My Calphalon Contest Entry with Chipotle-Tamarind Shrimp Tacos

I’ve had a thing for shrimp this year.   I guess not really just this year, more like ever since I “discovered” the Korean supermarkets in town.  The fish, plentiful and fresh, swimming around in a wall of sparkling clean tanks is quite a sight to see in a local supermarket and the bins with all sizes of shrimp sitting on refrigerated tables immersed in ice with scoops and plastic bags at the ready for customers to dive into is always inviting.

 

 

That in mind, when I learned about the Calphalon contest for Williams-Sonoma employees I knew just what I was going to do and it involved shrimp and a grill pan.  Specifically the new Calphalon Kabob pan.   Save that thought for a moment.

I know the shrimp aren’t domestic, heck, it’s tough to find US fished shrimp in our area at all and for that reason the imported shrimp come in well priced; between $4.99 and $5.99/lb. for medium shrimp.  Then again, it’s likely US fished shrimp is about to sky rocket and will probably be high for a very long time to come.  Even if the oil stops flowing into the ocean, it’s not looking good for wildlife in the shrimp fishing region of the Gulf of Mexico.  Sad.

Anyway …

Once I decided shrimp using the new kabob pan was on the menu I needed to decide what to do with them.  You know planning is not my usual M.O.  I’m more the — look in the kitchen and see what ingredients are there waiting to be combined to make a meal with type.  But I had a craving for tacos and while fish tacos are great, I’ve yet to come up with a fish taco recipe I’ve been successful with so I thought — ah ha!  Use the grill pan and make tacos using shrimp.

I’d never had a shrimp taco before, but it sounded darn good and the convenience of skewering the shrimp and being able to turn them in multiples would make the chore of grilling that much easier.  The pan has notches at different levels so that if the shrimp got done before I was ready to build the tacos, I could prop them up in the upper notch to keep them warm.  Crafty engineering.

It didn’t stop there.  I needed some flavor.  I couldn’t call these things tacos just because I wrapped them in a corn tortilla, so what was I going to pull together?  I went to the fridge to forage.  In front of me sat a small glass bowl with the remainder of a can of Chipotle in Adobo.  Smoky peppers in a hot, tart sauce.  GREAT!  Chipotle Grilled Shrimp Tacos. Yum!  As I pulled the refrigerator door closed I spied another, smaller glass bowl.  Tamarind paste!

And on the counter was a glass with a small stalk of rooting lemongrass.  Score!  Chipotle and Tamarind Grilled Shrimp Tacos with Lemongrass and Cabbage-Avocado Slaw.  I was creating a Latino/Asian Fusion dish.

I made it once and the result was a fabulous dinner.  But it needed work.   The texture was good.  The taste was great.  The meal was delicious.  Never satisfied, I decided I needed to try a 2nd time to make the tortillas, the vehicles for getting the shrimp to my mouth easier to handle — the tortillas needed help.

This time I added a side dish;  Corn on the cob with butter, salt and queso fresco.  Perfect combo.  I also decided that instead of steaming the tortillas I’d put them on the grill pan for a little color and a more pliable texture that resisted just a bit when I bit into the tacos.

But wait!  That’s not all … I needed a 3rd try so that I could get the measurements right.  Remember a couple of months ago when I told you I’m not an experienced or skilled recipe writer?  It’s true, but I’ve learned how the process works a bit better now.  After reading Dianne Jacob’s posts on recipe writing and the comments that followed, I was much more cognizant of the details of this recipe.  I made some major edits using some of her suggestions and garnered great info from some of the comments in response to her posts.  The 2nd time around I took a copy of the printed draft into the kitchen with a pen and it lived on the counter, close at hand, at the ready for edits.

 

And edit, I did.  Quarter cups became tablespoons, pinches became definitive 1/4 teaspoons, sugar became tamarind paste and titles changed, and changed again.  It’s not easy, this recipe-writing stuff and I didn’t expect it to be, but if I’m going to submit a recipe to be considered for a prize from the company that employs me, I want to be sure it can be reproduced and that it’s a recipe people will have no trouble preparing and serving to friends and family to rave reviews.  I had help from a few people.  They read, they edited, we discussed and I’m so glad I had their eyes to help ferret out the mistakes — typos, missing ingredients from the list, incorrect measurements, and style.

And yes, it may seen extreme, but we’ve established long ago that I’m a rather competitive type and if I’m going to enter a contest, I’m not going to go 1/2 way.  WholeFoods wanted 1 dish for $4.00, I submitted a meal.  CNN was looking for a brown bag lunch, I submitted a brown bag feast.  I’ve met my goal this time.  I’ve submitted a delicious dish that’s sure to please.  If I were writing for publication in a cookbook or a magazine or something like that I’d ask for recipe testers, but I kept this recipe close to the vest because –  hell yeah I’m competitive and I want to win — for the sake of being a winner.

The recipe’s been sitting here in the Draft Folder for a couple of weeks, but it’s been formally submitted so it’s time to share.  Win or lose, this recipe is a winner that I’ll be making again and again.  I’m feeling a summer party coming on.  What do you think?  Worthy of your time in the kitchen?

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This recipe is not as complicated as its length may make it seem.  I’ve broken the ingredients into 3 components; Shrimp, Slaw and Tortillas.  It uses just 2 pots/pans — a 1 1/2 Quart Saucepan and the new Calphalon Kabob Pan.  And with marinating time, it should take no longer than 45 minutes from preparation to table.Serves 4   Grilled Chipotle and Tamarind Shrimp Tacos Ingredients for Shrimp: 6 Cloves Garlic, finely minced 1 inch of Lemongrass smashed, if available or a Teaspoon Lemongrass in a jar from the spice aisle 3 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil 2 Tablespoons Chipotle in Adobo Sauce and 2 of the smaller Chili’s in the can, seeded and finely minced 2 Tablespoons Tamarind Paste — if you don’t have a market that sells international products, Tamarind Paste is available on Amazon.  I made my own paste using a block of tamarind and heating it in a saucepan until it became a paste and straining it into a storage jar.  You can forgo Tamarind paste altogether or use a tart jam like Apricot in it’s place and reduce to 1 tablespoon Juice of 1 Lime 1 large Green Onion, sliced 1/2 teaspoon Oregano flakes (not ground) 1 lb. Medium Large Shrimp (31/35), peeled, cleaned and de-veined 1 teaspoon Salt In a small skillet, heat the oil.  Add the garlic and lemongrass to the pan to infuse flavors for 1 minute on medium high heat, taking care not to color the garlic so that it retains it’s sweet flavor from the heat.  Remove from the heat and set aside to cool to room temperature. While the infused oil is cooling, in a separate bowl large enough to comfortably fit the shrimp and marinade, mix the chipotle sauce and minced chipotle pepper, tamarind paste, lime juice, green onion and oregano .  Add the cleaned shrimp.  Once the oil is cool enough to not cook the shrimp, add to the marinade and let sit for 15 – 30 minutes. While the shrimp is marinating, put together the cabbage and avocado salad: Ingredients for Cabbage-Avocado Salad 2 Cups Green Cabbage, Shredded or cut into julienne slices — I use a hand held mandolin for this job 2 Green Onions sliced 1/2 Cup Cilantro Leaves, chopped or torn in large pieces 1 Avocado, cut in chunks 2 Tablespoons Sour Cream 2 Tablespoons Mayonnaise 2 teaspoons Confectioner’s Sugar 1-1/2 Tablespoons Lime Juice — this will keep the avocado from browning 1 Jalapeño Pepper, finely minced — for less heat, remove the ribs and seeds Salt & Pepper to Taste Combine all ingredients and gently toss, taking care not to mash avocado chunks.  Let sit in the refrigerator while working with the shrimp allowing the flavors to meld. Cook the Shrimp: When the shrimp is done marinating, remove to a plate, pour the marinade into a small saucepan and bring to a gentle boil.  Once boiling, reduce to a simmer while the shrimp is cooking. Heat the kabob pan.  Skewer the shrimp, sliding 4 – 6 shrimp on each skewer.  Place the kabobs on the lower notch so that the shrimp makes contact with the pan and cook on medium high for 2 – 3 minutes on each side, until the shrimp is just cooked — opaque — taking care not to over cook.   The shrimp will continue to cook when the skewers are removed from the pan as the skewers are still hot, so slide the shrimp off and onto a plate as soon as possible.   Remove the simmering marinade off the heat and set aside. Prepare the Tortillas: Brush the tortillas with oil and grill on each side until light grill marks appear, but don’t cook too long or the tortillas will be too firm to fold. Build the Tacos: 12 Corn Tortillas 3/4 Cup Queso Fresco, crumbled — if you don’t have access to cheese from Central America such as Queso Fresco, Farmer’s Cheese is a good substitute Vegetable oil for brushing on the tortillas Reserved and heated Shrimp Marinade 2 limes, wedged for squeezing on finished tacos Place a tortilla on a plate.  Spoon 1 teaspoon of cooked marinade on the tortilla, add 2 – 3 shrimp, top with avocado-cabbage salad and fold. Top with a sprinkle of queso fresco. Variations: ~To steam the tortillas, enclose them in stacks of 6 in a kitchen towel and place in a microwave for 30 – 45 seconds, just until they become pliable.  They’ll steam inside the folded towel in the heat of the microwave. ~To save calories, heat on a pan without oil until pliable enough to fold. ~To create a hard shell taco, fry in hot oil.  When removing from the oil, fold in the shape of a taco.  The tortilla will firm up as it cools. ~To create a different shrimp texture, mix up a batter and fry the shrimp, rather than grilling. Buen Provecho!

Breakfast Quesadillas

One day I might figure me out, but for now I’m still a very big mystery.  I spent the last 3.5 years making sure to repeat dishes as little as possible.  I scoured cookbooks and online sites like FoodGawker and Tastespotting and my favorite blogs for daily inspiration as some would a bible.  But since I embarked on this points-counting, weight loss journey with the help of Weight Watchers, I’ve incorporated tortillas into more than 50% of my meals.

And when I woke up this morning and headed into the kitchen I knew I wanted to make a breakfast tortilla.  I think I may have dreamed about tortillas.   Yep, it’s kinda sad.  But don’t make the call yet — I think I’m going to be ok.  I’ve got a deep, dark, 6 points per slice, chocolate cake in the oven right now!  And there’s a beautiful piece of dark red tuna waiting for me in the fridge.  Whew!  I’m going to be a-ok.

So, on to the breakfast tortilla.  I didn’t have the typical package of “Mexican Cheese” but I did have goat cheese and brie.  And the packages of baby spinach and very thinly sliced pancetta rounds were just what I needed to throw together a great breakfast.  That jar of salsa verde is coming in very handy, but plans are in place to remediate the jarred salsa verde situation.  There will be home made salsa roja tomorrow.

So far so good — so very good.  I’m not feeling hungry and I’m still cooking good food, without resorting to much in the way of processed, packaged food.  Ok!  so I use packaged tortillas — don’t be a hater.  I might just try to make my own again.

If you want to make these breakfast (or anytime) tortillas and want to count points here you go:

• 1 corn tortilla — 1
• 1 slice pancetta sliced paper thin — 2
• 1/8 oz. Goat Cheese, semisoft — 0
• 1/4 oz Brie Cheese — 1
• 1/2 cup Baby Spinach — 0
• 3 teaspoons Salsa Verde — 0

Place tortilla in a paper towel and heat in a microwave for 20 seconds to make it pliable.  When the tortilla comes out of the microwave, quickly spread the cheeses on top.

Place the pancetta round in a skillet and cook until just before it becomes crispy.  Spray the skillet with a couple of pumps of oil.  I use Beroli extra light olive oil so there really isn’t an olive flavor and it takes a lot to add up to a point.  You don’t need much here.  Place the tortilla in the pan and immediately add the pancetta and spinach to one half of the tortilla.  If using, top with onions.

Spoon 2 teaspoons of salsa verde on top of the spinach.  Let cook for 45 seconds to a minute.  Using a spatula, fold the tortilla in half.  The cheese should be melted enough to act as a kind of “glue” to hold the tortilla together.  Let cook for 30 seconds and carefully turn.  Cook for an additional 15 – 30 seconds and remove to a plate.  Top with remaining teaspoon of salsa.  Using a pizza cutter or knife, cut in half and serve.  And I dare you to try not to make this kind of breakfast often.

Serves 1

Next up — Chocolate Cake made with Sauerkraut.  WHAT?  No , I haven’t lost my mind, it’s a Weight Watchers recipe and I’m pretty excited about it.

And then there was this post:

Shrimp Quesadillas

Or are they tacos?

I don’t know, but oh my was it good.  And easy.  And healthy.  And did I mention I made this dish THREE times this week?  I think the world really wanted to stop spinning by the 3rd time I put this on the table.  I don’t remember making anything two nights in a row on this blog, but three times?  What has become of me?  What has caused me to change my non-routine routine?

 

 

That’s easy, and not so easy.  I’ve been attempting to write this post for almost a week.  And that too is not routine for me.  Inspiration is usually not so fleeting with me, but I’ve written this post five times and have deleted all but the images five times.  And the story?  Here goes.  I’ve been building up to this for a very long time, but it took a couple of high fat, high carb, astronomically high calorie meals and the horrible food hangovers the next day to get my act into gear.

Oh yeah, that and the fact that I could barely bend over to put a pair of shoes on that I was looking to purchase while out shopping a few weeks ago.  And right, how self-conscious I was in a bathing suit for 4 days in Mexico in January.  Ah yes, and the fact that finding something I feel good in to wear to work each day is close to impossible.  And let’s not even talk about self-esteem.   But I think the real tipping point came the day I got off the bus on the highway and huffed and puffed as I walked the few miles toward home in a driving snow storm.  Put it all together and simply put, it’s time to do something,  ‘nough said!

So, there you have it.  I’m counting points and after just about a week, I can report with a big smile on my face that I’m happy about my new lifestyle.

But please don’t get worried.  I’m not going to get all preachy on you or overwhelm this blog with boring, “This is how much I lost this week,”  hype.  Nope.  Not gonna do it.  I quit smoking just before I started blogging 4 years ago and I didn’t get all preachy about that.  As a matter of fact, most of you probably don’t even know I was a smoker.  I was a strange smoker, really never out in public, but I smoked, nonetheless.  Anyway …

 

 

You’re going to continue to see good food here.  Delicious, home made food, as always.  With the freshest ingredients and the least boring combinations I can come up with.  Since fruits and vegetables are unlimited, you’ll be seeing a lot of vegetables around these parts, although often in their raw, naked state.  And there you have it — a short story with a potentially big impact and I hope you’ll come back for more.

As you know, I’m not much of a recipe developer, but I will try to include recipes from time to time and I should be able to pretty consistently include Points Plus counts for those of you that are remotely interested.

Shrimp Taco/Quesadilla/Deliciousness! — 10 points

• 2 tsp light olive oil – 2
• 1/4 cup sliced yellow onion – 0
• 1 clove garlic, minced – 0
• dash dried chili
• salt and pepper to taste
• 5oz. shrimp – 3
• 1 corn tortilla – 1
• 1 flour tortilla – 2
• 1/3 cup low fat shredded cheddar – 2
• 2 tablespoons salsa verde – 0
• 2 tsp black bean soup
• 1/4 fresh lime – 0
• 4 sprigs cilantro – 0

Using a non-stick pan, spray with light olive oil.  I use Bertolli spray.  It’s not an aerosol which I prefer.  Add the sliced onion and cook until just beginning to turn color.  Add garlic and shrimp and cook until just barely opaque, taking care not to let the garlic turn darn brown to prevent it from getting bitter.  Sprinkle with chili, salt and pepper while cooking.  Remove to a plate or bowl and cover to keep warm.

In the meantime, wrap the tortillas in a paper towel and microwave for 20 seconds so that they are pliable.

Wipe out the pan and spray with more oil.  Add one tortilla and cook for 30 seconds.  Put 3 shrimp on one half of the tortilla, add cheese to the other half.  Spoon on a tablespoon of salsa verde.  You can used fresh or jared, just be sure to check the jar to ensure there are no hidden carbohydrates or fat which will add to the point count.  Top the shrimp with black bean soup and continue cooking for another 30 seconds.   Squeeze lime juice all around.  Add 1 sprig of cilantro leaves and using a non stick spatula, carefully fold the side of the tortilla with the cheese on it over the shrimp and cook until the tortilla is crispy.

Remove to a plate and cook the second quesadilla.  I ate this with a mountain of roasted vegetables.

And Cinco de Mayo wouldn’t be complete without another corn tortilla post:

Shrimp Tacos

Have you ever made tacos?  Oh, sure you have.  What a silly question.  In my quest to continue melting poundage off my body we all know I’ve been on a quesadilla/taco/tostada binge.  Well, not binge like you’re thinking, silly.  Binging is not what got me into this predicament.  I get bored far too easily and eating an entire bag of chips or a half gallon of ice cream would leave me bored about mid-way.  What plagues me is quantity at mealtime.  But hey, with the help of Weight Watchers, family and friends, I’m trying to put that behind me, so stop bringing it up, ok?

 

 

This past weekend I decided it was time to make more taco seasoning.  I go back to the recipe from my friend Stephanie at CopyKat.com.  It’s so dead-on for that packaged stuff you get in the supermarket that there’s just no reason to ever buy it again.  I used smoked Spanish paprika this time and it gave the seasoning another layer of flavor.

It’s easy to throw together and those of you that like to cook and keep a fairly well-stocked pantry will probably have all of the ingredients available.  Make a jar of it so you have it on hand, although unless you’re on this crazy corn tortilla, everything Mexican kick like I’ve been on lately, don’t make an enormous jar or you’ll end up having to throw it away before you use it all.  Herbs and spices don’t last forever and there’s nothing worse than opening a jar of something like this and being met with that stale aroma.  Ick!

Don’t tell me you weren’t expecting to see this.  Shrimp tacos in… corn tortillas.  I’ve been playing with some of the camera apps on the iPhone and this photo has that grainy, vintage kind of look without trying.  Not sure it’s making me jump up and down, but there will be many more shrimp taco opportunities to get that money shot.  Believe me, many more.

These corn tortilla cravings are telling me one of two things — either I’m pregnant — ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!  Or I am meant to live in Mexico.  While  I’d welcome the opportunity, that’s not likely to happen either.  I think it’s time I tried my hand at home made corn tortillas though.  I made them when I was a young married woman, but that was last century, so it’s time to pull out the tortilla press and brush up on my tortilla-making skills.  Imagine the smile on my face if I can master that task?!  If I become a pro at it, I think I’ll have a party.  It’s been a long time and what better excuse to make stacks of corn tortillas?  Olé!!

Have you ever made corn tortillas?  How about flour tortillas?  I’d love to hear about it.

Shrimp Tacos Weight Watchers Points Plus Value — 10:

• 2 tsp light olive oil – 2
• dash dried chili
• salt and pepper to taste
• 5oz. shrimp – 3
• 2 corn tortillas – 2
• 1/3 cup low fat shredded cheddar – 2
• 2 tablespoons salsa verde – 0
• 2 tsp black bean soup — 1
• 1/4 fresh lime — 0
• 4 sprigs cilantro — 0

And who can resist Peppers and Flan?!

Poblano Chili Quesadillas

I’m teaching class at the store tomorrow evening — The Essentials of Latin Cooking.  I like to prep the menu at home to work out any bugs or adapt any recipes that might prove challenging or cause problems in the 2 hour time frame of the event.  It helps me learn more about the ingredients as well.  For instance, did you know that when harvested, a tomatillo can be red, green yellow or even purple?  I haven’t cooked with tomatillos in many years, but now that I’ve made the Chicken Tomatillo Stew recipe, I think I’ll be bringing them back into my repertoire.  Mixing the sauce from the stew with pureed avocado and cilantro give this dish it’s color and creamy taste and texture without all the butterfat.  Oh my, this is good!

 

The started, Roasated Poblano Quesadillas was heavenly.  I ate a couple of these when I made them yesterday and thought I’d never want another one.  They were so full of flavor and rich, but now that I’ve had some sleep and am looking at the photos one more time I can’t wait for class tomorrow night so that I can indulge one more time!   Once again I didn’t leave well enough alone — I’d defrosted a small strip steak and needed to use it so I pulled out my trusty grill pan and threw it on for a few minutes on each side.  It’s important not to overcook strip steak or it will be a chewy mess.  I didn’t stop to take photos, but trust me when I say it was cooked to rare perfection!  Rare as in juicy red, not as in, never happens.

A key ingredient in these two recipes is the Poblano Pepper.  Don’t be afraid!  On the Scoville Scale it ranks way down the chart at just about no heat.  As a matter of fact, the Tomatillo Stew recipe calls for a bell pepper, but I didn’t pick one up and had a poblano that was destined to become Chili Rellenos, but ended up in this recipe instead.  Good choice!  Far less fatteing and a perfect ingredient for the dish.

Nothing said I had to roast the peppers, but nothing screams taste to me like a charred pepper (or tomato for that matter) so I cranked up the burner with the higher BTU’s and charred some peppers.  See, people are all worked up and excited about induction cook tops, but you can’t get a good fire-char on a pepper with a magnet now, can you?  And what about that wonky new Electrolux range system that’s going to eliminate pots and pans?  Say what?!

And this was the main reason I wanted to make this meal, sans the Watercress and Orange Salad, last night.  I needed to make a set of flan because during a 2 hour class, I probably wouldn’t get the decadent dessert finished in time.  In the name of all that’s holy — THIS WAS GREAT!

I got it done and in the fridge at about 1am and woke up thinking about what a great breakfast I was going to have.  I’m not normally one for sweet breakfasts.  I’m more of the bagels & lox sort, but this … this … this creamy, eggy, caramely custardy delight was insane.  And the black specks, vanilla bean.  Yes my friends, that is what things look like when you use fresh vanilla beans or vanilla bean paste.  I’m a fan of vanilla paste unless it’s important to have no texture or sight of the little flecks of dark brown bean in the dish.

I think Flan is Latin America’s gift to dessert.  Well, that and Dulce de Leche.  And yes.  I plan to make Dulce de Leche Flan in the very near future.  I think it’s time to plan a party so that I have people to share all this goodness with.

Do you have a favorite ethnic food that you cook or go in search of?  I’ve got too many to name just one, but this week, it’s Latin American cooking.  Uummm… along with Greek.