Shrimp and Red Sauce with Spaghetti Squash and Quinoa Fritters

Ingredients for Quinoa Fritters Valerie Style - Original recipe found here

2 eggs
2/3 cup Quinoa flour
2 cups spaghetti squash, cooked and wrung out (see below)
2 cups quinoa, cooked
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1 cup fresh spinach - chopped 
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Bourbon Smoked Cracked Pepper
1 big pinch dried basil
a few dashes mace

The rest of the dish

1 package frozen, large, peeled and cleaned shrimp, defrosted
2 tbsp pesto
1 cup of your favorite spaghetti sauce
1/2 stick butter (or 3 tbsp cooking oil for shrimp)
1/8 cup smashed, roasted garlic
a few dashes cooking sherry
a few dollops heavy whipping cream (optional)


Instructions for the fritters
    1.    The recipe requires 2 CUPS COOKED spaghetti squash. First 3 steps describe how to cook spaghetti squash (this can be done 1 or more days in advance):
    2.    Preheat oven to 425 Fahrenheit.
    3.    Cut the squash in 2 halves, scrape out the seeds and the fiber out of each half. Spray oil over the cut sides of the squash. Spray the baking sheet with oil and place the squash on the baking sheet cut side down.
    4.    Bake for about 30-40 minutes. Remove it from the oven when it's cooked through and soft, and let it cool. Flip the squash so that cut side faces up – that will speed up the cooling. After squash cools, scrape squash with a fork to remove flesh in long strands and transfer to a bowl. Let it cool.

    5.    Important: Use a spatula and metal strainer to remove extra liquid from the squash. Try to get rid of as much liquid as you can.

    6.    Cooked spaghetti squash can be refrigerated for 5 days. I prefer to cook spaghetti squash, refrigerate it and make fritters the next day or 2 days later - that allows spaghetti squash to drain the liquid out and get dryer, which is preferable for fritters.
    7.    Now, on to how to make fritters:
    8.    In a large bowl  beat 2 eggs for 1-2 minutes.

Add flour and continue beating for about 30 seconds to combine. To the same bowl, add spaghetti squash, quinoa, Parmesan cheese, finely chopped spinach, and salt.

Mix very well until all the mixture has uniform consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary, even though it should be just perfect.
    9.    Heat a large cast iron skillet in the oven at 400 until VERY hot. Add high smokepoint oil. It should sizzle and smoke right away. Using a tablespoon, spoon the tablespoon-full of the batter for each fritter and drop on the skillet. Using a spatula, correct the shape of each fritter, making it flatter and rounder. Cook until the bottom side of each fritter is golden brown about 10 minutes in the oven at 400.

While the fritters are cooking, smash the garlic and melt the butter and combine.

Pour most of the butter oil into a fry pan and set to med high heat

Warm up the spaghetti sauce in another pan, when warm add the garlic butter and stir to combine - add a dash of sherry and a dash of heavy whipping cream and remove from heat.

Cook the shrimp in the butter a couple minutes on each side until pink - when you flip the shrimp over add a dash of sherry.

Warm up your plates

For each plate add 1/2 the red sauce. Place 1 fritter on top with 1 tbsp pesto on top of that. Place shrimp on the pesto and around the fritter. Reduce wine and butter sauce in the shrimp pan for a minute and then pour half over the top. Add other vegetables on side and serve!

mmmmmmmmm  was sooo gooood