Crispy Pan-Fried Shrimp And Chorizo Fideo Cakes

Well this dish was one enormous pain in the butt from start to finish.  It was pretty tasty at the end but not pretty and not really worth all the effort.  I put it in the fixable file.  It is from a top chef winner so I'm sure with a professionals skill it would we easier and perfect but in my less adept hands it was just a hot mess.  This was supposed to be yesterday's dish, but when I looked over the recipe at three, (normally plenty of time to prep and make the dish) I realized that there were a good 5 hours of prep before I could even start the final dish, so I make the stock and refrigerate it and make tonight's scheduled dish yesterday.  Of the 9 "cakes" I made, only 2 resembled a cake and not a bowl of pasta.  I know this means I made them a bit too big. (there was to be 12) However, I could not get them to hold any sort of cake shape and the only solution was to use an egg ring I had and press the cake mixture into it and lift the ring.  I couldn't bring myself to delete though, hence moving it to the fixable file.  There is another fideo recipe from the same chef from the top chef cook book that I LOVE.  The noodles always seem a bit under done, but I have to substitute angel hair and perhaps they are a bit thicker. If anyone attempts this dish, let me just say good luck and may the spatula be with you;)


Crispy Pan-Fried Shrimp And Chorizo Fideo Cakes

1/2 lb fideos (fine pasta nests) or angel hair pasta,in 1-inch lengths
2 c  chicken stock
1 c  dry white wine
Large pinch of saffron threads
1/2 lb medium shrimp—Shelled, deveined and cut into 1/2-inch pieces, s
7 T  extra-virgin olive oil
4    ounces chorizo,finely diced
2 T  sliced garlic,plus 1 garlic clove, minced
Large pinch of crushed red pepper
Salt
4    large egg whites
1/2 c  mayonnaise
4 t  fresh lemon juice
[Note:  .  The wines of northern Spain are a natural pairing with
these crispy Catalan-inspired cakes  ]
1. Preheat the oven to 350. Spread the fideos on a rimmed baking sheet;
bake for 8 minutes, or until lightly browned.
2. In a saucepan, combine the stock, wine, saffron and shrimp shells;
bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover and let stand for 1 hour.
Discard the shrimp shells.
3. In a large saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the chorizo
and sliced garlic and cook over moderate heat until the garlic is
golden.   Add the crushed red pepper, fideos and the shrimp stock and
bring to a boil, stirring. Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly,
until the fideos are al dente and the sauce is creamy, 5 minutes. Stir
in the shrimp and season with salt. Remove from the heat and let cool
to room temperature. Stir in the egg whites and refrigerate for 1 hour.
4. Shape the mixture into twelve 3 1/2-inch cakes, about 1/2 inch
thick.   Set them on a baking sheet and refrigerate for 1 hour.
5. In a bowl, blend the mayonnaise, minced garlic and lemon juice.
Whisk in 2 tablespoons of the oil and season with salt.
6. In a large cast-iron skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add 3
cakes and cook over moderately high heat until browned on the bottom,
about 4 minutes. Turn the cakes, reduce the heat to moderate and cook
until heated through, about 3 minutes longer. Transfer to a plate and
keep warm. Repeat with the remaining oil and cakes. Top the fideo cakes
with the garlic mayonnaise and serve warm.