And Ellen will be giving away a copy of her new book to one lucky commentator, below!
I know it’s a little early to be thinking about Christmas. (Halloween, anyone?!) But It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Murder, my third Catering Hall Mystery, revolves around the holiday season, so bear with me. And who says you have to wait until the holidays to make this tasty dish?
I know it’s a little early to be thinking about Christmas. (Halloween, anyone?!) But It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Murder, my third Catering Hall Mystery, revolves around the holiday season, so bear with me. And who says you have to wait until the holidays to make this tasty dish?
Many Italian Americans celebrate Christmas Eve with what’s known as the Feast of the Seven Fishes. No one knows why the meal is called this, but a seafood-based meal may come from the Roman Catholic tradition of abstaining from meat prior to a feast day.
My Italian family didn’t observe Feast of the Seven Fishes, but I wanted to incorporate it into the plot of my book. And introducing the reader to it necessitated a recipe. I figure a pasta dish incorporating at least two out of the seven fishes is a good foundation upon which to build your own seafood feast.
Note: all the ingredients except for the pasta are made ahead of time and marinated from one hour to overnight for full flavor.
Shrimp, Crab, and Artichoke Cavatelli
(Serves 6-8)
Ingredients:
8 oz. cooked crabmeat, picked clean of shell and cartilage
2 cups cooked shrimp, medium in size (The recipe in the book calls for 1 lb. cooked crabmeat and 1 cup cooked shrimp. I flipped it for this post because crab is so expensive right now.)
4 canned artichokes
Liquid from canned artichokes
1 shallot
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
½ cup chopped parsley
1 cup chopped fresh basil
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus 1 tsp. separated
Juice of two lemons
1/8 salt; more to taste if necessary
Ground pepper to taste
½ lb. cavatelli (or similar pasta)
Directions:
Dice the shallot. Add the teaspoon of oil to a skillet or sauté pan and sauté the diced shallot until it is soft. Set aside to cool.
In a smaller bowl, whisk the olive oil, artichoke liquid, and salt together. (Sidebar: Guess who left the artichokes out of the instructions in the book? Me! So readers, you’re getting a bonus here.)
Pour the liquid into the shellfish mixture and gently stir to combine. Stir in the cooled shallots. Cover the bowl and refrigerator for at least an hour but preferably overnight.
When you’re ready to prepare the dish for dinner, removed the shellfish mixture from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature. Follow the directions that accompany your cavatelli or choice of pasta to cook it until it’s al dente.
Drain the pasta and toss with the shellfish mixture. Serve immediately. You can put out salt, pepper, and lemon juice for any guest who wants to add a dash to their meal, but no cheese. Niente formaggio sul pesce, as the Italians say. No cheese on fish.
About Ellen: Ellen Byron’s Cajun Country Mysteries have won the Agatha award for Best Contemporary Novel and multiple Lefty awards for Best Humorous Mystery. She writes the Catering Hall Mystery series, under the name Maria DiRico, and will debut the Vintage Cookbook Mysteries (as Ellen) in June 2022. Ellen is an award-winning playwright, and non-award-winning TV writer of comedies like WINGS, JUST SHOOT ME, and FAIRLY ODD PARENTS. She has written over two hundred articles for national magazines but considers her most impressive credit working as a cater-waiter for Martha Stewart. She blogs with Chicks on the Case, is a lifetime member of the Writers Guild of America, and will be the 2023 Left Coast Crime Toastmaster. Please visit her at https://www.ellenbyron.com/
About It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Murder: Astoria, Queens, is decorated within an inch of its life for the Christmas season, and Mia Carina is juggling her job at the Belle View catering hall with a case of murder . . .
Mia’s busy with a full schedule of events at the family business—among them an over-the-top Nativity-themed first birthday party and a Sweet Sixteen for a teen drama queen. But her personal life is even more challenging. Her estranged mother has returned—and her lifelong friend Jamie has discovered a shocking secret about his past. He’s so angry that he starts hanging out with Lorenzo, who claims to be his long-lost brother—even after it becomes clear that Lorenzo’s story is as fake as a plastic Christmas tree.
Then a body turns up among the elves in a Santa’s-workshop lawn display, and amateur sleuth Mia has a buffet of suspects to choose from. Amid the holiday celebrations, she intends to find out who’s the guilty party . . .
Italian recipes included!
Now for the GIVEAWAY! For a chance to win a copy of It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Murder, answer this question in the comments: Do you have a traditional dish you serve at the holidays? (And be sure to include your email address!)
Shrimp, Crab, and Artichoke Cavatelli
(Serves 6-8)
Ingredients:
8 oz. cooked crabmeat, picked clean of shell and cartilage
2 cups cooked shrimp, medium in size (The recipe in the book calls for 1 lb. cooked crabmeat and 1 cup cooked shrimp. I flipped it for this post because crab is so expensive right now.)
4 canned artichokes
Liquid from canned artichokes
1 shallot
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
½ cup chopped parsley
1 cup chopped fresh basil
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus 1 tsp. separated
Juice of two lemons
1/8 salt; more to taste if necessary
Ground pepper to taste
½ lb. cavatelli (or similar pasta)
Directions:
Dice the shallot. Add the teaspoon of oil to a skillet or sauté pan and sauté the diced shallot until it is soft. Set aside to cool.
In a smaller bowl, whisk the olive oil, artichoke liquid, and salt together. (Sidebar: Guess who left the artichokes out of the instructions in the book? Me! So readers, you’re getting a bonus here.)
Pour the liquid into the shellfish mixture and gently stir to combine. Stir in the cooled shallots. Cover the bowl and refrigerator for at least an hour but preferably overnight.
When you’re ready to prepare the dish for dinner, removed the shellfish mixture from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature. Follow the directions that accompany your cavatelli or choice of pasta to cook it until it’s al dente.
Drain the pasta and toss with the shellfish mixture. Serve immediately. You can put out salt, pepper, and lemon juice for any guest who wants to add a dash to their meal, but no cheese. Niente formaggio sul pesce, as the Italians say. No cheese on fish.
About Ellen: Ellen Byron’s Cajun Country Mysteries have won the Agatha award for Best Contemporary Novel and multiple Lefty awards for Best Humorous Mystery. She writes the Catering Hall Mystery series, under the name Maria DiRico, and will debut the Vintage Cookbook Mysteries (as Ellen) in June 2022. Ellen is an award-winning playwright, and non-award-winning TV writer of comedies like WINGS, JUST SHOOT ME, and FAIRLY ODD PARENTS. She has written over two hundred articles for national magazines but considers her most impressive credit working as a cater-waiter for Martha Stewart. She blogs with Chicks on the Case, is a lifetime member of the Writers Guild of America, and will be the 2023 Left Coast Crime Toastmaster. Please visit her at https://www.ellenbyron.com/
About It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Murder: Astoria, Queens, is decorated within an inch of its life for the Christmas season, and Mia Carina is juggling her job at the Belle View catering hall with a case of murder . . .
Mia’s busy with a full schedule of events at the family business—among them an over-the-top Nativity-themed first birthday party and a Sweet Sixteen for a teen drama queen. But her personal life is even more challenging. Her estranged mother has returned—and her lifelong friend Jamie has discovered a shocking secret about his past. He’s so angry that he starts hanging out with Lorenzo, who claims to be his long-lost brother—even after it becomes clear that Lorenzo’s story is as fake as a plastic Christmas tree.
Then a body turns up among the elves in a Santa’s-workshop lawn display, and amateur sleuth Mia has a buffet of suspects to choose from. Amid the holiday celebrations, she intends to find out who’s the guilty party . . .
Italian recipes included!
🍗 🌿 🍷
Now for the GIVEAWAY! For a chance to win a copy of It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Murder, answer this question in the comments: Do you have a traditional dish you serve at the holidays? (And be sure to include your email address!)
