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shrimp with adobe cream sauce

Adobe Cream and Roasted Garlic Cream Sauce with Shrimp over Pasta

The smoky chipotle chilies in the sauce make your tongue sing with a mariachi band in your mouth. It has just the right amount of heat without overpowering the flavor. Loads of succulent shrimp and roasted garlic will make this a hit with everyone. 

Course Dinner, Pasta
Cuisine Mexican, Texmex
Keyword chipotle, cream sauce, mexican, pasta, texmex
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings 4 big servings

Ingredients

  • 1 whole head garlic
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 lb shrimp, thawed shelled and deveined and tails removed
  • 1 lb pasta or ½ recipe fresh from whattomunch.com
  • ½ cup onion, finely chopped
  • 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 chilies from a can of chipotle chili peppers in adobo sauce
  • 2 tablespoons of the sauce from the can of chipotle chiles
  • ½ cup sliced green onions
  • 8 oz queso fresco or other mild cheese, crumbled
  • 1 1/2 fresh lemon

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°.
  2. Rub the head of garlic to remove some of the papery outer skin leaving the head still intact.
  3. Slice off the top ¼ inch to a ½ inch to expose the tops of the cloves of garlic.
  4. Cut the head of garlic in a piece of foil big enough to enclose the head completely.
  5. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over the exposed garlic cloves.
  6. Crimp the foil over the top sealing in the garlic head.
  7. Place in the oven and roast for 1 hour.
  8. Let cool for a few minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients for the cream sauce.

  9. When the garlic has cooled down enough to handle, squeeze as much of the cooked garlic cloves onto a cutting board. Place the 2 chilies from the can of chipotle chilies on top of the garlic and mince all into a finely chopped paste. Combine with the 2 tablespoons of the chili sauce from the can and set aside.

  10. Place a large pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil. Heavily salt the water.
  11. While the pot of water is heating up, place a large skillet over medium heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Sauté the finely chopped onion and the mushrooms until they just begin to brown.

  12. Add the reserved minced garlic and chili paste mixture.

  13. Stir in the cream and salt and pepper.
  14. Bring the mixture to a boil and let reduce a minute or so.
  15. By now the water should be boiling. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions.

  16. While the pasta is cooking add the shrimp to the boiling cream sauce and reduce to a simmer. Let simmer for 5 minutes or so, until the shrimp have cooked through. If the pasta isn’t done yet, pull the sauce and shrimp off the heat and keep warm.

  17. When the pasta is finished cooking, reserve ½ cup of the pasta cooking water and add it to the cream sauce. Drain off the rest of the water.

  18. To serve, combine the pasta with the cream sauce and the shrimp. Top with the sliced green onions and the crumbled Queso Fresco. Squeeze a half of a lemon over the top to brighten up the flavor.