Roasted Shrimp, Hot or Cold

It is an amazing day out in Jersey. 70-plus degrees, sunny, slight breeze. Everyone is out and about, restaurants have great smells wafting out off propped open doors and it just feels good to be here.  It's also time to switch from keep you warm inside recipes, to ones that can pull double duty. Good cold and good warm. I've got a favorite that fits that bill and it just happens to be reasonably healthy, as well as simple to whip up.
Today we are having Roasted Shrimp and Orzo. It's got both an italian and greek feel to it and to be honest, I have no idea where it came from. But it doesn't matter, just enjoy it.

Roasted Shrimp & Orzo
-Kosher Salt
-1/2 cup good olive oil
-2 tsp salt
-1 tsp ground black pepper
-3/4 lb Orzo
-1/2 cup lemon juice, approximately 3 lemons
-1.5 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
-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 cup red onion, diced small
-1/4 lb good feta cheese, large diced

Chop scallion, onion, parsley, dill and cucumber to prep.

Peel shrimp and set aside while preheating oven to 400 degrees F.

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. Whisk together the lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Pour over the hot pasta and stir well.

Place the shrimp on a baking sheet that is sprayed with PAM or some other cooking spray. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast for 5-7 minutes.

And after 7 minutes......

Add shrimp to the orzo, followed by the cucumbers, onion, scallions, parsley and dill, stirring constantly. Add 2 teaspoons of salt and one teaspoon of pepper and toss well.

Now hears the part where you can go your own way.You can put it aside for about 30 minutes to let it settle or you can toss it in the fridge and have it later or tomorrow. The other choose-your-own-adventure part of this story is the feta cheese. I keep it on the side as Dayna doesn't like it while I do. You can add it in the bowl, crumbled and it tops off the dish just right.

Spring is Coming Risotto

And we are back!!! After days without internet, the DirecTV gods have seen fit to grace me with the service that I pay so much for every month. So now that I can return to writing, I'm sure that my 3 readers can release that breath they've been holding in.

This past weekend I found myself compulsively watching the Food Network. I was happy as I got to watch about 7 different shows hosted by none other than my cooking idol, Guy Fieri. It made for a very happy Josh and a very hungry yet bored Dayna. Anyway, I caught an episode of Barefoot Contessa where she made a Risotto Primavera with things she had in the kitchen. Knowing that I had the same things in my fridge/freezer, as well as just enough leftover uncooked risotto, I got motivated. Now, I learned to make risotto once in a cooking class I took, (I highly recommend Urban Kitchen in Hoboken, NJ) but that was a while ago and I was excited to try my hand in it. So I enlisted my wonderful sous chef and wife and undertook my first and far from last risotto primavera.

Risotto Primavera
(Borrowed from Barefoot Contessa)
-1.5 tbs good olive oil
-1.5 tbs unsalted butter
-3 cups chopped leeks, white and green parts (2 leeks) Washed thoroughly
-1.5 cups Arborio rice
-2/3 cup dry white wine. I used charonnay
-5 cups simmering chiceken stock
-1 pound thin asparagus
-10 ounces frozen peas, defrosted
-3/4 tbs freshly grated lemon zest
-2 tbs lemon juice
-1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
-1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan chees
-3 tbs minced fresh chives, plus extra for serving/garnish

Heat the olive oil and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Chop leeks and saute for 5-7 minutes, until tender. Add rice and stiir for a minute to coat with the vegetables, oil and butter. Add the white wine and simmer over low heat, stirring constantly, until most of the wine has been absorbed.

Add the chicken stock, 2 ladles at a time stirring almost constantly and waiting for the stock to be absorbed before adding more. This process should take 25-30 minutes. (Can you get carpal tunnal from stirring? I think Dayna may have)

Meanwhile, cut the asparagus diagonally in 1.5 inch lengths and discard the tough ends.

Blanch in boiling salted water for 4-5 minutes, until al dente. Drain and cool immediately in ice water.

When the risotto has been cooking  for 15 minutes, drain the asparagus  and add it to the risotto with the peas, lemon zest , 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper. Continue cooking and adding stock, stirring almost constantly, until the rice is tender but still firm.

Whisk lemon juice and mascarpone together in a small bowl.

When the risotto is done, turn off the heat and stir in the mascarpone mixture plus the Parmesan cheese and chives. Set aside off the heat for a few minutes, sprinke with salt and pepper, and serve hot with a sprinkling of chives and Parmesan cheese.