Cookerati

This is a fun, albeit somewhat work-intensive dish to make for people who love garlic and who don’t mind reeking. “Mojo de Ajo” is a fairly common term in Mexican cooking and I have noticed that there are a lot of different preparations. This one includes tomatoes; some other mojos de ajo don’t.

Ingredients:

1 lb. large shrimp (26-30′s)

1 – 3 HEADS (not cloves) garlic

1/4 C. Olive Oil (EV or not, either will do)

1 14oz. can diced tomatoes (feel free to use “Mexican recipe” tomatoes, Ro-Tel, or fire-roasted tomatoes if you like)

1- Ancho chile

1 – Guajillo chile (Note: if you prefer not to use whole chiles, you can substitute chili powder; about 1.5 Tblsp, for these)

1 – Chipotle chile (if you’re using canned, add a teaspoon or so of the sauce it’s canned in, if using dried, use two chipotles)

1/2 C. Chicken broth

1/4 C. Dry White Wine (Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio are perfect)

1 Tblsp cumin

Juice of 1 lemon

1/2 C. chopped cilantro

Method:

Clean, devein, and toss the shrimp with salt, pepper, a bit of cumin and chile powder, and a little lemon juice. Soak the whole chiles in water and chop into large pieces. If you’re using canned chipotles you will mince/mash that one.

Chop the garlic. You should have about 3/4 cup of chopped garlic, more is okay. Simmer it in the olive oil, in a large saute pan, over very low heat, stirring occaisonally, until it is just beginning to turn golden – about a half-hour. Remove & reserve the garlic, strain the oil, and return the oil to the pan.

Working in batches, partially cook the shrimp over medium-high heat in the garlicky oil. Remove and reserve the par-cooked shrimp.

Add the tomatoes, reserved garlic, chopped Ancho, Guajillo, Chipotle, chicken stock, wine, and cumin to the pan. Reduce the sauce by about half, and then return the shrimp to the pan to finish cooking. Remove the tough chile skins, scraping off any flesh that remains on them to return to the sauce. Taste for seasoning and add salt to taste. Finish with the cilantro and serve over rice. Side with black beans and a cool, crisp salad.

If you are low-carbing it, this dish actually tastes pretty great served over spinach.