Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Saffron Orzo with Shrimp Salad

I love this dish!  It's light, colorful, and has a wonderful peppery flavor backed by citrus and tangy feta cheese!  It's great on its own, or paired with a crisp green salad.  It's great served warm or chilled, and makes great leftovers.  What's not to love?

4 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon saffron threads
1 pound orzo
7 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
juice of 2 lemons
3 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons pepper
1 1/4 - 1 1/2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined (tail on or off is your choice; I think it's prettier on)
1/2 cup purple onion, halved and sliced into thin half-moon shapes
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, julienned (use the oil too!)
1/2 cup feta cheese crumbles

In a large pot, bring the chicken stock to a boil over high heat.  Reduce the heat to low, bringing the stock to a simmer.  Add the saffron, stir, and simmer until the saffron has "bloomed", about 5 minutes.  Return the stock to medium heat, bring to a boil, add the orzo, and cook until al dente, 8-10 minutes.  Drain the orzo and transfer to a large bowl.  Add 4 tablespoons olive oil, parsley, half the lemon juice, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper.  Combine thoroughly.

In a bowl, toss the shrimp with 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and the remaining lemon juice.  Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the onions and sun-dried tomatoes (and tomato oil) and saute 3-4 minutes.  Add the shrimp and cook until just starting to turn pink, about 2 minutes per side.  Add to the bowl with the orzo and toss to combine.

Just before serving, toss in feta and combine well.

Serves 6.

Recipe adapted from Everyday Pasta, by Giada de Laurentiis.

7 comments:

  1. this looks delicious - we get plenty of fresh shrimp around here- I'll have to try this! pinning! thanks for linking with KIK

    ReplyDelete
  2. I would love for you to come by and share this post on the Creative Corner Hop. The linky party starts on Monday and stays open all week.

    Sandy
    Cherished Handmade Treasures

    ReplyDelete
  3. This looks fabulous! Not all of us like shrimp, but the ones that do REALLY LOVE it! (They can't wait to try it...) Thanks for sharing your ideas on "Strut Your Stuff Saturday!" We'll see you next week! -The Sisters

    ReplyDelete
  4. This looks fantastic! I can't wait to try this! Thanks for sharing at Showcase Your Talent Thursday. I hope to see you at the next party!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I've visited to shrimp posts this morning and now I'm craving it. This just sounds so light and lovely. Thanks for sharing it! Sorry it's taken me so long to stop by and say yum. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wow, this looks great! We love shrimp, and the flavors in this sound wonderful. Thanks for sharing this with Summer Salad Sundays, look forward to seeing you again soon!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oooh, love the look of the saffron. Thanks for linking it in to Food on Friday. Cheers

    ReplyDelete