Samantha, our Mexican daughter in Playa del Carmen, and I created an amazing meal earlier this week. We cook together often and help each other with our English and Spanish in the process. The dinner took some time to create but came together beautifully. First seven fresh xcatic chilies were roasted on the stove top flame until blackened along with garlic wrapped in tin foil and heated on the flame. The chilies were placed in a bag to sweat for 10 minutes so the blackness could be easily removed. They were placed in a blender with a couple boxes of media creama, a little milk and powdered boullion then warmed without boiling in a large pan.
- Roasted garlic
- Xcatic chilies.
Next the job was shelling 1 1/2 kilos of shrimp. I put to work my friend Marilou Young who arrived early. These were then sautéed in butter with a little garlic olive oil and 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary by Samantha. Meanwhile I chopped vegetables for a pasta salad including a whole head of cauliflower, broccoli and 3 carrots. These were steamed, cooled and mixed with curly pasta, olive oil, salt and pepper.
A kilo of white fish fillet pieces were also sautéed in the shrimp pan.
- Shrimp sautéing in butter with rosemary.
- Lots of shrimp!
- White fish fillets join the pan.
- Chef Samantha at the stove.
The partially cooked shrimp and fish were added to the cream sauce for 10 more minutes. Bits of fresh rosemary were sprinkled on top. Dinner was served with 1/2 plate of pasta with veggies and the other half with seafood and cream sauce. It all blended into one dish and was a total delight for eight guests!