CHEESESLAVE

Tonight was shellfish night. And what a shellfish night it was!

Three words: bacon-wrapped scallops. I ask you, does it get any better than that?

Yes, it does, because those scallops were dabbed with butter. And served with a side of shrimp cocktail. Plus a caprese salad.

And for dessert: homemade peanut butter cookies (made with “crispy peanuts”, coconut flour, sprouted spelt flour, rapadura, and a whole lot of butter) with Palazzo del Freddo gelato.

Yeah, OK, the dessert is not GAPS-friendly. But the rest of the dinner is — pretty much (just omit the cheese).

This was such an easy dinner. Not cheap, but easy and fast to prepare. And shellfish is so power-packed with nutrients — it’s worth it to spend a little extra money to feed our family well.

Shrimp Cocktail with Bacon-Wrapped Scallops

Ingredients:
1 pound scallops (wild caught)
1/2 pound shrimp (wild caught)
1/2 pound bacon (sustainably raised, nitrate-free)
Butter (grass-fed, raw if possible)
Sea salt

1. Boil the shrimp in a little water until pink (a few minutes). Put under cold water and then set aside in fridge.
2. Fry up some bacon (I did it in a cast iron pan. Most recipes tell you to bake the bacon in the oven but I didn’t want to waste all that good bacon fat.).
3. Drain the bacon on a paper towel and wrap it around the scallops and set them on a cookie sheet. 4. Bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees.
5. Sprinkle the scallops with sea salt before serving.
6. Serve the shrimp with cocktail sauce (I got some ready-made from Whole Foods — no additives, sweetened with honey).

I made the cookie dough yesterday — it’s in the fridge so all I had to do was pull it out and bake it.

Here’s what Kate ate:

Avocado with sea salt
Lemon cucumber in yogurt
Shrimp and scallops sauteed in butter

She devoured every last bite.

Real gelato from Rome — right here in Westwood!

Seth had a doctor’s appointment yesterday at UCLA. Afterwards we went to Jerry’s Deli which is our family tradition. We always go to Jerry’s after his appointments.

He always gets a Reuben (he doesn’t eat the bread, and he only eats a few French fries). I got a pizza (which I can’t recommend) and Kate had a baked potato with butter, cheese and bacon. (She sucked all the butter out of the packages first, then ate the baked potato, cheese and bacon. Seth said, “Like mother, like daughter.”)

After Jerry’s, we were full, but I couldn’t help but notice a sign for gelato. I thought I’d just go in to look.

One taste and I was right back in Rome. It’s REAL Roman gelato. I LOVE this place!

I talked to the owner and he said that he went to Rome for his training when he bought the franchise. He said, “I had one bite and I fell in love.”

We tried the following flavors:

Chocolate
Coconut
Hazelnut
Pumpkin
Mango
Stracciatella (chocolate chip)
White Toffee
Cappuccino
Pistachio

Yes, it’s made with sugar, which we normally avoid. But I will make an exception for gelato. For the uninitiated, gelato is what ice cream is supposed to taste like. I mean, ice cream is good, but gelato is divine.

He makes all of his gelato from scratch himself using all real ingredients. The mango is real mango, the pistachio is real pistachio. He uses whole milk and whole cream and egg yolks. There are no chemicals or additives in this ice cream. It’s all real food.

Seth said, “I don’t normally love ice cream but this is really good.”

And Kate quickly developed a chocolate goatee.

We bought 2 cups and we brought a huge container home for the freezer.

And of course, that is what we ate for dinner last night: pistachio, stracciatella and chocolate gelato.

I know where I’m going to be spending a lot of time when I’m pregnant next time.

I told the owner about my theory about my teeth. When my mom was pregnant with me, she was still nursing my sister (we are 13 months apart). The people at the La Leche League told her to eat ice cream to make better breast milk. So she ate it every day the whole time she was nursing (and the whole time I was in utero).

I am the only child in our family who got the benefit of daily ice cream in utero. And, curiously, I am the only child in our family who had straight teeth. I am the only one who did not need braces.

Coincidence? I don’t think so.

I hope he stays in business. If you live in LA, please go!

Palazzo del Freddo
907 Westwood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90024
(310) 824-7030

www.yelp.com/biz/palazzo-del-freddo-los-angeles

http://www.palazzodelfreddo.it/english/boot.htm