Shrimp Parmigiano with White Beans and Olives
Serves 4
Ingredients
• 2 15-ounce cans Progresso cannelloni beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups Victoria marinara sauce, or other marinara sauce
• 1⁄2 cup Delallo olive
bruschetta topping, or olive condiment of your choice
• Salt and ground pepper
• 2 tablespoon Bertolli extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1⁄2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed
• 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 1⁄4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1. Preheat the broiler on high.
2. In a large sauté pan, heat the beans, marinara and olive topping over medium-high heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper, if necessary.
3. While the bean stew is simmering, brush a foil-lined broiler pan with the oil. Arrange the shrimp on the foil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the shrimp evenly with cheese.
4. Place the shrimp under the broiler for 3 to 5 minutes. The cheese should bubble and turn golden brown.
5. Divide the bean stew among the four large bowls and lay the shrimp on top. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Rocco’s modern life
The original reality-show chef is back in the kitchen
INTERVIEW. Before there was “Top Chef” and “Hell’s Kitchen,” there was “The Restaurant.” Chef Rocco DiSpirito and financier Jeffrey Chodorow’s televised kitchen meltdown made for tabloid fodder, a long reservation list and many disgruntled employees. But those days are long gone, and while DiSpirito has stepped out of the kitchen, he’s still looking to feed people, albeit in a slightly less brazen way.
With the release of his latest cookbook, “Rocco’s Real Life Recipes: Fast Flavor for Every Day” (Meredith, $20), this chef has made it his mission to take the dread over the “what’s for dinner” question and make each meal as painless to prepare as possible. DiSpirito took the time to fill us in on his latest venture.
Tell me about the book.
The recipes come from my real life, and all the recipes are 10 ingredients or less and most take 30 minutes or less to prepare.
Do you cook for yourself at home?
More than I ever did. I’m back to cooking for the reasons I started. It’s satisfying and when you don’t have to make a business out of it, it’s great.
The chapters are divided by proteins — all meats, I noticed. Are you anti-vegetarian?
I don’t have a problem with vegetarians. My research showed that there aren’t that many vegetarians out there and the demand for vegetarian cookbooks wasn’t that high. I wanted to make a book that served the average cookbook buyer. .... When you live on the east coast you hear a lot about natural, organic, vegetarian and vegan, but when you get to the middle of America, it’s not really a big topic.
So is this book is designed for Middle America?
As opposed to my “Flavor” cookbook, I think this is directly targeted to people who don’t have access to stores like Whole Foods. I shopped in C-Town and A&P and wanted to make sure the ingredients listed were national brands.
Do you miss cooking in restaurants?
Not really. What I loved was the interaction with people and I get to do that now and don’t have to run a stressful business. If you asked me 10 years ago, I would’ve said I would be in this business for the rest of my life. While I didn’t exactly plan to get out of the restaurant businesses, I’m happy. Never say never, of course, but I don’t feel the urgency.