Every year the Coyotes get together for a dinner party to celebrate the holidays. Themes of Christmas past include using recipes from Paula Wolfert’s Clay Pot Cooking and The Food of Morocco, The Joy of Cooking was the inspiration for last year’s festivities, and this year we decided to go with a Cuban themed party. I even remembered to take pictures! Below is the appetizer created by Michele. She also made the beautiful tray they were served on!

Mojo Shrimp

(Fuente de Camarones al Ajillo)

7 cloves garlic, peeled
2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup lime juice (from 4 to 5 limes)
1/4 cup orange juice (from 1 orange)
1/4 cup olive oil

2 pounds jumbo shrimp, peeled, de-veined, and butterflied
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Salt and black pepper
2 limes, cut into small wedges

Preparation
Prepare the mojo: Make a wet garlic paste by mashing the garlic cloves with salt in a mortar and pestle. Place the garlic paste in a small bowl and pour the lime juice and orange juice over it. Allow the mixture to sit for 20 minutes. Place the olive oil in a small saucepan and set it over medium-high heat. (This can be done on your grill or on your stove.) When small bubbles begin to rise to the surface of the oil, carefully add the garlic and citrus mixture to the pan (the oil will sizzle a bit, so be careful that it does not splatter on you). Give the mixture a quick stir and allow to cook over medium-high heat for 1 minute before removing from the heat. Add the shrimp to the mixture and marinate for at least 4 hours. It’s best to use your hands for this, as you want to make sure the oil and seasonings get inside the slits you made in the shrimp. Heat your grill to high (550°F) and close the lid. Wait at least 15 minutes before lowering the heat to medium-high (450°F) and continuing. Your flameware grill pan is ideal for cooking the shrimp, if you don’t have one make sure to oil the grates. It is important to properly place the shrimp on the grill so that they cook quickly and evenly. Again, it is best to use your hands for this. Holding the shrimp by its tail, place the butterflied shrimp on the grill pan one by one, slit side down. Curl the tail down toward the head of the shrimp. Close the lid and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the flesh of the shrimp has turned white and is no longer translucent. You will not need to turn the shrimp over. Michele didn’t completely cook her shrimp. She arranged them all on her tray and finished cooking them in Tom and Betsy’s oven on broil. Mmmmmm MMMMMMMMM!!!!

We will be sharing the rest of the menu as well…

Sausage and Beef Empanada Appetizers with a cilantro sour cream
Shrimp, Sausage, and Chicken Paella prepared in Flameware
Bananas Foster