Fideos ♥ Hello my little friend

While trying to organize my move to Word Press, I came across this post from two years ago.

 I thought it would make a wonderful dish for a cold winter's night so I updated the pictures and am introducing it again.

Fideos....pasta
Simple....you betcha
Tasty....off the hook
Recipe....anything goes

Fideos? Fideos is a paella with pasta or risotto without the rice.
A Latin pasta one-pot wonder. There are as many ways to make fideos as there is paella or risotto.
I prefer my fideos with shrimp and I will tell you why. The creamy saffron sauced pasta with the briny spicy crunchy shrimp topped with a snazzy garlic aioli will make your tongue tingle.

Want to be a rock star in the kitchen? Make this, seriously.
I will give you the easy peasy version as well as a traditional version, both are wonderful.

I have seen Daisy Martinez make her Puerto Rican version as well as Joanne Weir making a version she had in Spain. One is a paella-style and Joanne's is a risotto-style. Both use basically the same ingredients just a different outcome. I have made both and I like them both.

Although this has steps, the aioli and shrimp can be made ahead of time and the actual dish only takes about 30 minutes to prepare.

First we will make the one I made today.

Shrimp Fideos
Makes 2 servings

Pasta
* 1/4 pound whole wheat angel hair pasta, broken into 2" pieces (I use Ronzoni Smart Taste)
* 1 dozen fresh caught USA shrimp, veined & shelled (frozen is fine)
* 1/2 cup chopped onion
* 2 cloves garlic, sliced thin
* 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
* 1 cup chicken stock
* 1 cup clam juice
* Pinch saffron
* 1 teaspoon tomato paste
* 1 teaspoon olive oil
* 1/4 cup white wine
* Handful of peas
* 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese (optional)



Shrimp
* Creole seasonings
* salt & pepper
* canola oil

Aioli
* 1 egg yolk
* 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
* 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
* 3 cloves roasted garlic (you can use fresh)
* salt & pepper
* Hot sauce
* 1/2 cup canola oil

1. Preheat toaster oven to 350°. Toast pasta for 8 minutes. Remove and cool.
2. Bring chicken broth and clam juice to a simmer and add the pinch of saffron. Cover and keep low simmer.
2. In skillet, heat olive oil and saute onions and garlic. Add tomato paste and red pepper flakes. When bottom of pan starts to brown, deglaze with wine.
3. Add pasta and 1 ladle of saffron infused broth. As soon as is gets dry add more liquid. Continue until pasta is cooked. Add peas, cover and remove off heat.
4. Sprinkle shrimp with creole seasonings and mix in a small amount of canola oil.
Preheat cast iron pan (or thick bottomed skillet) for 4 minutes on medium heat and sear shrimp on both sides, being careful to not overcook, about 2 minutes each side). Remove from skillet and place on top of pasta. Cover and keep warm.
5. In bowl of processor add yolk, roasted garlic, vinegar, salt & pepper, hot sauce and Dijon mustard. Process till smooth and with motor running, slowly drip the canola oil into the spout.
6. When the mixture starts to thicken, taste for seasonings and adjust if need be. The mixture should be thick but loose enough to pour easily. We are not making mayonnaise, just a sauce.
7. Serve the pasta on a platter, top with shrimp and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.
8. Sauce is spooned over the shrimp at the table on each dinner plate.

Now for the paella-style dish.

Fideos a la Cazuela (Rustic Noodle Casserole)
serves 5

This traditional dish is often served in a terra-cotta cazuela clay pan. A popular variation is to cook this dish in a paella pan with the amount of liquid reduced to make a Fidua, which results in a paella-type dish, but with noodles in place of rice.

Ingredients
* 8 ounces(250g) Short Noodles (fideos or angel hair cut into 1 inch lengths)
* 1/2 pound boneless Pork
* 7 cups Fish Stock (alternately, you may substitute bouillon)
* 2 cloves Garlic
* 5 tablespoons Tomate Frito or Tomato Sauce
* 1 teaspoons Smoked Paprika
* 3 tablespoons grated Manchego Cheese
* 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive oil
* 1 sprig Parsley
* Mediterranean Sea Salt to taste

Instructions

Bring the fish stock to a boil, then set the hot liquid aside until needed. Cut the pork into cubes, season with salt and pepper to taste, then set aside until needed. Chop the garlic together with a sprig of parsley and fry in a cazuela with the olive oil. When the garlic begins to brown, add the meat and stir well to coat it in oil before adding the tomato sauce. Stir well and simmer for 10 minutes on a low heat, then add the noodles, the paprika, and the hot fish stock. Stir well to mix all the ingredients together and cook for a further 10 minutes. When the noodles are tender or al-dente, add salt to taste and serve with grated cheese sprinkled on top.

Both terrific, one a meat dish, one with seafood, but the variations are as endless as your imagination. The shrimp one was so good The Nudge told me I have gotten very good cooking really punched up dishes and would like this again.