Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Roasted shrimp and orzo

This recipe is one of my 8 million favorite pasta dishes, very quick and well suited to modification (leave out what you don't like and substitute what you do).

Kosher salt
Good olive oil
3/4 pound orzo pasta (rice-shaped pasta)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons)
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1 cup minced scallions, white and green parts
1 handful of fresh oregano
1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and medium-diced
1/2 cup small-diced red onion
1 red or yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 handful of sundried tomatoes, chopped
feta cheese crumbled

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Whisk together the lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper (I usually reduce the amount of oil and up the lemon juice but do what tastes good). Toss dressing with veggies and oregano. Cook orzo till al dente, drain, and add to the veggies.

Meanwhile, place the shrimp on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic slices. Toss to combine and spread out in a single layer. Roast for 5 to 6 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked through.

Toss shrimp and as much feta as you like with the pasta. This dish is great served warm or chilled in the summer.

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