Chimichurri Shrimp Enchiladas

Chimichurri,

with White Wine Sauce

Shrimp Enchiladas

Ingredients

Cilantro Chimichurri

Note: Double the recipe if you wish to serve some of the chimichurri as a condiment.

1/4 cup finely chopped, Italian parsley (flat leaf)

2 tablespoons finely chopped, cilantro

1/2 teaspoon dried, oregano

2 teaspoons minced, garlic

2-3 teaspoons chopped, Calabrian chilis in oil (jarred)

1/4 cup olive oil (mild)

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

Few pinches salt & pepper-to taste

Refried Beans

Note: Toast the cumin and coriander seeds in a cast iron skillet, over medium heat before measuring and grinding.

3 tablespoons lard

2 cups small dice, yellow onion

1/3 teaspoon cumin seeds (or to-taste), ground

½ teaspoon coriander seeds, ground

1 1/2 teaspoons freshly minced, garlic

2-15.8 ounce cans Great Northern beans, drained

Vegetable broth

Butter

Salt

Pepper

Wine Sauce

Note: If you have access to "fresh" shrimp or seafood stock, it can be used instead of the bottled clam juice.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup minced, yellow onion

1 teaspoon freshly minced, garlic

1 cup unoaked chardonnay

3/4 cup clam juice

1 1/4 cups heavy cream, room temp

Salt

White pepper

Room temp butter & flour for beurre manié

Assembly

Baking dish

1/4 cup olive oil

2 garlic cloves

6 inch flour tortillas

1 large bunch, fresh spinach leaves, rinsed, dried, stems removed.

Peppadew peppers, jarred or canned, sliced into quarters or halves

2 blocks Pepper Jack cheese, about 1 pound (Sargento Fiesta) grated

Fresh cilantro

Lime wedges

Sautéed Shrimp

1 pound large to x-large shrimp, peeled deveined

Salt & black pepper

Vegetable oil

Directions

Makes 8-10 enchiladas, 4-5 servings.

Cilantro Chimichurri

Add all ingredients to a small bowl and mix well.

Refried Beans

Heat the lard in a large skillet over med-low temperature. Add the onions and cook until golden in color, about 20 minutes. Stir in the garlic, cumin, coriander and cook 2 minutes. Add the beans and cook for 2-3 minutes until hot. Add 1/2 cup of vegetable broth and smash the beans or puree coarsely with a hand held immersion blender. Cook for about one more minute, until creamy. Add more broth if needed. Season with salt & pepper, a few tablespoons of butter, then remove from the heat.

Wine Sauce

Heat the butter over medium temperature in a large sauce pan. Add the onion, a few pinches of salt, and cook until translucent in color. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the wine and cook over medium heat, until wine is reduced by 1/2, about 7-8 minutes. Stir in the cream and clam broth and simmer over low to med-low for 10 minutes. Pour sauce through a sieve into a bowl, wipe out the pan and add sauce back to the pan.

For the beurre manié, mix 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoon of flour together in a small ramekin. Place the sauce back on the burner, over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Whisk in half of the beurre manié and bring to a slow boil. Test the sauce for desired thickness and add more beurre manié until you reach the consistency you want. Season with salt & white pepper and remove from heat. Sauce must come to a slow boil for the flour to reach its full thickening power. Sauce will thicken more as it cools.

Assembly

Adjust oven rack to the center position and preheat to 425F.

Reserve 4 ounces of the cheese for topping.

Crush the 2 garlic cloves into the olive oil in a small bowl, then brush the bottom of the baking dish with some of the oil. Spoon some of the refried beans into the center of a tortilla and spread out to the ends. Top with some of the spinach leaves, Peppadew peppers and then finish with grated cheese and cilantro. Roll the tortilla up and place seam side down into the baking dish, pressing down gently to keep it from opening. Repeat until all of the tortillas are filled.

Note: Prepare the shrimp while enchiladas are in the oven.

Generously, brush the tops of the enchiladas with the garlic olive oil and bake in the center of oven for 12 minutes. Turn off oven, sprinkle the reserved 4 ounces of cheese on top of the enchiladas and place back in the oven for 2-3 minutes to melt.

Note: Sauce can be served on the side, instead of pouring over the top of enchiladas.

Remove from oven, spoon on some of the wine sauce, top with the shrimp and finish with cilantro and lime wedges. Serve immediately.

Sautéed Shrimp

Pat dry the shrimp with paper towels. Heat some oil in a wok or large non-stick skillet. Season the shrimp with salt & pepper and add to the hot oil. Cook the shrimp for 2 minutes then turn over and cook the other sides for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes or until opaque in color. Spoon into a mixing bowl and toss with some of the chimichurri.