2-4 ounces of feta cheese, depending upon how much

cheese you want in the dish, on top. Bake for 10 minutes. Take out of oven

and sprinkle with another 1/4 cup of fresh chopped parsley, 2 tablespoons

of fresh lemon juice and some additional cracked pepper.

Serve over pasta or rice.

Note: I recommend that you serve this over spaghetti or rice. The presentation looks best when you place a portion of spaghetti or penne on each dinner plate, and then spoon one portion of shrimp with tomatoes and feta on top of the pasta. I do not recommend that you mix the spaghetti all together with the shrimp. If you want to serve this family style, then put all the spaghetti, penne, or rice on the bottom of a serving platter, and then carefully spoon the contents of the baking dish on top. Mixing all the ingredients together will take away from the eye appeal of the dish.