Recipe Talk

Chef Tommy Cvitanovich, DRAGO'S: OYSTER PASTA
Ingredients:

24 Louisiana oysters and their water

2 Tbsp. Bordelaise sauce (chopped garlic, parsley, and olive oil)

6-9 ounces of your favorite cream sauce or Alfredo sauce

Parmesan cheese for garnish

Romano cheese for garnish

Green onions for garnish -- thinly sliced

Add the Bordelaise sauce to skillet and saute. Add the oysters and their water. Cook the oysters until they have a puffed or have a fluffy look, about 3-5 minutes. Add the cream sauce or Alfredo sauce. Bring to a simmer and pour over angel hair pasta and serve. Garnish with Parmesan and Romano cheeses and thin-sliced green onions.

And of course, you can add additional flavor to any Louisiana Seafood recipe with a few shakes of TABASCO brand Pepper Sauce.

Three wines suggested for this dish: a 2002 Chateaude la Ragotiere; a 2003 Chablis La Chan Fleure; and a 2004 Sincerely Sauvignon Blanc.

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Drago's Eggplant Souffle In Tomato-Basil Sauce

Serving Size: 2

Ingredients:

celestino drago

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

los angeles restaurant

2 tablespoon bread crumbs

7 japanese eggplants

2 eggs

1 zucchini

1 tablespoon butter

1 sweet red pepper

--tomato-basil sauce

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoon olive oil

1 md potato -- thinly sliced

1/2 tablespoon chopped onion

1/2 md onion -- thinly sliced

3 cup diced tomatoes

3 tablespoon =to1 bunch basil

4 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

salt

1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano

1 tablespoon butter

salt

1 tablespoon flour

1 tomato -- seeded and peeled

Cooking Directions:

IL TIMBALLO DI MELANZANE CON PREA DI POMODORO (Drago's Eggplant Souffle in
Tomato-Basil Sauce) Peel eggplants, cut into cubes and set aside. Cut
whole zucchini into quarters. Remove centers and discard. Cut remaining
zucchini into cubes and set aside. Repeat process with pepper and set
aside.

Heat oil in saute pan, add eggplant cubes, potato, onion, basil and
oregano and season to taste with salt. Saute until golden. Add tomato and
cook approximately 10 minutes.

Pour eggplant mixture into food processor and blend until smooth. Add
Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs and eggs into processor and blend 5 seconds.

Lace 8 (6-ounce) timbals with butter. Cover bottom of cup with chopped
zucchini and pepper and fill rest of cup with processed eggplant mixture.
Cook in bain marie at 350 degrees 40 minutes.

Remove timbales from oven and let standing warm place 15 minutes.

When ready to serve, spoon small amount Tomato-Basil Sauce on individual
serving plates, then flip souffle cups onto top of each plate. Serve warm.
Makes 8 servings.

Drago serves these individual souffles as appetizers at his restaurant.
It's a wonderful use of eggplant, one of the most commonly used vegetables
in Sicily. It's essential that you use good Parmesan- the cheese is what
rounds out the flavor.

For Tomato-Basil Sauce:

Place olive oil and onion in saucepan and saute until golden. Add
tomatoes, basil and season to taste with salt. Cook 10 minutes on low
heat.

Melt butter in separate pan, add flour and mix well. Add butter- flour
mixture to tomato sauce and cook few more minutes. Remove basil leaves
from sauce and blend sauce in blender until smooth and creamy. Makes 2
cups.

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Chef Tommy Cvitanovich, Drago's: Portabella and Oyster Appetizer
Ingredients:

3 marinated portabella mushrooms (see recipe)

3 Louisiana oysters per mushroom

Olive oil

Balsamic vinegar

Chopped parsley

A pinch of Creole seasoning

Grill marinated mushroom caps till soft. In pan, saute oysters in extra virgin olive oil. Place sauteed oysters on mushroom caps and top with balsamic vinegar and chopped parsley and Creole seasoning.

And of course, you can add additional flavor to any Louisiana Seafood recipe with a few shakes of TABASCO brand Pepper Sauce.

Marinated Mushrooms

Ingredients:

3 Portabella mushrooms (caps only)

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 ounces red wine vinegar

1 ounce soy sauce

5 peeled garlic cloves

Mix and marinate overnight, fully covering mushroom caps.

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Chef Tommy Cvitanovich, Drago's: Lobster Empire
Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb. lobster (boiled 12 minutes)

Angel hair pasta

After lobster is boiled, cut lobster in half and clean. Pour hot angel hair pasta on open lobster and top with empire sauce (see recipe).

Empire Sauce

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sliced mushrooms

1/2 cup diced white onions

Extra virgin olive oil

1 cup Louisiana oysters

1/2 cup oyster water

1 cup favorite cream sauce, hollandaise sauce or alfredo sauce

Saute the mushrooms and onions in pan with extra virgin olive oil until caramelized. Add the oysters, oyster water and your favorite sauce, either cream sauce, hollandaise or Alfredo sauce. Serve this sauce over Lobster and angel hair pasta.

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Chef Tommy Cvitanovich, Drago's: Charbroiled Oysters
Ingredients:

1/2 dozen Louisiana oysters

1 tbsp. butter garlic sauce (see recipe)

Parmesan cheese and Romano cheese

On outside grill, place half dozen oysters (on the halfshell). Put 1 tbsp. butter garlic sauce (see recipe) and sprinkle Parmesan cheese and Romano cheese on each oyster and allow to saute in shell till oysters curl. Serve hot.

Caution: We recommend cooking on an outside grill because of intense heat and smoke.

Butter and Garlic Sauce

Ingredients:

10 ounces melted margarine or butter

1 tbsp. black pepper, white pepper, granulated garlic

3 tbsp. minced garlic

And of course, you can add additional flavor to any Louisiana Seafood recipe with a few shakes of TABASCO brand Pepper Sauce."

WDSU.com

Chef Tommy Cvitanovich, DRAGO'S: OYSTER BROCHETTE

Ingredients:

6 plump Louisiana oysters

Three 10-inch bamboo skewers

3 strips of smoked bacon

Wrap each oyster with half strip of bacon. Take two wrapped oysters and pierce onto each skewer. Dip each stick with oysters into egg wash mixture and lightly roll in white flour. Gently place skewer in hot peanut oil (350-degrees) and fry for three-four minutes till outside of bacon is a light golden brown. Place all skewers on plate and top with honey-Jack Daniels sauce.

And of course, you can add additional flavor to any Louisiana Seafood recipe with a few shakes of TABASCO brand Pepper Sauce.

All wines featured on the NewsChannel 6 Cooking Today segments can be found at Martin's Wine Cellar. For detailed information or wine suggestions, contact Martin's Wine Manager, Todd Alleman.

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Chef Tommy Cvitanovich, DRAGO'S: FRIED OYSTER SPINACH SALAD
Ingredients:

12 plump Louisiana oysters

8 oz. cleaned and washed spinach leaves (de-stem)

2 Tbsp. bacon bits

2 oz. blue cheese crumbles

3 oz. Drago's Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

Fry oysters in egg wash mixture and dip in yellow corn flour, (not corn meal). Lightly dust with Cajun seasonings, and fry in 350-degree peanut oil for 3 minutes, allow oysters to dry and place on top of clean spinach. Sprinkle bacon bits and blue cheese on top and drizzle dressing liberally on top of salad and oysters. Serve in a large pasta or salad bowl.

And of course, you can add additional flavor to any Louisiana Seafood recipe with a few shakes of TABASCO brand Pepper Sauce.

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Chef Tommy Cvitanovich, DRAGO'S: CHARBROILED OYSTERS
With BUTTER GARLIC SAUCE

Ingredients:

1/2 dozen Louisiana oysters

1 Tbsp. butter garlic sauce (see recipe)

Parmesan cheese and Romano cheese

On outside grill, place half dozen oysters (on the halfshell). Put 1 Tbsp. butter garlic sauce (see recipe) and sprinkle Parmesan cheese and Romano cheese on each oyster and allow to saute in shell till oysters curl. Serve hot. Caution: We recommend cooking on an outside grill because of intense heat and smoke.

Sauce

Ingredients:

10 ounces melted margarine or butter

1 Tbsp. black pepper, white pepper, granulated garlic

3 Tbsp. minced garlic

And of course, you can add additional flavor to any Louisiana Seafood recipe with a few shakes of TABASCO brand Pepper Sauce.

Wines suggested for this dish are a Roederer Estate by Anderson Valley, Lucien Crochet by Sancerre or a Chablis by Jean Dauvessat.