Recipe Review from 2/10/2019

Bit late getting this posted - ended up having to type more of the recipes than I care for and then life got crazy busy.   I'm also not sure if Eating Well is just behind in posting recipes, or if they don't post all the recipes in the magazine online.  Which also means I'm short a few pictures.   Bother.   I'll include the Korean Steak in my next recipe review. 


The Meal Plan:
Sun (L)  Shrimp cakes   (S)  Y staff meeting/leftovers
Mon (yoga)  leftover shrimp cakes
Tues -  Carbonara
Wed - leftovers
Thurs (yoga) - Brats
Fri (aft appt, blow snow)  Brats
Sat (L) Korean Steak    (S)  out

Lunches - Squash and hominy soup

Shrimp Cakes (modified from Kevin Belton New Orleans Kitchen Ckbk)
The recipe is actually Shrimp with Smoked Grit Cakes, but even with his indoor smoker suggestion, it wasn't going to work for me.  So...I skipped the smoking part.   I also didn't fry the grit cakes but baked them for a lighter variation.   I also used half n half instead of heavy whipping cream, cut the butter back to two or three tbsp, and halved the amount of cheese.  Seems a bit drastic, but honestly, a very easy way to lighten the fat and calories without compromising taste.

The shrimp saute is fantastic.  I thought it would be similar to the Shrimp Bread I made Superbowl weekend, but it was quite different.  Modification here was to use half n half instead of heavy whip, and I used a whole can of creamed corn because what am I going to do with half a can?  Extra just added to the delicious sauciness.

Don't let the ingredient list turn you off - this is remarkably simple to make and is simply delicious.   This would be great for company.  Leftovers reheated very nicely.  Now, I didn't have enough shrimp saute to cover all the grit cakes, so I used some spagetti sauce for the leftovers.  Also delish.  Recommended! 

Made two dinners for two with shrimp saute; two dinners for two with spaghetti sauce

Grit Cakes (MAKE AHEAD OF TIME):
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup half n half
2-3 tbsp butter

This is why I don't take pictures.  That's bacon crumbled on the top

1 tsp pepper
1 tsp Creole seasoning
1 tsp onion powder
1 cup slow-cook stone-ground grits
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 tsp hot sauce

Breading: 
2 cups Italian breadcrumbs
4 eggs, beaten (I used two)
1 1/2 cup AP flour
1 tsp Creole seasoning
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Creole Shrimp Saute:
5 strips thick-cut bacon
1/4 cup minced shallots
1/8 cup finely chopped bell pepper (I used the whole pepper)
1/2 cup half n half
1 (14 oz) can creamed corn
1 1/2 tsp Creole Seasoning
1 tsp dried thyme
1 lbs (16/20 size) shrimp, peeled and deveined
chopped fresh parsely for garnish

For the Grit Cakes: 
In a large sauce pan over medium-high heat, bring the stock and cream to a slight boil.  Add the butter, pepper, Creole seasoning, garlic and onion powder and continue to heat until boiling.  Add grits and whisk constantly for about 2 minutes.  REduce heat to low, cover and for 30 minutes, or until cooked, stirring occasionally.

Once grits are cooked, add a little broth if necessary so the grits don't thicken too much.  Stir in cheeses and hot sauce and and mix thoroughly.

Butter a glass baking dish (I used a 9x9) and pour in grits.  Cover and refrigerate until set 3-4 hours, or overnight.  Remove from refrigerator, cut grits into squares. 

Preheat oven to 400*  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper.  Prepare dredging ingredients by placing breadcrumbs, eggs, and flour in separate bowls.  In a small bowl, combine Creole seasoning, pepper and garlic powder, and divide among flour and breadcrumbs.  Mix well.

Dredge cakes in the flour, egg wash, then breadcrumbs.  Place on baking sheet.  Bake for about 30 minutes or until breading is nice and crisp.   (My Notes:  once done, you can turn off the oven and keep warm while pulling the rest of the meal and table together). 

For the Shrimp Saute:
In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, cook bacon until crispy.  Remove bacon to drain on a paper towel and transfer fat to a separate bowl.

Return pan to heat with 1-2 tbsp bacon fat.  Add shallots and saute until just softened, about 2 minutes.  Add bell pepper and saute until just softened.  Add cream, corn, Creole Seasoning and thyme.  Stir well.  Add shrimp and cook until pink and firm, about 7 minutes.  Season to taste and serve over Grit Cakes.  Garnish with reserved bacon and parsley. 


Pea and Spinach Carbonara (Eating Well, Jan/Feb 2019) vegetarian
It's not often that I say this, but I didn't like this dish.  You need a really big pot to make this, and mine wasn't.  So that was a struggle.  My options for "fresh" noodles are a bit limited, so the cooking times were somewhat off.  And the "sauce", well...it was runny and ended up in the bottom of the bowl.  By the time I reheated the leftovers, it had absorbed so the pasta was on the dry side.

I'm also going to admit that I couldn't even face eating the last of the leftovers and the batch went to the chickens.  Husband got us brats to finish out the week.  Bless him.

Not recommended.

I got 6 servings out of this (last two servings went to the chickens).  

1-1/2 tbsp EVOO
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 small garlic clove, minced
8 tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated; divided
3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
3 large egg yolks
1 large egg
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1 9oz package fresh tagliatelle or linguine
8 cups baby spinach (I used 1 5oz pkg)
1 cup peas (fresh or frozen)

Put 10 cups of water in a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add breadcrumbs and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, until toasted.  About 2 minutes.  Transfer to a small bowl and stir in 2 tbsp Parmesan and parsley.  Set aside.

Whisk remaining 6 tbsp Parmesan with egg yolks, egg, pepper and salt in a medium bowl.

Cook pasta in the boiling water, stirring occasionally for about 1 minute.  Add spinach and peas, and cook until the pasta is tender, about 1 minute more.  Reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta water.  Drain pasta and place in a large bowl.

Slowly whisk reserved pasta water into the egg mixture.  Gradually add the mixture to the pasta, tossing with tongs to combine.  Serve with reserved breadcrumbs.


Squash Hominy Soup (Taste of Home)
Yes, this is that simple.  Two modifications on my part - I used my own squash that I had frozen last fall, and I subbed half n half for the heavy whipping cream. 

This is good - the sweetness of the squash really shines, and I loved the little kernels of hominy.   Recommended.

Made enough for 5 lunches.

photo from Taste of Home

2/3 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic1 tablespoon butter
2 packages (10 ounces each) frozen cooked winter squash, thawed

(I used
2 cups chicken broth
1 can (15-1/2 ounces) hominy, rinsed and drained
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon each ground ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream  I used half n half

In a large saucepan, saute onion and garlic in butter until tender. Stir in the squash, broth, hominy and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in cream.