Recipe: THE PLAYERS Beaches Shrimp Cakes

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Patsy Bentivegna, a member of the Champions Tour staff and a veteran in the professional kitchen as a successful chef has created a recipe associated with the Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. - area, site of this week's THE PLAYERS Championship. Chef Patsy (user name for twitter) has participated in several PGA TOUR PR media events, providing her original recipes and performing cooking demonstrations with the Players and their wives.

For those of you who cannot attend the tournament in person, here is a chance to celebrate the local flavors while watching your favorite player. Tune in to THE PLAYERS Championship, Thursday/Friday 1:00-7:00 p.m. ET on the Golf Channel and Saturday/Sunday 2:00-7:00 p.m. ET on NBC.

Celebrate this year's PGA TOUR event, THE PLAYERS Championship, with a culinary staple of Florida's First Coast "anything with shrimp"! Start a new tradition for your PLAYERS Party Platters by serving "Beaches Shrimp Cakes with Lemon Dill Sauce", the perfect addition to any entertaining menu as you enjoy the festivities of tournament week and the competition.

MORE: Talkin' food with Funk | 2009 recipe archive | Champions Tour pros' favorite recipes

Beaches Shrimp Cakes with Lemon Dill Sauce
The perfect addition to your PLAYERS Party Platter! Shrimp, red bell peppers, fresh parsley with a "little heat" of Tabasco and Lemon Dill Sauce

Ingredients: Servings: 8 (mini appetizer size)
2 Tbsp. butter, unsalted
2 Tbsp. olive oil
3/4 C. red Onion, diced (1 small onion)
1/2 C. brown sugar
1 C. red bell pepper, diced
1 1/2 C. celery, diced, (4 stalks)
1 1/4C. fresh parsley, flat-leaf, minced
1/2 tsp. Tabasco sauce
½ tsp. salt, kosher
½ tsp. pepper
8 oz., shrimp, cooked (peeled without tails)
1 C. dry bread crumbs, plain
1/2 C. mayonnaise
1 tsp lemon juice and 1 tsp. of zest
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 eggs, large, lightly beaten

Additional Ingredients For Frying
4 Tbsp. butter, unsalted
1/4 C. olive oil

Mixing Instructions:

1. Heat 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil in large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery, peppers, salt, and pepper, sauté until vegetables are soft. Remove from heat; add the parsley and Tabasco sauce, mix together and cool to room temperature. Set side.

2. Coarsely chop shrimp in a food processor. In a large bowl mix together the cooled sautéed vegetables, shrimp, bread crumbs, mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice/zest and eggs, until completely blended. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Form mixture into 3-inch-diameter mini shrimp cakes, place on a parchment lined cookie sheet and refrigerate 15 minutes. (Can be made up to 4 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Frying Instructions:

1. Heat a portion of the butter and olive oil for frying over medium heat in a large sauté pan or stove top griddle. Working in batches, fry cakes until cooked through and golden brown on both sides, adding more oil/butter to the skillet as needed, about 4-5 minutes. Drain on paper towels and serve.

Lemon Dill Sauce

Ingredients:
1 C. mayonnaise
1 C. sour cream
2 Tbsp dill leaves. chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh parsley leaves, chopped
1 Tbsp. lemon zest
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp. salt, kosher
1 /4 tsp. pepper

Mixing Instructions:

1. In a medium size bowl, add all of the ingredients, whisk together until smooth. Cover with plastic and refrigerate until ready to serve.