Shrimp with Andouille and Angel Hair Pasta

For a change of pace, Andouille sausage is delicious ~ add some shrimp and seasonings and you’re sure to enjoy a tasty meal!  

Andouille sausage is French in origin, having a unique spicy flavor, being made primarily from pork, garlic, red and black peppers, wine and onions.  It is cased in a blackened skin, and then is heavily smoked over pecan logs and sugar cane.  It can be served cold, in slices, as an hors d’oeuvre; however, it is mainly used in Cajun and Creole dishes such as jambalaya and gumbo. 

Cajun cuisine is one of our favorites and always reminds us of NOLA ~ actually, I can’t get enough of either of them.  Serving it over angel hair pasta is pretty great!

Shrimp with Andouille and Angel Hair Pasta

Ingredients:

8 ounces angel hair pasta

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ pound Andouille sausage, cut into ¼” slices

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup salsa verde

4 teaspoons flour

1½ cups chicken broth

¼ cup heavy cream

1 pound shrimp, deveined and peeled

3 green onions, sliced into thin rounds for garnish

Method:

To a large skillet, add olive oil over medium-high heat.

Add Andouille sausage and cook for 1-2 minutes.

Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Add garlic to skillet and cook for 30 seconds.

Stir flour into drippings until dissolved.

Whisk in broth and cream and cook until thickened, about 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions, drain well and set aside.

Add salsa to broth mixture in skillet and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes.

Transfer sausage to skillet.

Add shrimp and cook until shrimp are opaque, about 3-5 minutes.

To serve:  Place pasta on a plate, top with shrimp mixture and sprinkle green onions over all.

DELICIOUS!!!

Go visit my friend, Linda’s blog, @My Kind of Cooking for excellent tips and recipes.  This is the last day to enter her great giveaway for “Joy Bauer’s Food Cures” book!

Chiles Rellenos

Here’s a great Mexican dish that takes some time to make but is worth every minute of it. This is the first time I’ve made chiles rellenos and they turned out really tasty with a little heat so this recipe is a keeper for me.

Poblano chiles are used in the recipe but, Anaheim or ancho (dried poblano) could be used as well.  They are charred and then their skins are removed.  After being coated in a batter, they are stuffed with cheese, fried and then baked.  The chiles are pan-seared instead of deep fried.

While speaking of chile peppers, I came across an interesting and informative book about them:  The Great Chile Book by Mark Miller.  It describes the varieties, regions where they are grown, degrees of hotness (1-10) and includes photos of more than 90 fresh and dried chiles with many recipes.

Back to this recipe ~ it was in “Cooking Light” magazine and I made a couple of changes.  The recipe called for ¼ cup cilantro to be added to the tomato salsa; I don’t care for cilantro so omitted it.  It included reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese, I used regular because I had that on hand.

Charred

Skinned, remove seeds

Fried, ready to bake

I really like the salsa in this dish!  With using medium salsa verde, there is a little heat; if you like more heat, use the hot.  It’s a great recipe and I hope you give it a try if you like chiles rellenos!

Chiles Rellenos
Adapted
Ingredients:

Cooking spray
1¼ cups coarsely chopped onion
2 cups chopped tomatoes
½ cup low-sodium salsa verde
¼ teaspoon salt
4 poblano chiles
1 cup (4-ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
2 tablespoons goat cheese, divided
3 large egg yolks
3 large egg whites
¼ cup flour
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons cornmeal
¼ cup canola oil

Method:

Preheat broiler to high.

Coat a large skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium
high heat.
Add onion, sauté 4 minutes.
Stir in chopped tomatoes, salsa verde and ¼ teaspoon salt.
Cook 15 minutes or until thickened, stirring frequently.
Place tomato mixture in food processor and process until
smooth.  Set aside.
Place poblanos on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Broil 3 inches from heat for 8 minutes or until blackened and
charred, turning after 6 minutes.
Place in a paper bag; fold to close tightly.
Let stand 15 minutes.

Peel and discard skins.

Cut a lengthwise slit in each chile; discard seeds, leaving
stems intact.
Spoon ¼ cup Jack cheese and 1½ teaspoons goat cheese in
cavity of each chile.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly beat egg yolks in a small bowl.

Place egg whites in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at high
speed until stiff peaks form.
Fold egg yolks into egg whites.
Combine flour and black pepper in a shallow dish.
Place cornmeal in another shallow dish.
Dredge poblanos in flour mixture, and dip into egg mixture.
Dredge in cornmeal.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot;

reduce to medium heat.
Add coated poblanos to oil.
Cook 6 minutes or until crisp, turning to cook on all sides.
Place chiles on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 8
minutes or until cheese melts.
Serve with salsa.

Buen apetito!

Visit my friend Linda’s blog @My Kind of Cooking for great tips, recipes and cookbook giveaway!