The Dish: Rosemary Restaurant's most popular pasta recipe, Shrimp Mafaldine
Rosemary's hottest dish, Shrimp Mafaldine, ended up on the menu when someone asked for pasta with shrimp.
RIDLEY PARK, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- It's being called the hardest reservation to get right now. Rosemary Restaurant in Ridley Park just opened this summer with a fine dining vibe.
Executive Chef Elijah Milligan has worked at some of the most important restaurants in the area, and he's showing us how to make the one dish he absolutely cannot take off his menu: Shrimp Mafaldine.
"It was a fun accident one day, and I was like, 'Okay, this is on the menu,'" he said.
Rosemary's hottest dish, Shrimp Mafaldine, ended up on the menu when someone asked for pasta with shrimp. Chef Milligan whipped up something he makes with his daughter.
"And now we can't take it off the menu," he said. "People request it. People talk about it. It's a popular dish."
Mafaldine refers to the pasta shape.
"You have nice little ridges," said Milligan. "It's a great bite. Fun to eat."
You butterfly and marinate the shrimp the way you like it.
"Ours specifically is Gochujang, which is a Korean red pepper paste," he said. "You can find that at any Asian market."
You get the pan nice and hot and add a good amount of butter and then a kick.
"This is Calabrian chilies that we sourced," he said. "It can easily be substituted with fresh red pepper flakes."
Next in the pan, a garlic paste or puree, which you can buy or make yourself. Cook on low heat for about five minutes. Then, add some broccolini, more specifically - the stems.
"Instead of throwing out the stems, there's flavor, there's bite in that, so we just cut those down," said Chef Milligan.
Then, in goes the shrimp. While that's simmering, get the pasta going.
"You can easily sub for any pasta at home, if you aren't making it fresh like we do here," said Milligan. "We do a linguini noodle, we do a pappardelle, a tagliatelle. This dish works with pretty much any noodle."
While that boils, add a little bit of white wine and a touch more butter to the shrimp. Also, toss in a bit of pasta water to thicken it.
Next, add a splash of something citrusy while it finishes off in the pan, like lemon. Chef Milligan uses yuzu, an Asian citrus fruit. Sprinkle some parsley and more spice if you like.
"We use Korean Gochugaru, it's a little different than your normal red pepper powder," he said.
Once you plate it, hit it with some cheese, like Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano, and bread crumbs.
And finally - dig in and enjoy your Shrimp Mafaldine!
The Hardest Reservation in Delco
When Chef Milligan talks about being called the hardest reservation to get in Delco right now, he's humble.
"It is cool," he said. "Honestly, as a business, it's cool to be busy."
Rosemary just opened in July, 2023 on a picturesque strip of East Hinckley Avenue in Ridley Park.
It reminded Milligan of Yountville, a quaint town in Napa Valley.
"In the past, no one ever came to Yountville," he said. "And now it's considered one of the culinary destinations of the country. You have The French Laundry there, you have Bottega. There are a lot of great restaurants and wineries. Ridley Park gives me the same type of vibes. People say 'Really?'"
But he's sticking to it and bringing that same culinary energy here to the Delaware Valley.
"We do all of our pastas fresh in house," he said. "We have a little pasta room upstairs and a pasta guru."
Milligan's training started in high school.
"My parents opened a restaurant when I was 15 years old," he said. " I started as a dishwasher."
From there, he learned to cook and went to culinary school, eventually working in some of the best restaurants in Philadelphia.
Among them: Le Bec-Fin.
"I was lucky to be one of people who George Perrier put a lot of attention and love into," he said. "It wasn't easy, but at the same time, it was so special. I hope we continue to be that kind of dining destination."
Rosemary is the name of owner Phillip Breen's grandmother, and they grow the herb out back in the garden. Milligan already had a tattoo of it on his hand, which matches their restaurant's logo.
"I kind of felt like it was meant to be," he said.
For more information on Rosemary or to make reservations, CLICK HERE.
Rosemary Restaurant
25 E. Hinckley Avenue
Ridley Park, Pennsylvania 19078
610-671-3770
