Christmas Eve Appetizers

For some reason, the holidays are a time for me to go back to my tried and true recipes. I never like to experiment with my Thanksgiving sides, or my Christmas apps. Once I find something that works, I stick with it. I think it's because of all the emotions and family rituals that are tied up into the holidays. For me, Christmas Eve means crab stuffed mushrooms and marinated shrimp. The mushroom recipe is from a Dom DeLuise cookbook, with a crabmeat stuffing and topped with melted cheese. The shrimp recipe is from LeRuth's Restaurant in Gretna, LA. It's more like a salad, with carrots, celery, onions all marinating in oil and vinegar, which you can make the day before.  Merry Christmas!!

Marinade for Boiled Shrimp

2 lbs large or jumbo shrimp, deveined, but unpeeled
1 cup thinly sliced celery
1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots
1/4 cup thinly sliced onions
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped
4 Bay leaves
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
4 lemons, thinly sliced
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 1/2 cups canola oil
Tabasco sauce to taste  (I used 5 or 6 shakes)

Boil shrimp with shell on for only 2-3 minutes, until just turned pink. Drain, and put in ice water to stop cooking.

Marinade:

Whisk oil, vinegar and Tabasco in bowl. Pour over shrimp. Add rest of ingredients and mix. Refrigerate at least 6 hours before serving in a glass bowl.


Dom DeLuise Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

2 lb large mushrooms (about 40)
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, minced
1 1/2 cups seasoned breadcrumbs ( I used Vigo)
2 cups crab meat (I used 3 cans)
fresh ground black pepper (I also used some crushed red pepper)
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Wash mushrooms gently with damp paper towel. Remove and mince stems
Heat oil in skillet and saute garlic, onion, 1 cup bread crumbs, and minced stems.
Remove from heat, then add crab meat, black pepper and crushed red pepper, mixing well.
I needed to add a bit more olive oil because the stuffing was too dry.

Stuff each cap with mixture. It's OK if it's over stuffed, don't be stingy. Place on cookie sheet. Top each with more bread crumbs. Bake at 350 for 5 minutes. Pile on the shredded cheese, then continue baking 15 more minutes. Santa says, "These are better than milk and cookies!"