New World Shrimp

I'm not very good at naming new recipes... so this is a working title, as well as a working recipe.

I was inspired by the half-formed ideas that drifted through my head for the first Iron Chef Mom night. I had a New World theme for that meal, and it really got me thinking. And salivating. I live in such a crossroads of cuisines.... Midwestern steak-and-potatoes, red-sauce barbecue, Southern soul food, Cajun, and the whole world of Latin American and Caribbean flavors. All colliding right here. Yum!

So, tonight I had "Shrimp Curry" on the menu (yes, I plan my menu for the week... you should, too!) But when it was time to start cooking, I wasn't in the mood to follow a recipe. I was in the mood to invent. Since coconut milk is often in curries, and coconuts are also native to Central America, I thought... a New World curry. What would that be? Well, I don't think I quite figured that out tonight. I'll blame it on the cranky Little Guy who kept interrupting my thoughts. Yeah. But I got close. It was definitely tasty, but not quite "right" yet. Yet.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  

• 1/2 red onion, sliced
  

• 5-6 garlic cloves, sliced lengthwise
  

• 1 tsp cumin
  

• 1/2 tsp coriander
  

• 1/2 tsp ancho chili powder
  

• 1/2 tsp paprika

• 1/2 tsp salt
  

• several grinds of pepper- black, white, whatever
  

• 1/2 tsp whole sugar (like Rapadura, sucanat, muscovado)
  

• about ½ cup chicken broth

• 1/2 can coconut milk

• ½ cup frozen peas

• 3/4 cup frozen corn kernels
  

• 1 pound peeled shrimp, cut to bite-size, if needed
  

• juice from half a lime

Directions

Heat the oil in a large skillet, over medium-high. Add the sliced onion, stirring often, until beginning to soften. Add the garlic, and keep stirring. Add the spices and sugar, to toast up a bit. After just a minute or so, add the liquids. Toss in the frozen veggies, and simmer 5-10 minutes. (I was just waiting for the rice cooker to be done, but also wanted the liquid to reduce a bit.) Add the shrimp and cook another 5 minutes, until the shrimp are pink and cooked through.

Remove from heat, add the lime juice, stir, and serve. Add Tabasco, to taste (we used the garlic and jalapeno flavors.)