Baked Shrimp with Tomato Feta Orzo

From appearances, orzo looks just like rice but in reality is just a rice-shaped pasta. Tricky. I went to the grocery searching for orzo in the rice aisle, but had to remind myself that it was just an illusion....orzo is a pasta!

The most time consuming part of this recipe is peeling and deveining the shrimp. If you are so inclined, many grocery and seafood stores will sell raw shrimp already cleaned, but I wasn't willing to pay up for this luxury. We thought this dish was excellent - light, but full of flavor. It's certainly a nice alternative from a typical pasta dish. Unfortunately, we were so hungry last night that I failed to take a photo of our feast. The picture above is some leftovers, which are never quite as appetizing in appearance the next day. Enjoy nonetheless!

Baked Shrimp with Tomato Feta Orzo
Ingredients
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 (28 to 32-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 pound orzo
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
2 cups crumbled feta

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Saute onion, garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes in 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pot over moderately high heat, stirring, until onion is softened, about 3 minutes. Add wine and boil until reduced by 1/2, about 3 minutes.

Stir in tomatoes, mushrooms and salt, then reduce heat, and simmer briskly, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened, about 8 minutes. Stir shrimp into sauce and simmer, stirring occasionally, until shrimp are just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Be sure not to overcook the shrimp as they will continue to cook in the oven.

While sauce and shrimp are cooking, cook orzo in a 6-quart pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then drain orzo in a sieve. Return orzo to pot and toss with remaining tablespoon oil. Stir in sauce with shrimp and reserved cooking water, then add salt and pepper, to taste.

Spoon 1/2 of pasta into an oiled 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish, then sprinkle with 1/2 of feta. Top with remaining pasta and feta, then bake in middle of oven, uncovered, until cheese is slightly melted and pasta is heated through, 10 to 15 minutes.