We have this problem when cooking for our normal family gathering: some like it hot and some have a low tolerance for heat. The trick I’ve found is to inject a little less heat and to make sure it is quickly carried away by fat.
You see, the chemicals that make food hot do not dissolve in water. They will dissolve in fats or alcohol. So, if you don’t want them to linger too longer, make sure you have something they dissolve in. Creating hot food with cream sauces is my favorite solution, and that’s what was done here. In fact, we have a few sources of fat given the half and half and cream cheese used for the sauce, plus avocados, cheese, butter, and olive oil.
The dish was a hit with our gang, both the hotties and the coolies liked it. For those that want the space, don’t be afraid to put the hot sauce on the table and spice it up to your taste.
Ingredients
1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
12 oz angel hair pasta
2 cups corn kernels from 2 medium ears of corn
1/2 medium read onion, halved and cut into wedges
2 tbsp chopped chipotle in adobe
1 small bell pepper, cored, seeded, and sliced
1 small onion, chopped
1 14.5 ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 cup half-and-half
4 oz Cream Cheese
1/4 cup Tequila
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
Juice from 1/2 lime
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 small avocado, diced
1/3 cup Parmesan or Peccorino Cheese, grated
Preparation
The sauce won’t take long, so cook the pasta in parallel.
Combine shrimp with 1/2 tsp salt and black pepper.
Put half and half and cream cheese into a blender with the chipotle and adobo sauce. Blend well.
Heat a large skillet over medium low heat. Add 2 Tbsp olive oil.
Saute the onions until tender, about 2 minutes. Remember, we have 2 batches of onions. This round is a whole onion, chopped.
Add garlic and saute another minute.
Add half the cilantro and saute a minute.
Deglaze with the Tequila. You flambe for effect and to reduce the alcohol content.
Pour this mixture into the blender and blend with the half and half mixture.
Melt the butter in the skillet. Add corn kernels, sliced bell pepper, and 1/2 red onion, cut into wedges. Saute until the onion softens–about 8 minutes.
Transfer to serving platter and squeeze lime juice over it. Garnish with the remaining fresh oregano.
Put the blender mixture into a pan. Add the shrimp. Bring to a boil and cook shrimp until they’re pink and done. Should be about 2 min after the mixture boils.
To Serve
Put down the pasta. Add the veggie mixture. Top off with shrimp in the sauce. Garnish with fresh avocado and grated cheese.