a muse + delight: Hungry

A lot of things are on my sub-conscience, but in front of it all is food... like the 10-year-old bouncing on stacked booster seats that I (a petite 5'4") inevitably have sitting in front of me at the theatre. Naturally, I was attempting to be productive when food bounced from the sub-conscience and I'm now asking myself, "what's for dinner?"

I'm thinking of Camarones Enchiladas, my favorite Real Simple recipe. While I love shellfish, its price can be a bit indulgent so I usually use chicken breast instead of shrimp in this dish. You are allowed to substitute only the shrimp. (Weird, right?) Well, you may skip the capers, too. (As with olives, I've tried and failed to like them. Bleh!) The rest is magical chemistry, an exquisite homeyness resulting from the perfect blend of red wine, paprika, red pepper, onion, cilantro and lime. Although I am loyal to dessert, I can hold my own eating these enchiladas.

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
1 med onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp paprika, preferably smoked
1/4 -1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
kosher salt
3/4 c fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 c dry red wine
1 tbsp capers, chopped
1 14.5-ounce can whole tomatoes, drained
1-1/4 lb med peeled deveined shrimp
1 tbsp fresh lime juice, plus wedges for serving
8 small whole-wheat tortillas, warmed
Sliced avocado, chipotle-flavored hot sauce, crumbled queso fresco or Feta, for serving
Directions

Heat oil in a Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until begins to soften, 3-5 minutes. Addgarlic, paprika, crushed red pepper, ½ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1-2 minutes.
Add cilantro, wine, capers, and tomatoes, crushing them with your hands as you add them. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid slightly thickens, 15-20 minutes.
Add shrimp and lime juice to the tomato mixture and cook until shrimp are opaque throughout, 3-5 minutes. Serve with the tortillas, avocado, hot sauce, queso fresco, cilantro, and lime wedges, if desired.

Speaking of dessert, I cannot wait to make these acclaimed donuts. Usually, I steer clear of all things fried. (That is, except for platanos fritos.) These, however, are baked! The recipe comes from Lara Ferroni's cookbook, Doughnuts:

Ingredients

1 egg
1/4 c granulated sugar
1 c whole milk, heated to 115F
1 tbsp active dry yeast
1 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
3-3.5 c all purpose flour, divided
1 stick butter, cut into 1" cubes
Directions

In the stand mixer bowl with paddle attachment, beat egg and sugar on medium until blended (1 minute). Add milk, yeast, salt and vanilla, and stir to blend. Reduce to low speed. Add 2 cups flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and beat until dough is thick and pulls away from sides of the bowl.
Switch to the dough hook on medium speed. Add butter one piece at a time, and beat until no large chunks of butter are left in bottom of bowl, 3-5 minutes. Reduce to low speed and add additional flour until the dough gathers around the hook and cleans the sides of the bowl. It will be soft and moist, not overly sticky.
Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead gently until the dough no longer sticks to your hands. Lightly grease a large mixing bowl.
Transfer dough to bowl and turn to coat. Cover with a damp tea towel and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in volume (1 hour).
Punch down dough and roll out to 1/2" thick. With a doughnut or cookie cutter, cut out 3" diameter rounds with 1" diameter holes
Preheat oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment. Place doughnuts at least 1" apart. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm spot until doubled in size (25 minutes).
Bake until light golden brown (5-8 minutes). Don't over-bake.
Immediately out of the oven, dip into butter and then directly into cinnamon sugar mixture.