Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Grilled Shrimp Orzo Pasta Salad

So I was watching food network, big surprise, and I saw my FAVE chef Ina Garten aka Barefoot Contessa make this AMAZING dish a few months back.  It is absolutely delicious!!! Couple changes I made to the recipe from the original that can be found on foodnetwork.com was I roasted the red onion and added a roasted red bell pepper  to the ingredients.  Roasting the veggies brings out the best flavor and the onion is not as strong if you had put it in raw.  Also, I personally love grilling the shrimp on the barbie because again you can't beat that BBQ grilled flavor vs baking it in an oven.  As far as the salt goes, make sure it's the last thing you add to taste.  The feta in the salad tends to be quite salty so you don't want to ruin your pasta salad by adding it in the beginning.


Grilled Shrimp and Orzo Pasta Salad

    • 1/2 cup small red onion
    • 1 large red bell pepper
    • Kosher salt 
    • Good olive oil
    • 3/4 pound orzo pasta (rice-shaped pasta)
    • Freshly ground black pepper
    • 2 pounds (16 to 18 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined
    • 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons)
    • 1 cup minced scallions, white and green parts
    • 1 cup chopped fresh dill
    • 1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
    • 1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and medium-diced
    • 3/4 pound good feta cheese, large diced or crumbled 
Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Place red bell pepper and red onion (whole) on sheet pan drizzle with olive oil and roast for about 30 minutes. Once  the veggies are roasted set aside to cool and peel skin off bell pepper.  Chop up veggies and add in during step 6 below.
3. Fill a large pot with water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and a splash of oil, and bring the water to a boil. Add the orzo and simmer for 9 to 11 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it's cooked al dente. Drain and pour into a large bowl.
4. Whisk together the lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Pour over the hot pasta and stir well.
5. Season the shrimp on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to combine and spread out in a single layer. Arrange shrimp on skewers and grill on barbecue for 3 to 6 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked through. Don't overcook!
6. Add the shrimp to the orzo and then add the scallions, dill, parsley, cucumber, roasted red onion chopped, roasted red bell pepper chopped, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Toss well. Add the feta and stir carefully.
7. Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend, or refrigerate overnight. If refrigerated, taste again for seasonings and bring back to room temperature before serving.

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