Today’s dinner, like so many, started with one simple question...what do I need to cook before it goes bad? We had a birthday party the other day (just the people in the house, but that is quite a few people) and there was some left-over shrimp. Half a bag of spinach. Three ears of corn-on-the-cob. Some wilted cilantro. Hmmm….
The cilantro got me thinking in a Mexican direction, and I remembered some chorizo I had in the freezer. Shimp and chorizo would be an interesting combination...but what to put with it? Well, if it’s going to be Mexicanish, it needs beans. I can add the corn in. It will need really robust starch...grits! Is corn and grits going to be too corn-y? Naw...corn is awesome, there is no such thing as too much corn.
Beans are easy and quick to cook in the pressure cooker. I like to add herbs and spices for them to cook with. For this meal, some red onion, cumin, garlic, and fresh oregano (from the garden- it grows aggressively where I live) went into the pot. I originally wanted to use black beans, but couldn’t find them in the freezer. I have to store all my dried beans in the freezer; pantry moths grow aggressively where I live. But I was able to find some red beans, so that’s what got cooked.
OK, beans are in the pressure cooker for half an hour. Next stop, grits. Not something I cook often, definitely not something I have anywhere close to the perfect recipe for. But some cornmeal, water, salt, sour cream, cream cheese, and parmesan cheese will have to do.
Time to take a break and check DKos for the latest headlines….
I’m back! Half an hour later, and a few stirs of the grits between stories, and I’m ready to finish off the dinner. Corn...I like to sear it a bit in the cast iron pan, then put in the water and let it cook. 10 minutes later the water has boiled off and the corn gets set aside to cool a bit.
The chorizo goes into the same pan that I used to cook the corn. Have you ever cooked with chorizo? The first time I used it, I thought something was very wrong with it, because it was encased in plastic. Obviously, you have to remove it from its case, and then it is all mushy. It is raw, but cooks quickly when you stir it about in the pan. Then I added the shrimp and about half of the cilantro.
Right about this time, one of the teenagers wanders by and says “smells like tacos!” .
Popped the shrimp-and-sausage mix into a bowl, then used the same pan to cook down the spinach. Tiny bit of salt, juice from half a lime, and it is good to go.
Corn on the cob is wonderful, but for this meal it needed to be off the cob. I added in a the rest of the red onion, and the other half of the cilantro. Chopped up some tomato and the rest of the lime and … All done!
Everything gets placed on the Butcher’s block that we use as a kitchen island. I assemble everything on one plate (mine) but leave the rest in pots and bowls for the picky eaters to mix and match however the prefer.
Time to call the ravenous hoards to dinner!
What’s for Dinner? is a Saturday evening get-together where friends share recipes, talk about good food and help others answer culinary questions.
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