Rice and Shrimp Bake

This recipe is our take on one of my favourite dishes from Brasil. We made it a little healthier than the original and added a lot more colorful and delicious vegetables. It`s an easy recipe to make ahead and just bake when you`re ready, you can make it a couple of days in advance or even freeze half if you make a double recipe, just add cheese and bake it at a later time.

Pre-heat the oven to 350F.

Make 2 cups of white rice according to package instructions. Mix it lightly with a spoon to fluff it up and reserve at room temperature.

Peel and cut 1 sweet potato into 1 cm cubes. Boil in salted water until tender, when you can easily put a fork through it. Reserve at room temperature.

Small dice 1 Spanish onion and a ½ sweet pepper, you can use whichever colour you have at hand. Thinly slice 3 cloves of garlic, chop ¼ cup of ham into small squares, and peel and remove the tails of 1 Lb of small shrimps. Roughly chop 2 tablespoons of fresh parsley.

In a large pot, sauté the diced pepper and onion with 1 tablespoon of butter for about 10 minutes on medium heat, until the onions and peppers are tender. Add the sliced garlic, a ¼ cup of sundried tomatoes, the chopped ham, and a ½ cup of fresh spinach. Mix well and cook for another 5 minutes.

Add the cleaned shrimp and the chopped parsley, mix and cook for another 5-6 minutes, until the shrimp is pink and cooked. Remove the mixture from heat and put it in a large bowl, add the cooked rice and the cooked sweet potato to it and mix gently. Add a ½ can of creamy coconut milk, ½ cup of puck (or soft cream cheese), 2 chopped scallions (greens only), ½ cup of grated parmesan cheese, and season with salt, pepper and chili flakes to taste. Mix gently until the mixture is even and make sure to try it and adjust the seasoning.

This is where you can choose to leave the recipe for the next couple of days in the fridge or up to two months in the freezer if you want to bake it at a later time. If you are ready to eat, place the new mixture into a large baking dish and cover it with thin slices of mozzarella or shredded mozz, making sure to cover most of the surface. If you want to make it cheesier, add more mozzarella and parmesan on top. You can also decorate the top with some of the ingredients used in the mix if you want, or simply let the beautifully bubbly and lightly browned cheese speak for itself.

Bake in the pre-heated oven for 40 minutes, then turn the oven up to broil and bake for another 5 minutes on the top rack of the oven. Wait 10 minutes before serving with a good serving of matchstick potatoes, hot sauce and lime wedges.

Rice and Shrimp Bake

Servings: 4

Time: 30 Minutes making, 50 minutes in the oven

Ingredients

1 Medium Spanish Onion, small dice

3 Garlic Cloves, sliced

¼ Cup Puck (Cheese Spread) or Spreadable Cream Cheese

¼ Cup Ham, chopped

½ Can Coconut Milk

1 Sweet Potato, medium dice

½+ Cup Mozzarella Cheese, sliced or grated

½ Cup Parmesan Cheese, grated

½ Cup Fresh Spinach

½ Sweet Pepper, small dice

1 Lb Small shrimp, peeled and no tail

2 Tbsp Fresh Parsley, chopped

½ Cup Frozen Peas

¼ Cup Sundried Tomatoes

1 Tbsp Butter

2 Scallions

2 Cups White Rice

Hickory/Matchstick Potatoes or Potato Chips to taste

Salt and Papper to taste

Chili Flakes to taste

1 Lime, to serve

Step-by-Step

1.       Boil peeled and cubed sweet potato until tender, drain and reserve. Cook rice according to package instructions, reserve.

2.       In a large pot, sauté onion and pepper with butter on medium heat until tender – about 10 minutes. Add sliced garlic, sundried tomatoes, ham and spinach, mix it and cook for another 5 minutes. Add shrimp and parsley, mix and cook for another 6 minutes or so, until shrimp is pink.

3.       Remove mixture from heat, place it in a large bowl and mix in the cooked rice and sweet potato, coconut milk, puck, scallions, salt, parmesan, pepper and chili flakes.

4.       Once seasoned to taste, add it to a large baking dish and cover with mozzarella cheese, making sure to create an even layer throughout the dish.

5.       Bake on a 375F pre-heated oven for 40 minutes then broil for 5 minutes. Let it cool for 10 minutes and serve with a decent serving of matchstick potatoes, lime wedges and hot sauce.