Green
Chili Casserole
2 C. cornbread stuffing crumbs
8 eggs
1 1/2 C. milk
1 1/2 C. sour cream
1/2 t. salt
1/8 t. ground red pepper or 2to 3 drops hot-pepper sauce
2 4 oz. cans chopped green chiles, undrained
1 C. sharp Cheddar cheese, grated
1 C. Monterey Jack, grated
1 C. salsa (optional)
Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch shallow baking dish. Spread stuffing crumbs over
bottom of dish. In a large bowl, beat eggs with milk, sour cream, salt and red
pepper. Stir in green chiles and the two cheeses. Pour egg mixture into baking
dish. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake casserole uncovered 45 minutes, or until golden
brown. Serve with salsa, if desired.
Makes 8 servings. |
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Quick-fried Shrimp with Sweet Toasty Garlic
3/4 C. peeled whole garlic cloves (about 2 large heads)
1 C. good-quality oil, preferably extra-virgin olive oil
salt
3 limes
2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, seeded and cut into thin strips
2 pounds (about 48) medium-large shrimp, peeled
3 T. chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
Chop garlic with a sharp knife into 1/8-inch bits, or drop the cloves through
the feed tube of a running food processor and process until the pieces are
roughly 1/8 inch. You should have about 1/2 cup chopped garlic.
Scoop into a 1-quart sauce-pan, add oil (you need it all for even cooking) and
1/2 teaspoon salt, and set over medium-low heat. Stir occasionally as mixture
comes barely to a simmer (there should be just a hint of movement on the surface
of the oil). Adjust heat to the lowest possible setting to keep the mixture at
that gentle simmer (bubbles will rise in the pot like mineral water). Cook,
stirring occasionally, until garlic is soft and pale golden (the color of light
brown sugar), about 30 minutes. The slower the cooking, the sweeter the garlic.
Squeeze the juice of 1 of the limes into the pan; simmer until most of the juice
has evaporated or been absorbed into the garlic, about 5 minutes. Stir in
chiles. Add a little more salt if necessary. Keep the pan over low heat so that
the garlic will be warm when the shrimp are ready. Cut remaining 2 limes into
wedges, scoop into a serving bowl and set on the table.
Devein shrimp if you wish: One by one, lay the shrimp on your work surface, make
a shallow incision down the back and scrape out the (usually) dark intestinal
track. Set a 12 inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; spoon in 1 1/2
tablespoons of the flavored oil (but not the garlic) from the saucepan. Add half
of the shrimp, sprinkle generously with salt, then stir gently and continuously
until the shrimp are just cooked through, 3 or 4 minutes. Stir in cilantro.
Scoop shrimp onto a deep serving platter. Repeat with the remaining shrimp and
another 11/2 tablespoons of the garlicky oil.
When all of the shrimp are cooked, use a slotted spoon to scoop out the warm
bits of garlic and chiles from the pan, and scatter them over the shrimp. Serve
warm or at room temperature with lime wedges.
Yield: 6 generous servings.
Note: You may have as much as 1/3 cup of the oil left over, for which you'll be
grateful -- it's wonderful for sauteing practically anything. Refrigerate up to
2 weeks.
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