There are so many colorful veges that make this so filling, yet the lemon and herb flavor combo lightens up the whole dish, making this a great Summer (or Spring) dinner.
I have to say thank you to our neighbors for introducing us to this great recipe. They had us over for dinner one night and made this dish, though they omitted the feta and olives. H and I both really loved it! Me, I'm not a huge seafood fan but the shrimp in this meal really soaks up the flavor. We liked it so much we asked for the recipe and decided to try it out.
So months later I finally looked up the recipe, courtesy of Rachel Ray. I changed a few things, mainly the amount of spice, as I didn't have fresh herbs on hand and I used one pound of shrimp instead of two since it was just H and I eating dinner.
Here's the recipe with my tweaks, but if you want to make a full batch of the shrimp just double the marinade or you can check out the original recipe here.
Ingredients:
- 4 cloves garlic, 2 chopped and two crushed
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus 2 tbs. to saute the vegetables
- 2 lemons, 1 very thinly sliced
- 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 lb. jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1/2 lb. orzo
- 1/2 large red onion, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
- 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 palm full of dried parsley (about 1 and 1/2 tbs)
- 1/2 lb feta, cubed or crumbled
- Salt and pepper to taste (go easy on the salt, with the olives and feta it doesn't need much at all)
Directions:
- Bring a pot of water to a boil for the orzo
- Combine the 2 crushed cloves of garlic with the 1/4 cup oil, sliced lemon, red pepper flakes, oregano, and the shrimp; marinade for about 10 min
- Drop the orzo in the water at the same time you start the veges
- For the veges, heat a medium saute pan over med/high heat and add 2 tbs. of oil
- Add the onion and bell pepper to the pan and lightly season with salt and pepper, cook for 5 min stirring occasionally
- Heat a large saute pan over high heat, then add the shrimp (they should only take 6-8 min), stir frequently
- While the shrimp in cooking, add the chopped garlic to the veges, toss for a minute, then add the olives and tomatoes, toss together until the shrimp and orzo are finished
- Drain the orzo, add it to the shrimp pan along with the veges
- Add the parsley and feta, season with salt and pepper
- Finish it off with the juice of the remaining lemon and a little extra olive oil
Note: This recipe calls for three pots/pans going at one time. Yup, three. Timing is crucial here. This is an easy recipe as long as you keep an eye on the clock and don't overcook your shrimp.
Even though I am not a huge seafood fan, I really love this recipe. You could even sub out chicken instead. Rachel Ray's recipe allows for either to be used and I am sure using chicken would be just as good. Oh, and leaving out the feta and olives really makes for a flavorful dish too, so if those strong flavors aren't your thing, leave 'em out. This one is still a winner!
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