Shrimpies

Roasted Shrimp with Feta

(from Ina Garten)

Brother face has been talking about shrimpies for WEEKS now. Really. Weeks.

Me: Brother, what do you want for dinner?

Brother: Shrimpies.

Me: Erm, brother, we don't have any shrimp. What else do you want?

Brother: Hmmm... shrimp.

This is the conversation we've been having repeatedly, so I found a tasty Ina Garten recipe from How Easy is That? and saw to it that shrimp was in my grocery cart on the next trip to Meijer. Yep, we finally had the shrimpies Brother had been persistently craving.

And I'm so glad we did! This recipe is definitely going on my favorites list. You get to sop up the tomato-y sauce with yummy bread and it's lemony and so full of flavor. Plus, it was pretty simple and quick, which is always good in my book.

Fennel seems to be a pretty popular ingredient these days, but I have to say, I'm just not a big fan of it. The black licorice-y flavor has never been my thing. Actually being IN Greece wasn't able to get to enjoy the ouzo. Shame, huh? Anyhow, Ina's recipe calls for fennel and Pernod, which, as I understand it, has a black licorice flavor. Easy fix, though! I used some basil in place of these things to contribute a very light anise (that's the black licorice flavor) flavor without being overpowering. If you don't like basil, though... well, I just don't know what to tell you.

Shrimpies

Recipe...

Serves 4-5

1) Preheat oven to 400℉.

2) Heat 2 Tbsp. EVOO in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-low heat. Add 1/4 c. basil, cut into a chiffonade, and sauté for a few minutes. Add 1 Tbsp. minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add 1/4 c. dry white wine and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits. Cook 2-3 minutes, until liquid is reduced by half. Add 14.5 oz. diced tomatoes and liquid (or whole tomatoes and just mash 'em up a bit with your wooden spoon), 2 tsp. tomato paste, 1 tsp. dried oregano, S&P. Simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 min.

3) Arrange 1 1/4 lb. shrimp, tails up, in one layer over the tomato mixture in the skillet. Scatter 5 oz. feta cheese evenly over the shrimp. In a small bowl, combine 1 c. bread crumbs, 3 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley, and 1 tsp. lemon zest with 2 Tbsp. EVOO and sprinkle it over the shrimp.

4) Bake for 15 minutes, until shrimp are cooked and bread crumbs are golden. Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon over the shrimp. Serve hot and dip a nice, crusty bread into the tomato sauce.