Jackie Alpers & the Taste of Tucson

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Shrimp with Creamy Goat Cheese–Poblano Sauce
Makes 3-4 servings

Chef Maria Mazon of BOCA Tacos y Tequila is a sauce master. Her goat cheese–poblano sauce is awesome over grilled chicken breasts, in enchiladas stuffed with mushrooms, or tossed with pasta. Here we added cooked shrimp to the sauce, then served it in deep red cabbage cups, which add a visual contrast to the white sauce and a slightly peppery taste. You can substitute soy sauce for the Maggi Jugo if necessary. Goat cheese has been a staple in Sonora for centuries. The Spanish brought both goats and cheesemaking techniques to the desert region.

Ingredients
2 poblano chiles
1 medium white onion, halved
12 ounces soft goat cheese
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
1⁄4 cup water
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
Ground white pepper to taste
Dash of Maggi Jugo Seasoning Sauce
1 pound cooked medium shrimp
1 small red or green cabbage

Instructions

Preheat the broiler or grill.
Remove the stems (and seeds if you want the sauce to be less spicy) from the chiles. Broil or grill the chiles and onion, turning the chiles occasionally so that the skins are blistered on all sides, about 10 minutes.
Transfer the chiles and onion to a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Add 10 ounces of the goat cheese (reserving about 2 ounces), the evaporated milk, .⁄4 cup water, garlic powder, salt, white pepper, and Maggi Jugo. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Pour into a blender and let cool for 10 minutes. Blend until smooth, then strain through a sieve.
Return the mixture to the pot and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.
Set 6 to 8 shrimp aside for garnish. Stir the rest of the shrimp into the sauce and cook over low heat until warmed through, about 5 minutes.
To make the cabbage cups, cut the cabbage head in half vertically from the stem to the crown. Cut the core out of both halves of the cabbage, then cut the halves vertically
down the middle. Separate the cabbage leaves and wash them well before filling.
Fill the cabbage cups with shrimp mixture and garnish each with a shrimp piece. Crumble the remaining 2 ounces goat cheese over the top.