saltines

Jumbo Shrimp Butter

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? A Symphony of Flavors: Jumbo Shrimp Butter! What should I bring to the next party? Forget the ho-hum cheese and cracker tray you can pick up at the neighborhood deli. Be innovative. Shrimp is every seafood-lover’s dream. It can actually be made ahead of time, as long as it comes to room temperature before serving. The saltine provides a crisp, light, and salty platform to balance the richness of shrimp and the creaminess of butter. Try it first at home to enjoy it firsthand. Once it hits the buffet line at the party, you may only see the treasured platter you brought it in on by the time it’s your turn to choose. You think I’m kidding. See for yourself. 

JUMBO SHRIMP BUTTER

Ingredients:

1/2 cup salted butter, room temperature 

1/8 teaspoon seafood seasoning

1/2 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon parsley

1/2 teaspoon dill weed

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon celery seed

3 green onions, chopped

1/2 pound jumbo shrimp, frozen and precooked, thawed with tails removed 

Instructions:

In a large bowl, beat the butter until smooth. Add seafood seasoning, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, dill weed, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and celery seed. Mash with the back of a fork until all ingredients are well combined. Set aside. Fill a colander with jumbo shrimp. Run under cold water to completely rinse. Remove shrimp and place on paper towels. Pat dry. Remove tails and discard. Chop shrimp very finely in a mini chopper. Fold the shrimp into the seasoned butter mixture. Mix well until spreadable. Serve immediately with saltine crackers. 

Peruvian Cheese Potatoes

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Uplifting Aromas: Peruvian Cheese Potatoes! My friend, Gian, encouraged me to try a dish from his native land, Peru. He described it as a traditional appetizer so popular it has become the national dish: Papa a là Huancaína. Because it’s basically boiled potatoes covered in a spicy cheese sauce, he explained it as chile-warm, delicious, creamy, and satisfying. Strangely enough, this appetizer is served cold, similar to the American Potato Salad. It taste nothing like it, though. The jury is still out on whether I will make it at home again. I’m thinking the next step is to order it in an authentic Peruvian restaurant. Perhaps they’ll share a secret or two.

PERUVIAN CHEESE POTATOES

Ingredients:

8 yellow potatoes, whole

4 lettuce leaves

Huancaína Sauce (see recipe below)*

2 hard-boiled eggs, quartered

Mixed olives, pitted

Instructions for Potatoes:

Heat a pot of salted water to boiling. Add the potatoes. Boil the potatoes until tender when pierced with a fork, approximately 20 minutes. Drain the water and allow potatoes to cool. Arrange lettuce leaves on a platter. Halve the potatoes and place on top of the lettuce. Pour Huancaína sauce over the potatoes. Garnish with hard-boiled eggs and pitted olives.

*Ingredients for Huancaína Sauce:

1/2 cup aji amarillo paste

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 cup onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup evaporated milk

2 cups white queso fresco cheese

4 saltine crackers

Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

*Instructions for Huancaína Sauce:

Warm oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the aji amarillo paste, chopped onion, and minced garlic. Sauté approximately 3 minutes, or until the onions have softened. Remove pan from heat and set aside to cool. In a food processor, combine the chile/onion mixture, and evaporated milk. Blend well. Add the queso fresco cheese and saltine crackers; blend until smooth. The sauce should be thick. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve.