Presto Pasta Night: Oven Baked Shrimp And Orzo

I've mentioned that we are enjoying a visit from my Mother-in-law, Bunty.  She's an enthusiastic supporter of my blog, but we've always had very different preferences in food.  Bunty likes plain fare and is suspicious of food that's been "tricked" up with things like garlic, herbs, and spices.  And those are the very things near and dear to my heart.  So, my challenge has been to prepare food during her visit that will appeal to both of us.  I was a little nervous when I decided to make this dish for Presto Pasta Night, an event created by Ruth at Once Upon A Feast.  I think it's a simple recipe (compared to those I often make) but it has garlic, saffron and fresh oregano in it, items Bunty would never use.  Indeed, as I was preparing the dish, she looked at the cookbook and asked me, with alarm written on her face, "What's saffron?? Is it spicy??"  Knowing that she would soon read that six cloves of garlic were also in the recipe, I gently removed the cookbook from her hands and told her, "I can't let you read the recipe because it may scare you.  Trust me, you will like this dish."  Then I said a silent prayer that my assertion would prove to be true.  To my relief, she enjoyed it very much, eating two servings.

This was a very simple recipe, if you discount the time spent peeling and deveining the shrimp.  It's also low in fat, with only 1 Teaspoon of olive oil.  Besides the good flavor, the method of cooking the shrimp produced perfect results.  I mixed the raw shrimp into pre-cooked orzo and veggies and baked it, which shielded the shrimp from direct heat. They came out silky soft, not rubbery.  I might have added a bit more spices, including a pinch of cayenne, but I left them out in deference to Bunty.  The saffron and oregano gave the dish a lovely flavor that we all enjoyed.  As you can see, I sprinkled some feta cheese on top.

Stop by Ruth's site to see the pasta roundup tomorrow.

Oven Baked Shrimp and Orzo

(Cook's Illustrated, The Best Of America's Test Kitchen)

(serves 4-6)

Note:  Make sure you don't cook pre-cook the orzo too long, before you bake it.  It should still have a slight hardness in the center before it's baked, where it wil continue to cook.

Ingredients:

I lb. orzo
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 red onion minced
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
pinch of saffron
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
1 cup frozen peas (optional)
1-1/2 pounds uncooked medium shrimp, peeled, deveined
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1  28 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
4 teaspoons minced fresh oregano
4 scallions, sliced thin

1. Preheat oven to 400. Brush 11×9-inch glass baking dish with oil. Pat shrimp dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper, set aside.

2.    Saute onion, bell pepper, oil and 1/2 teaspoon oil in a Dutch oven  or large pot. Cover and cook over medium low heat until the veggies are softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Stir in the orzo and and saffron and cook, stirring until the orzo us coated with the oil and starting to brown--about 4 minutes.  (Because there is so little oil, the orzo may stick to the bottom of the pan if you don't stir it.)

3.    Stir in the broth and water and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the orzo becomes softer, but still has a slightly firm center, about 12 minutes.  Stir in the tomatoes, peas, shrimp, and oregano.

4.    Pour into a 9 X 13 inch pan and sprinkle the feta cheese over the top.  Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, when the feta will begin to brown.  Remove from oven and sprinkle with the scallions and serve.
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Comments

[Katie]

I love orzo - and this looks really good!
My mother is much the same - asking me why I always put so much of the green stuff (herbs) in everything.... She firmly believes that paprika has no taste (hers is so old it doesn't) and is just for 'color'.

[Shannon]

Tonight's dinner! I was just wondering what to make, too. Sher to the rescue, AGAIN!

[Glenna]

Gorgeous! You cracked me up when you took the cookbook out of her hands. That's perfect! I have to remember that the next time I'm cooking for someone, like my husband, who's a little more to the conservative food side. Cute story.

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[Melly53]

My MIL is the same. We had some thinly sliced buffalo left over from a BBQ so I made this buffalo stroganoff with it..over noodles. She wouldn't eat it when she found out it was buffalo..and it was delicious. I thought it was a very simple recipe.

I think it is great that Bunty (love that name) loved your shrimp dish.

[breadchick]

Oh that looks yummy...If your MIL doesn't like it, I'll come over for dinner!

[Anh]

Sher, whenever I come to your blog, I have a delicious idea for dinner. This is no exception. I'll make it very soon.

[aria]

yum, i love pasta with peas so much. i always forget to cook pasta in the summertime. this looks delicious, i would just use scallops instead since i'm allergic to shrimps...

[Christine]

This looks just delicious, Sher. Shrimp and orzo or two of my favorite ingredients!

[Lydia]

I never understood why Italians have a prohibition against cheese with seafood -- I love the combination, especially with a sharp cheese like feta, and I'm glad to see that you love it, too.

[Ros]

Ah, yes,I have the same problem with my Dad.He doesn't like to try unfamiliar foods either. He'sgetting better though. I'm glad you've managed to (at least partially) convert Bunty.

[Deborah]

Haha! I have to tell my husband that dinner is a surprise on many occasions! He always likes it, but if he were to hear the ingredients before hand, he would veto. I love that you took the cookbook out of her hands!

[Callipygia]

How great that you introduced some new food combos to Bunty! This looks great, like a pasta-cized paella. I love shrimp too, especially non rubbery ones.

[Lisa]

Looks fantastic. Anything with shrimp!

[sandeepa]

Thats a lovely recipe, am sure your Ma-in-Law liked it. But I am surprised that she doesn't even use Garlic in her cooking !!! Does traditional American food not have garlic ?

[Deb]

It does in my house, Sandeepa!

This recipe looks really good, Sher.