Cooking With Maddie Newsletter #17
Creamy Shrimp Enchiladas
Hi friends!
As we inch closer and closer to the holidays, it’s making me miss gatherings more than ever. Do you remember holiday parties? Secret Santa? Oh, what I would give to dress up in something fancy and completely inappropriate for the weather, and have one-too-many glasses of red wine (instead, we’ve just been doing this in our pajamas and it’s honestly become an unhealthy habit). And the ugly Christmas sweaters! Thinking about how many are stored in the back of a closet, collecting dust, unlikely to be worn until next December is deeply depressing.
But what I might be missing most right now is sharing a big meal with friends. Yes, I’m talking about dinner parties— something you only really grow to appreciate in your mid-twenties (or after reading Dining In). A sacred time when you gather with all your favorite people, around a table filled with dishes too big or complicated to justify making on a regular weeknight. There’s laughs— oh so many belly laughs. And you seem to forget all the stressors that were cluttering your mind before you arrived.
I’ve missed these sort of moments so much. I miss making dinner for my friends. And not something practical, healthy, quick or cheap— something freaking grandiose. Something that sits in the middle of the table and makes a statement.
But let’s be real— that’s not going to happen in 2020. We know dis.
So this week, we decided to take matters into our own hands, and make a big, glorious meal— only it was just for our household, not the big group of friends we usually save this sort of meal for.
This past Sunday, we made a whole spread— we started with homemade guacamole. We cooked up some of our favorite sides— black beans and spicy corn. And for the main event? Creamy Shrimp Enchiladas.
This recipe is one of our favorites, but we haven’t made it in a very long time because it didn’t seem right to eat it without a big group of friends. We kept holding out, waiting until it was safe to sit elbow-to-elbow again. And although we didn’t get there this year, there was something magical about making something reserved for “special occasions” on a regular, ole Sunday. Just for us.
Oh, and there’s a huge perk to making a dish intended to feed 10— the leftovers. I am such a leftovers girl. Nine times out of 10, I prefer the leftovers to the meal itself. There’s something so thrilling about wondering what boring lunch you’ll have today, only to realize you have a big plate of leftovers calling your name.
I hope our decision to say F-it and make a big meal inspires you to make your favorite dinner party meal, even if it’ll just be for you and your roomies. Eat the extras as leftovers. Store ‘em in the freezer. Just make the dish— it’s so much better than waiting around for the next time we can all get together and share a meal.
For the Creamy Shrimp Enchiladas, you’ll need:
1 ½ lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped
2 poblano peppers, chopped
2 jalapeño peppers, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1-2 tablespoons neutral oil like vegetable, canola or grapeseed
2 cups heavy cream
½ cup sour cream or full-fat greek yogurt
2 garlic cloves
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon cumin
Salt and pepper
1 package of large flour tortillas, about 10
2 cups shredded monterey jack or cheddar cheese
Cilantro, radish and lime to garnish
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and grease a 9x13 baking dish with neutral oil. You can do this by dipping a paper towel in oil, and rubbing down the sides, or spraying with PAM.
In a large skillet, heat ~1 tablespoon neutral oil over medium. Add your chopped onions, bell peppers, poblano peppers, jalapenos and tomatoes. Cook until soft, ~10-15 minutes. You do not want these to brown.
While the veggies saute, remove the shells and tails from the shrimp. You can learn how to properly peel a shrimp here. I like to put my shells into a plastic bag and tie with a knot so they don’t make the entire trash smell. Do not throw your shells into the garbage disposal. That is a big no-no.
Put your de-shelled shrimp into a big bowl. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of neutral oil. Add a few pinches of chili powder, cayenne, cumin, salt and pepper to the bowl— just enough to coat the shrimp. Set aside.
Next, you’ll make the sauce. In a large bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, sour cream, cayenne, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Grate two cloves of garlic with a microplane into the bowl. Whisk until well-combined. Set aside.
When your veggies are soft, move to a plate and set aside. Returning the skillet to medium heat, add your shrimp in one even layer. Cook the shrimp on one side, until 90% pink. Flip over and cook the remaining side. This should take less than 3 minutes.
Add the veggies and sauce back to the skillet, and stir to combine. Moving the heat to low, let simmer for ~ 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
In an assembly line, add cheese to the bottom of each tortilla, and add ~3 shrimp and a generous spoonful of veggies to each tortilla. We recommend using a slotted spoon for this step to avoid soaking the tortillas.
Roll the tortilla and place in the baking dish, seam-side down. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas and cover with the leftover shredded cheese.
Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the top is melted and starting to crisp.
Garnish with cilantro, thinly-sliced radish and lime.
I also mentioned that alongside our enchiladas, we had some guacamole. You can and should make this anytime— not just when you’re making a feast. For our guac, we combined two ripe avocados, ¼ cup finely diced red onion, ¼ cup chopped cilantro and a whole diced jalapeno with heavy pinches of salt and the juice of one whole lime. Using a masher or two forks, mash until combined. We leave some avocado chunks because we’re not monsters.
For what’s giving me life this week, it was not letting the freezing cold weather stop us from spending some time outdoors. We bundled up in hats, scarves, coats, gloves, masks (DUH)… the whole ordeal, and had some fantastic meals around Denver. Pro Tip: bring some big, cozy covers with you, in case the heaters don’t cut it. Double Pro Tip: drink warm cocktails like mulled wine, hot cider or spiked hot chocolate. You’ll get a decent buzz and stay nice-and-toasty.
We virtually traveled to Kyoto, Japan, to forest bathe for my team’s holiday “outing.” If you are looking for an end-of-year experience to share with your colleagues, this was actually so much fun, and needless to say, Kyoto is now on my bucket list.
I’ve been getting ALL the cuddles from our good-girl Greta. If you still haven’t gotten yourself a quarantine pup, you still have time. Check out the KC Pet Project— one of my all-time favorite organizations.
And lastly, it’s been thinking all week about what cookies we’re going to make (and share) for next week’s newsletter. I’m leaning towards a shortbread of some kind, but this NYT Eggnog Snickerdoodle is also calling my name.
Wish I was with you,
Maddie