Wednesday, April 1, 2009

It's That Time of the Month Again...


No! Not that time...it's Book Club time. I missed last month because I was at my writing class- my writing is so much better, no?-and so it has been two whole months since I've been able to gather with these amazing and interesting women who have become some of my dearest friends. This month's selection is Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson. It got off to a really slllloooooow start, with short sentences and a choppy writing. I wondered if it was his particular writing style or a translation gone bad (it is a Sweedish book), but as the book has gone on, I stopped noticing his sentence structure and am completely fascinated by the story. When I paused to check if he was still writing that way, I realized that he is not, that it must have been some sort of stylistic thing just to heighten the drama at the start (or something). Regardless, I am truly enjoying this lovely book...and still have over 100 pages to finish by tonight, so I must be brief today.

But I did want to share a recipe with you (obviously, isn't that the whole point of this blog?), and realizing that I have been very rice and cilantro-heavy lately, I hope you'll forgive yet another recipe which features my favorite grain and herb. I actually spotted it on the Lundberg Rice website last week when I was waxing poetic about the wonders of local and organic rice. It looked so delicious and I knew right away that I needed to bring it to our book club, as it is my turn to provide an appetizer. I hope that it tastes as scrumptious as it sounds.

Shrimp and Rice Patties with Cilantro Sauce
Recipe adapted from “Rice to the Rescue!” Recipe Contest Winner - Daljeet Singh

1 C chopped cilantro leaves
1 (16-ounce) container light sour cream
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded
1 1/2 t salt, divided
3 C cooked jasmine rice
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 C chopped green onions
1/2 t pepper
2 T olive oil

Combine cilantro, sour cream, jalapenos and 1/2 teaspoon salt in food processor and puree until smooth. Spoon into bowl; refrigerate.

Combine rice, shrimp, green onions, remaining salt and pepper in food processor (do not wipe clean) and pulse until texture is coarse. Shape into 24 patties, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add half of the patties and cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until lightly golden and shrimp is cooked through. Remove. Cook remaining patties, using additional oil, if needed. Serve immediately with sauce and lime wedges(or keep warm in a 200 degree oven).

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