Famed Actor Danny DeVito and Shrimp Scampi Recipe

Danny Devito, famed actor/producer opens

DeVito South Beach restaurant with a special Last Supper for the Sopranos cast.

I recently interviewed Danny Devito on my radio program.

LG

With more than 30 years as a great success in the movies and TV, why go into the restaurant business?

DeVito

Becoming a partner in a restaurant was the last thing on my mind. But, when Michael Brauser,

South Florida financier popped the question, it seemed like a great fit. I love to cook and I grew up in southern New Jersey where my father owned a luncheonette.

LG

Is this where you developed your passion for cooking – and eating?

DeVito

That and my mother was a formidable home cook. She cooked from morning till night. She’d started making the zeppole at 6 a.m. We had aunts, uncles and cousins coming in and out. Uncle Joe made the wine from scratch.

LG

I understand you had a special dinner at your

DeVito South Beach restaurant before its opening. It was a last supper of sorts.

DeVito

Yes, we had the cast of the Sopranos on Monday night after their last show was shown on Sunday. It was a lot of fun and everyone was upbeat. They filmed several endings and not even the cast knew which one would be aired until they saw it themselves.

LG

Is it true that you bring your own food to the movie set and cook in your trailer?

DeVito

I cooked with my late, great friend, Vincent Schiavelli on set. During the filming of Batman Returns, my trailer was like an Italian delicatessen. Between takes the crew would come over and sit out on the stoop with their plates.

LG

Are you pleased with the outcome of your new

restaurant DeVito South Beach?

DeVito

To put my family name on a restaurant is monumental for me. My family and my friends are what I value most in life.

Linda Gassenheimer’s Italian-American

Shrimp Scampi with Basil Linguine

From her Dinner in Minutes column.

ENTREE

SHRIMP SCAMPI

2 teaspoons olive oil

3 garlic cloves, crushed

3/4 cup red vermouth

3/4 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined

1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Several drops hot pepper sauce

Salt and freshly ground black pepperHeat olive oil in a nonstick skillet on medium high and add garlic and red vermouth. Cook 1 minute. Add shrimp and parsley. Cook 2 to 3 minutes until shrimp are pink. Add hot pepper sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Makes 2 servings.

SIDE DISH

BASIL LINGUINE

1/4 pound fresh linguine

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/2 cup fresh basilS

alt and freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large saucepan with 3 to 4 quarts water to a boil. Add linguine and boil 2 to 3 minutes for fresh linguine, 8 to 9 minutes for dried. Remove 2 tablespoons cooking water and reserve. Drain linguine and place back in saucepan with reserved water and olive oil. Toss well. Add the basil and salt and pepper to taste. Toss and serve. Makes 2 servings.

©Dinner in Minutes by Linda Gassenheimer. All Rights Reserved.