|
(This was in the October/November issue
of “Eating Well.”
(During one of my
contemplation periods on the couch, I
decided it would benefit from more
vegetables. Tuesday I made the recipe
below but added a package of defrosted,
drained, frozen, chopped spinach, a can
of salad beans – kidney, pinto and
garbanzo – substituted a shallot for
half the onion and threw in the last two
stalks of celery and a fourth of a small
bag of baby carrots, cut up.
(By this time the large
frying pan was almost overflowing and I
had to empty it into the casserole dish
to stir in the seasonings. I
miscalculated those because I used the
amounts below despite the greater
volume, and then I got busy on the
cornbread and forgot the shrimp until
halfway through dinner. Aha! Somewhat
bland vegetarian chili!
(Next time I may do the
veggies entirely in the Dutch oven –
yes, I do learn – while baking the
cornbread separately, then combine them
just before serving. That way the
seasoning will come out right because I
can taste it.
(This also leads to the idea
that the vegetable stew, minus the chili
seasoning, would work beautifully in the
sausage/vegetable dish. Use any sausage
– breakfast, Italian, bratwurst,
whatever – but tear it apart and cook it
in small pieces. For the veggies, use
what you have, but keep the volume small
enough for one meal for your family
because the sausage flavor tends to
fade. I always use zucchini, eggplant –
the skinny ones work best – red pepper
and carrots with onion and garlic. If
there is not enough flavor, you might
add a couple spoonfuls of the garlic
pepper jelly the Flying Pig Farm sells
at the farmers’ market. It probably
would make a yummy casserole topped with
homemade biscuits flavored with chopped
rosemary.
(The cornbread recipe below
is pretty dense or heavy. This time I
put in 1 ½ cups white flour and ½ cup of
cornmeal plus 3 tablespoons of honey.
You could substitute your favorite
cornbread recipe or a mix.
(To peel garlic faster, cut
off the tip of the clove and put it in
the microwave for 3 seconds or so, a tip
from Gayle Hoover at the Flying Pig
Farm.
(I used frozen peeled and
deveined shrimp when I remembered. They
did not add much. You might try it – and
I will – with fresh North Carolina
shrimp.
(This makes 12 servings.)
Shrimp chili filling
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper,
chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 medium zucchini, diced
(about 5 cups)
1 ½ tablespoons chili powder
1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 14-ounce cans reduced
sodium diced tomatoes
1 ½ pounds small shrimp
(41-50 per pound) peeled and deveined
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Cornbread topping
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup nonfat milk
¼ cup canola oil
1 large egg
1 tablespoon honey
To prepare filling
Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium
heat. Add onion and garlic and heat
until garlic is fragrant. Add pepper and
zucchini and cook for about two minutes.
Add chili powder, cumin, cinnamon and
salt and cook for half a minute. Add
tomatoes, bring to a simmer and remove
from heat. Stir in shrimp and cilantro.
Pour into a 9” X 13” baking dish.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
To prepare cornbread
Whisk flour, cornmeal,
baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
Whisk milk, oil, egg and honey in a
medium bowl until smooth. Pour into the
dry ingredients and stir until just
moistened. Drop by heaping
tablespoonfuls over the shrimp mixture.
Bake the uncovered casserole
until the top is browned and the bottom
is bubbling, about 40 to 45 minutes. Let
stand for 10 minutes before serving.
To make this ahead as much
as three days, complete the baking, let
stand and cool for an hour, cover with
foil and refrigerate. To serve, reheat,
covered, in a preheated 350-degree oven
for an hour or until warm. |
