Greetings and salutations!

If you're anything like me, you'll probably at some point choose to entertain by having a few friends over for some great food with lots of good conversations and laughs. Well, I can't help you with the laughs (actually, now that I think about it, I do know a few jokes that always go over well at parties, but that's another article), but I can help you put together a few simple dishes that will keep your guest talking and have them singing your praises for weeks thereafter. 

They will think you spent all day slaving over a hot stove just like that chick who deliberately threw flour in her own face in the popular Rice Krispy Treats commercial, but in essence, you will spend an hour at best and that's also including prep time. So let's get started on the first dish in the 6 week series I'd like to call, "Buffet Style Hors D'oeuvres".
Artichoke and Seafood Skewers

To prepare this simple dish you will need the following Ingredients:

Shrimp (fresh or frozen, from popcorn to jumbo can be used depending on how grand your party will be or how deep your pockets run)

Mussels (again, either frozen or fresh)

Scallops (again, either frozen or fresh, baby scallops to jumbo)

Artichoke hearts (sliced in have, vertically)

Fresh parsley (fine chopped)
  • Minced garlic
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Butter
  • White wine
  • Lemon juice
  • Flour (all purpose)
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Chicken stock or broth (or vegetable, heated)
Long Stem Tooth Picks or Skewers
*Note: This recipe can yield different amounts depending on how many guest you are preparing it for and what size seafood you choose. The above instructions should feed a group of 8 - 12 people and although the sizes of the seafood were left blank deliberately in an effort to not minimize your options, I went with the medium sized seafood so adjust your selections accordingly. Not doing your own math will either cause you to run out too quickly or you may end up eating left over seafood skewers for weeks.
To begin your prep, add 2 tblsp of flour to cold water in a large bowl then add the mussels and soak for about an hour. 

This will cause the shells to slightly open up on their own and make the mussels larger.

  

Once the mussels are ready, rinse in cold water, remove from the shells and set aside.
Now for the shrimp, clean your shrimp people or purchase them pre-cleaned. If you are cleaning them yourself, be sure to also remove the tails. Once cleaned set aside.

The scallops, depending on which ones you go with, may need to be cut in half. Again, this recipe is using medium sized seafood so the scallops should be cut vertically in half if you are also choosing medium size.

And that's basically it for the prep. In a large bowl, add all prepped ingredients (vertically cut artichokes & scallops, mussels, & shrimp), and keep cool until you are actually ready to cook.
When you are ready to start, in a large skillet or pan, completely coat the bottom with EVOO (extra virgin olive oil for the clueless), add 2 Tblsp of minced garlic (per every 6 skewers) and saute over med-high heat until just before it begins to brown, then add enough seafood and artichoke to make up 6 skewers (*Note: each skewer will have 1 shrimp, 1 mussel, 1/2 of scallop, & 1/2 an artichoke).
Swish around in skillet to prevent sticking, add a few pinches of salt, pepper & paprika to taste (maybe more later if needed), immediately add 1 Tblsp of butter & 1 Tblsp of flour. Swish around in skillet to help melt the butter, give a quick 3 second pour of white wine followed by a quick 2 second pour of lemon juice, add approximately 5 - 6 oz of heated stock (chicken or vegetable) and reduce the liquid by at least half or until it thickens swishing ingredients around in the pan often to ensure even cooking. Once it thickens, remove from heat & let stand for 2 minutes.
To skewer, stick the shrimp first so that it will be at the top, then the mussel, the scallop and the the artichoke on the bottom. You can either lay them down with the tips elevated or stand them up. Pour a little of the sauce over each skewer and serve buffet style.

They are so good, you'll see God.

Enjoy!!