Over the course of its 300-year history, New Orleans’ cuisine has been one of its greatest gifts to the world. Now, as we celebrate the city’s 300th birthday and WWL-TV’s 60th anniversary, our gift to you is a free e-cookbook, with 'New Twists' on popular recipes.
This cookbook series celebrates New Orleans’ culinary past and present, to coincide with the city’s tricentennial. What better way to commemorate 300 years of life in the city we love than by celebrating the thing that truly unites us all: food.
Frank Davis' Guiltless and Innocent-to-the-Bone Pasta Alfredo
INGREDIENTS
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 strips anchovy filets, mashed
2 lbs shrimp
1/2 cup green onions, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup concentrated fat-free low sodium chicken stock
1 cup evaporated skim milk
1/2 cup 1% low fat milk
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated
3 tsp cornstarch + ¼ cup water
1 lb broad egg noodles cooked al dente
1/2 cup green peas
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
cup parsley, finely minced
Directions:
In a 12” straight sided skillet or frypan, bring the olive oil to high heat and gently whisk in the mashed anchovies (but without burning the anchovies). Then, when the mixture is uniformly combined, drop in the peeled and deveined shrimp and quickly sauté them over high heat until they become slightly toasty on both sides. This only takes a minute or two. At this point, remove the shrimp from the pan and set them aside momentarily.
Next, to the very same skillet, with the fire still set on high, cook down the green onions and the garlic until they soften.
Then begin making your sauce by blending together the chicken broth, the evaporated skim milk, and the low- fat milk. Ideally the chicken broth is first reduced to about half of its original volume to concentrate the flavor, then both the evaporated and the low-fat milk are poured into the pan to begin the slow-cooking “marrying” process. The best way to do this is to cut back the heat to “low” and begin “cooking down” everything in the pan. As the moisture evaporates, the sauce will begin to thicken. But to thicken the mixture even further, briskly stir in the cornstarch mixture while the sauce gently boils. Of course, it’s always best to season the sauce with the Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and the nutmeg before heading off in another direction.
When you’re ready to eat, fold the shrimp into the sauce you’ve made, drop in the precooked broad egg noodles, and toss everything together well to thoroughly coat it. Then serve the finished dish in deep soup bowls, liberally garnish with the green peas, parsley and Parmesan cheese.
Follow Chef Kevin Belton on Twitter at @ChefKevinBelton