Shrimp Alfredo Creole goes from pan to plate in 15 minutes
Standing in the kitchen at 8:15 on a weeknight, phone in hand? Put it down and get back to the pantry. If you've stocked the ingredients for this little number, you'll be eating before the pizza guy would have boxed up your order.
This recipe for Shrimp Alfredo Creole I put together real quick-like on a night of desperation: It had been a long day in family land, and I had about 14.7 minutes before I fell asleep on my feet in front of the stove.
It was an instant hit with all three members of Team Jennie. I figured it was a perfect example of what folks need at the end of that aforementioned long day, when it's tempting to just run through a drive-thru or call the pizza place again. The only requirement is that when you go shopping, you pick up the ingredients in anticipation of having at least one of those days in the near future.
Speaking of the future, welcome again to the Erielicious newsletter. Tell me, what do you want to see here? Tell me right now while you're thinking about it, what are you wondering, craving or exploring? Just send an email to jgeisler@timesnews.com. I want to write about that. I don't have to reveal your name if you don't want any credit for your ingenious input.
Other current plans include visiting Julio Reyes soon at his Mexican-American restaurant Julius in the former Maennerchor. And Stephen Stanbro with Bro Man's Sammiches food truck/restaurant. And Tim Grow at Que Abides. And lots of other folks' eateries, new and old. You can request them, too. Tell me who you want to hear about and I'll try to make it happen.
P.S. I made this recipe dairy-free because that's how Team Jennie eats. If you haven't been paying attention, you'll be amazed at the cheese substitutions available lately. They actually melt and taste like real food. Giant Eagle keeps them in the produce section, and Wegmans has half an aisle of coolers for stuff, which my friend, who also has food allergies, calls "witch food."
Of course, this would be just as delicious when made with dairy-based equivalents, such as butter, whole cow's milk or cream and, well, actual Parmesan, but to each his own according to his needs.
Have an Erielicious week.
Dairy-Free Shrimp Alfredo Creole
Stick of margarine or other non-dairy stick butter substitute
Up to 4 tablespoons of cornstarch or flour
2-3 cups unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup grated or shredded dairy-free "Parmesan" cheese
Garlic clove, crushed, or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 to 1 teaspoon of Creole seasoning (Tony Chachere's is common and worth the investment in a can for adding character to anything -- meat rubs or sops or casseroles -- you think is too bland.)
salt and pepper to taste
1 pound uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 servings long pasta such as fettuccine or linguine, cooked
Melt a stick of margarine in a large, deep skillet. One at a time, whisk in a tablespoon of cornstarch or flour (up to about 4 tablespoons) until it bubbles and thickens.
Whisk in 2 cups of almond milk until that thickens. If it thickens too much, whisk in a little more milk until you're happy with the consistency.
Add a handful of dairy-free Parmesan cheese and whisk that in. Stir in a crushed garlic clove or about a 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder and 3/4 teaspoon Creole seasoning. Add about 10 turns on salt and pepper grinders. stir and taste and adjust as you like it.
Add a pound of peeled and deveined thawed shrimp to the hot white sauce and stir until they turn opaque and pink, about 3 or 4 minutes. Remove this from heat and combine with pasta. Top with more Parmesan if desired.
Serves 4
Jennie Geisler
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This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Shrimp Alfredo Creole goes from pan to plate in 15 minutes
