Greek Spiced Baked Shrimp with Lemon Orzo & Broccoli

I like to think of myself as trend-aware. Though I'm not necessarily swayed by the latest trends, I at least know of their existence. Remember when those onesie leotard shirts were in style? Yea, I was there.


Well, I must say that I've been absolutely blindsided by the Twilight Series phenomenon. I thought Twilight was a brand new release until I realized there are four other books in the series. Whoops. Wanting to participate in water cooler chatter, I finally bit the dust and started reading the first. I can't say I'm overly impressed or understand the hype quite yet, but it's still early in the book.

Meanwhile, another trend that I am a strong believer in has graced the kitchen yet again. There's something about the combination of feta and shrimp that just does it for me. Sort of like how women everywhere are swooning over Edward Cullen. Yea, just like that.

Paired with lemony broccoli and lemon orzo, I find myself absurdly content: the house smells wonderful, the food in front of me tantalizing, and I am eating shrimp. It doesn't get much better. Some people like sexy vampires, I like shrimp 'n feta.


Cinnamon and allspice add a nice spice to the dish and provide an alternative to the many shrimp and feta recipes floating around the internet and my own blog.

I decided to pair the shrimp with a side of steamed broccoli, tossed in lemon juice and garlic. Already having lemons out, I also tossed the orzo in a mixture of olive oil, lemon and pepper. Since the sauce from the shrimp is very flavorful, the lemony taste serves only as an accent and doesn't overpower the meal.

Good luck with all your Thanksgiving preparations! I spent my usually lazy Sunday ironing linens and vacuuming. I hope the remainder of my prep work is a little more stimulating :)

This is my entry into Ruth's Presto Pasta Nights hosted by Daphne this week.

Greek Spiced Baked Shrimp with Lemon Orzo
Adapted from Gourmet & Martha Stewart

Shrimp:
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon hot red-pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes with basil
Pinch of sugar
1 1/4 pound large peeled and deveined shrimp
1/2 teaspoon old bay seasoning
salt & pepper
2/3 cup crumbled feta
2 tablespoons chopped dill

Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle.

Cook onion and garlic in oil with 1/4 teaspoon salt in a saucepan over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in spices and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add chopped tomatoes with juice and sugar and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat.

Season shrimp with Old Bay, dash of salt & pepper, then stir into tomato sauce. Transfer to a 2-quart shallow baking dish and top with feta. Bake until just cooked through, 15 to 18 minutes. Serve sprinkled with dill.

Orzo:
1 lemon
1 cup uncooked orzo
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 scallions, thinly sliced
salt & pepper

Peel a few long strips of lemon peel; thinly slice peel. Squeeze 2 tablespoons juice; set aside.

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add orzo and lemon peel. Cook until orzo is al dente, according to package instructions. Drain and return to pot.

Add lemon juice, oil, and scallions to orzo. Toss and season with salt and pepper; Serve with shrimp.