Tequila Lime Shrimp

The thing I'm beginning to learn here, at least when I'm in Breckenridge (altitude, 9600ft), is that the quicker the recipe the better. Cooking anything takes time, here. And patience. I typically run short on both. So we eat at 8:30 at night, and I've still yet to cook a perfect pot of pasta up here. But I'm getting closer. The other night, I made rice and it actually turned out, although dinner was a bit later than hoped for.

See, it's cooking with liquid that is difficult up here. Which is pretty much everything I cook with the exception of some roasting I do.

1) Its super dry up here. I'm talking lip-splitting, skin-cracking, wake up at 3 in the morning feeling like you just drank the better part of a case of red wine dry up here. So therefore, when things boil or simmer, the liquid just gets sucked into the dry air even quicker than usual. So, we love our pots and pans with lids up here.

2) Atmospheric pressure. I won't get into the details, mostly because I sucked at physics. But basically, because of how high we are, there is way less atmospheric pressure. Which means that water boils at a much lower temperature (212 degrees Farenheit at sea level, maybe 185 up here... I didn't do the math, this is just an estimation). Which means that anything cooked in boiling water is being cooked at a much lower temperature than at sea level, so therefore we have to cook it longer. In the case of Breckenridge, much longer. I probably would be able to boil an egg in maybe 20 minutes? Which is pretty ridiculous, if you're from sea level.

So here lies my problem, and I'm sure I'll be moaning more about this in the future. Coming up here is like learning to cook all over again. I mean, I know what I want to do, but I have no way of determining how to get it done in a timely manner, and not be stuck chewing on uncooked pasta.

But I digress, this is a cooking blog, and so I will move on to cooking. As I mentioned, I made rice the other day, and it turned out fairly well. It was sort of mexican inspired rice, mostly because I had some canned tomatoes and chiles on hand. I'm big on using everything in my fridge, and so when I was figuring out my meal for tonight I focused on using that leftover rice. But after a day of skiing, what cooks fast and fairly easily? The answer (almost always to me) is shrimp. Which is kind of weird because I'm not a huge shrimp fan, but the ease of keeping a bag of frozen raw shrimp in my freezer and pulling out a handful makes a favorite meal solution of mine, especially when I'm cooking for myself. Just pull out however many frozen shrimp you want, place in a bowl of tap water for an hour or so, and they are thawed and you're set to go.

This recipe was kind of a concoction of my own, although I'm sure there are tons of others like it out there. Overall, it certainly hit the spot on a cold night.

Tequila Lime Shrimp

1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped (or substitie 2 large shallots if you like)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup tequila
1/2 cup chicken stock
juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper to taste
8-10 shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 avocado (optional)
2 Tbsp minced cilantro (optional)





In a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until it covers the bottom of the pan. Add the onion and garlic and saute until translucent.  Add the tequila and let simmer until reduced to about half the volume. Add the chicken stock and juice of 1 lime, and season with salt and pepper. Once the mixture is heated, add the shrimp and cook until pink. Taste the sauce and season more if necessary.

Serve several shrimp and some of the sauce over a bowl of rice. Top with avocado or cilantro if you like.

Notes:
-This recipe benefits from a little heat, to balance the sweetness of the tequila and the tartness of the lime. I served this with spicy tomato rice, but if you're serving with plain white rice, consider adding a minced jalapeno (of desired spiciness) along with the onion and garlic at the beginning of the recipe.
-I would recommend using a decent tequila because what you're left with after the alcohol cooks off is the taste of the liquor itself. A good anejo has a sweet taste that cheaper version don't have.  
-The avocado and cilantro are optional, however I highly recommend using them. The fattiness of the avocado really lends itself to this dish, and I can't think of southwestern style cooking without the addition of cilantro. Of course, if you dislike the taste of cilantro, feel free to omit.