Friday, September 7, 2012

Shrimp Scampi with Orzo

Is it the weekend yet?  It is for me!  I'm knocking off work early to head to Bald Head Island for Ficken-Family Vacay!  I'm so excited to relax, soak up the last of the summer sun, and make some delicious food with my mom and sisters.  My favorite thing about Bald Head is the quaint grocery store.  I probably go 3 times a day while I'm there, just to check out the snacks, pick up a doughnut and coffee, a magazine, you name it!

 We're having a ladies weekend, but i've convinced my manfriend (if you know Mike, you know it's just not right calling him a boyfriend) Mike to join us for one night, so tonight we're having man-friendly spaghetti.  The rest of the trip will be for delicious, lite seafood, easy appetizers, and lots of wine!

I'm thinking Shrimp Scampi with Orzo will be be perfect for BHI vacation.  It's easy to assemble and feeds a crowd.  Just serve it up with a simple green salad and you're all set!  They key to success with Shrimp Scampi is prepping everything before you start cooking, no running  back and forth to the cutting board!
Ingredients:
* 1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed
* 1 lb. orzo pasta (you can use the traditional angel hair if you prefer!)
* 1/4 c. flat leaf parsley, chopped
* 1 shallot, diced
* 1 garlic clove, minced
* 1 c. dry white wine, such as chardonnay
* 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
* 4 tbsp. butter
* 1 lemon, plus more for garnish
* Olive oil
Cook pasta according to package directions.  Coat a large sauté pan with olive oil and heat over medium high heat, 2 minutes.  Add shrimp to pan and sauté until just cooked (they should turn pink/white). Remove the shrimp with a slotted spoon; set aside.  Add garlic and shallot t pan and sauté 30 seconds or so. Deglaze the pan with white wine.  Add the juice of 1 lemon, zest of 1/2 lemon, and red pepper flakes. Reduce sauce by half (3-4 minutes).  Add butter to pan.   Once butter is melted, add pasta, shrimp, and parsley and stir well to combine.  Garnish with lemon slices and serve.  Enjoy!





No comments:

Post a Comment