Shrimp Bowl with Lemon Orzo

My daughter always wants to go to a place called Hibachi and get a shrimp bowl.  Delicious, but by now I’m Hibachi-ed out.  “I can make a shrimp bowl”, I told her.  No you can’t, she says.  I can.  No you can’t.  Yes.  Nuh uh.  And on and on. 

We had this same conversation about honey mustard and duck sauce…I can.  So she finally says fine but now, shit,  I gotta come up with some kind of shrimp bowl or lose face.  Grrrrrrr.

Normally, I would make sautéed shrimp, rice, and broccoli, but it’s 95 degrees outside and rice seems heavy.  OF COURSE…orzo.  Pasta that LOOKS like rice.  Lemon orzo salad…cool and perfect.

This salad takes minutes to make then cools  in the refrigerator all day until dinner.  When it’s time to eat, you just saute your shrimp and steam your broccoli, which takes no longer than 10 minutes.  Dinner in 10 minutes—Hibachi wouldn’t even have my drink on the table by then!  Now if I could only figure out how to make yum yum sauce…  :)

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(WHAT YOU WILL NEED)

serves 4

1  16 ounce box orzo (you will only use half)

2 lemons

1 container grape tomatoes (washed and cut in half lengthwise)

2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

olive oil

approx. 2 tablespoons butter

salt/pepper/garlic powder

cajun seasoning

water

20 jumbo shrimp (5 per person), deveined with tail on or off, but not yet cooked

2 heads broccoli (cut in large florettes)

1 large tupperware bowl for salad

pasta bowl for eating

First make your salad:

Make half the box of orzo according to package directions.  Save the remainder for another use.  Drain.  Place in large bowl.  Add tomatoes, chopped garlic, drizzle with olive oil, and squeeze the juice of 1 lemon over all.  Season with salt and pepper.  Stir together, cover, and place in refrigerator to cool.

When ready to make dinner:

Place broccoli in large pan with deep sides (I use a large frying pan).  Add enough water to come up approx 1 inch on the broccoli.  Turn on medium-low heat and when broccoli begins to steam, cover and let simmer gently (not boil!) until fork tender.  Drain and sprinkle with cajun seasoning.  Leave in pan, covered, to keep warm.

Take orzo out of the refrigerator.  Stir.  If dry (and it probably will be), add the juice of half a lemon (or more if you want).  Salt and pepper to taste.  Stir again.

In skillet, melt butter with a drizzle of olive oil over medium-high heat.   Season shrimp with garlic powder, salt, and pepper.  Saute a few minutes on each side until they turn pink and firm (not too long or they will be rubbery)--approx 4 minutes per side.  You'll know.

Place a little bit of everything in a bowl and eat.

Voila Morgan, a shrimp bowl!  Ha! 

Linguine Puttanesca

Puttanesca sauce is a pungent, robust, briny, full bodied red sauce traditionally comprised of olive oil, tomatoes, capers, garlic, black olives, green olives, and anchovies.  And if I’m making it, a splash of wine.  It’s delicious, but not everyone can handle it.  My mother won’t eat it, but my daughter loves it.

Italian food is fun because its very name tells you what you’re eating:  Al Forno means “baked”,  Cacciatore “in the style of the hunter”, and Puttanesca is “in the style of the prostitute.”  Loosely translated, Linguine Puttanesca is “whore’s spaghetti.”   Yes, really.

In honor of  National Linguine Day, I offer you this recipe.  Make it for someone you’re kinda “iffy” about—if they can’t handle it, they can’t stay.  Period.  Gotta go.  Nice knowin’ ya.   ARRIVEDERCI, puttanesca haters.   Except my mom…Gigga can stay :)  

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(WHAT YOU WILL NEED)

Serves 4

1 14.5 ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes  (do not drain)

1 28 ounce can whole tomatoes, crushed with your hands

Capers

Kalamata olives, pitted, halved lengthwise

Spanish green olives, pitted, halved lengthwise

3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

olive oil

1 tin flat anchovies, packed in oil 

Fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped (1 handful)

1 pound linguine

1 large skillet with lid (not frying pan)

cracked black pepper

splash dry white or red wine

optional:  salt

Start sauce:

drizzle olive oil in skillet and add garlic and 2 or 3 anchovies from the tin.  Save the rest for another use.   Saute over medium-high heat until the anchovies disappear into the oil.  Add tomatoes and some black pepper, stir.  

Add as many capers and olives as you would like.  Stir all and add a splash of dry wine. Let the sauce start bubbling, turn heat to low, and cover.  While your sauce simmers, cook pasta.

simmering sauce

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Rinse and chop parsley for garnish.

When pasta is ready, drain and top with some sauce and parsley.

I can't imagine it will need more salt but if it does, add that too--then go get your heart checked...

EAT  

done...and full  :)

#NationalLinguineDay