Fredericksburg Texas is a frequent tourist spot in the Texas hill country known for its old town feel, German restaurants and heritage, growing list of wineries and cottage style homes. I was recently there on a girls weekend and we came across an interesting winery with an interesting wine … to cook with.

Fat Ass is the name of the winery and their logo has a picture of an ass … the donkey kind. These wouldn’t be considered fine wines, they are fun wines and one of those we tasted was Prickly Pear Jala-Raspberry blend. Imagine a white wine with some sweet and after the 3rd sip, you get to the prickly pear and jalapeño flavor. A nice spice, not too hot – not sure I would drink it though. The lady that was hosting our tasting said she used it to cook her shrimp in … bingo! 2 bottles, please.

So, I decided to make a modification of a recipe I frequently make with shrimp and substituting the white wine for this new found Prickly Pear Jalapeño wine. And, I used my instant pot for part of the recipe as well!

The following are guesses as I eyeball it and taste when I make up recipes:

• 2 lbs of shrimp shelled – save the shells for shrimp broth
• 1 onion diced
• 1 bunch of cilantro stemmed and chopped
• 1 spaghetti squash
• 3-6 cloves of garlic smashed with a garlic press
• 1-2 stalks of celery diced
• I may have added some lime …
• some amount of butter and/or olive oil to cook with
• salt and pepper to taste
• top with a creamy goat cheese if you like

Peel the shrimp. Put the shells in a pot of water and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Drain the broth and discard the shells.

Cut the spaghetti squash in half and cook in your instant pot according your multi-function cooker instructions. I used 1 cup of water, manual on high pressure for 5 minutes with 5 minutes natural release, followed by quick release – compared to 45-60 minutes in the oven!

Meanwhile, in a skillet, heat the butter and/or olive oil, add onion, celery and garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add 1 cup of wine and the shrimp. Cook the shrimp till almost done – they are curled up but not too tight. Remove the shrimp. Add abit of broth – 1 cup, freeze the rest. Add cilantro, lime and reduce liquid till you get enough for a sauce and a thickened consistency – 5-10 minutes of a good rolling boil stirring constantly. When done, reduce the heat and put the shrimp back in and heat until done.

Fork out your spaghetti squash in bowls and top with shrimp and goat cheese. Enjoy!

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