Food: Shrimp Enchiladas with Parsnips and Sweet Potato

Are you ready? Ever thought of combining shrimp with parsnips and sweet potatoes? Me either. Until this came along - the best recipe I've stumbled upon in the past couple of months. And to make it even better, meat lovers love it too (trust me, two meat-and-potato types just enjoyed this with me a few evenings ago). The dish is so tasty and comforting, I'm considering adding it to my Christmas party menu. Spicy, sweet, fulfilling, warm...Southwest flavors combined with sweet and nutty root veggies. What else could you ask for in the perfect Fall meal? My mouth is still salivating. Seriously. My tummy is full but my taste buds are asking for more.

If you're looking for a pairing, this dish actually goes great with an earthy Malbec but would also be nice with a light, balanced white. And it'd be great even without the shrimp if you're looking for a meal to satisfy vegetarians. I was even tempted to use the filling as a mashed potato substitute...so feel free to freeze any leftover filling to use as a quick side for a future meal.





Shrimp Enchiladas with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Parsnips

Slightly Modified from Bon Appetit - October 2010 (Molly Stevens)

Ingredients

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 medium parsnips, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 5 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 large garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 anaheim pepper, halved, seeded
• 2 cups coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 4-ounce can diced green chiles, drained
• 1 jar tomatillo salsa (MM Recommendation: Frontera)
• 1/2 cup sour cream, divided
• 8 ounces cooked, peeled, de-veined shrimp, coarsely chopped
• 12 5 1/2- to 6-inch-diameter corn tortillas
• 8 ounces crumbled queso fresco or feta cheese (about 2 cups)
  

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine parsnips, sweet potatoes, and red onion in large bowl. Add ground cumin, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, chili powder, oregano, and 1 teaspoon coarse salt; toss to coat. Transfer to baking sheet. Roast vegetables until soft and browned in spots, turning occasionally, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool. (Note: This could be prepared the day before - just refrigerate and allow to come back to room temperature before assembling the enchiladas).
• Reduce oven temperature to 375°F. With machine running, add garlic and jalapeño through feed tube of processor and process until finely chopped. Add cilantro and drained green chiles. Using on/off turns, process until coarse puree forms. Add salsa; process to blend. Transfer salsa mixture to large deep skillet. Add 1/4 cup sour cream and stir over medium-low heat just until warm (do not allow to boil). Remove from heat. Cover and keep warm.
• Measure 1 cup roasted vegetables; set aside. Transfer remaining vegetables to processor. Using on/off turns, process until coarsely chopped. Transfer to large bowl.
• Heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil in medium skillet over medium-high heat. Working with 1 tortilla at a time, cook until just softened, about 15 seconds per side (do not allow to brown). Transfer tortillas to paper towels to drain.
• Spread 1/2 cup salsa mixture over bottom of long baking dish. Place 1 tortilla on work surface; sprinkle generous 2 teaspoons crumbled cheese down center. Top with generous 1/4 cup roasted vegetable filling, and sprinkle with chopped shrimp. Roll up tortilla and place, seam side down, in prepared dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas, cheese, and filling. Scatter reserved 1 cup roasted vegetables over enchiladas. Spoon remaining salsa mixture over. Sprinkle with any remaining cheese. Bake enchiladas until heated through, about 20 minutes.

Food: Roasted Broccoli and Shrimp

The following recipe by Melissa Clark actually ran in the New York Times in January but I only discovered it recently via The Wednesday Chef. In looking at photos of the dish, I thought it looked a little plain. As a result, I was concerned it would be lacking flavor and made a raisin vinagrette for the shrimp. But I should have trusted the rave reviews. It didn't need anything extra, except for a little bit of rice on the side.


Even though this meal is so simple and fast, both the process and the end results are extremely gratifying. For example, just grating citrus involves all of your senses...hearing the rasping noise the fruit makes and feeling the vibration in your fingertips when pushing the lemon across the grater while smelling the fresh, bright scent of lemon filling the air and watching little bits of bright yellow light up some olive oil. The other gratifying bit about making this dish is watching the shrimp turn from boring, transparent gray into hot and enticing coral. And you can't believe how plain and simple broccoli is transformed into something warm, juicy and intensely flavorful thanks to some exotic spices. This is definitely a dish you will make over and over again. May I mention again how quick and easy it is to pull together?

Roasted Broccoli with Shrimp

Adapted from The Wednesday Chef

Ingredients

• 2 heads of broccoli, cut into bite-size florets
• 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon chili powder
• 1-1.5 lbs large shrimp, shelled and deveined
• Finely grated zest from 1 lemon

Directions

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, toss broccoli with 2 tablespoons oil, coriander, cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and chili powder.
• In a separate bowl, combine shrimp, 2 tablespoons oil, lemon zest, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
• Spread broccoli in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast for 10 minutes.
• Add shrimp to baking sheet and toss with broccoli. Roast, tossing once halfway through, until shrimp are just opaque and broccoli is tender and golden around edges, about 10 minutes more.

Food: Shrimp Cakes with Spicy Sour Cream and Bok Choy

We're headed to the Carolinas on vacation in a few weeks and I've already started thinking about burying my toes in warm sand, finally being able to snuggle up with a book and read it cover-to-cover in one sitting, and spending time with family. I'm even looking forward to that salty crust the ocean water leaves on your skin and sunglasses and getting up entirely too early in the morning just to walk on the beach at sunrise. As a result of all of this, I've been craving food that reminds me of the sand and sunshine and relaxation.

For many of us, when we think of food from the East Coast, fresh crab and crab cakes come to mind. But, unless we live in that region, fresh, lump crabmeat isn't exactly easy to find at your local market/grocery store. As a result, when I saw a recipe for seafood cakes using shrimp, I was instantly intrigued. Maybe it's a fairly common thing for all of you in coastal towns, but being a mid-westerner, I can't say I've ever seen let alone tasted a shrimp cake before. I suppose I shouldn't feel too guilty about it though since even Bubba from the film "Forest Gump" left out shrimp cakes in his famous shrimp-this, shrimp-that spiel. Anyway, with that said, I decided to try out this recipe. The end result was a warm, fresh-tasting, lightly seasoned, crispy on the outside cake with a spicy, kick-in-the-mouth of a dip on the side. Saute up a little bit of baby bok choy with some freshly grated ginger and you'll have a perfect little meal. The cakes make great left-overs and can be either eaten alone or on a sandwich - but make sure you consume them within a day or two.

Shrimp Cakes
Adapted from a recipe by Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar (Maui) featured in Bon Appétit, September 2005

Ingredients

• 2 bags, frozen uncooked, peeled, deveined large shrimp (~2lbs), thawed, rinsed, and patted dry
• 2 large eggs
• 1 shallot, diced
• Juice from 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons stone ground mustard
• 3-4 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 3 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 2 tablespoons (or more) vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 t hot sauce
• 1 clove garlic, minced

Directions

• Coarsely chop shrimp in processor.
• Add eggs, shallot, lemon juice, mustard, cilantro, hot pepper sauce. Blend in using on/off turns.
• Add 2 cups panko and blend in using on/off turns.
• Form mixture into 3-to-4-inch-diameter cakes. Roll cakes in remaining 1 cup panko; transfer to waxed-paper-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate 20 minutes. (Can be made up to 4 hours ahead).
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, fry cakes until cooked through and golden brown on both sides, adding more oil to skillet as needed, about 6 minutes.
• Spoon Spicy Sour Cream on to each cake or serve alongside for dipping.
  

Spicy Sour Cream
MM Original

Ingredients

• 8 oz container Light Sour Cream
• 4 Tb Chili Garlic Sauce (found in the Asian Foods Section)
• Zest from 1 Lime
• 1 t freshly grated ginger

Directions

• Combine all four ingredients together in bowl. Stir to combine.