Spicing Things Up

I generally find Tuesdays to be sort of “blah." They are not as bad as Mondays (which pretty much always suck) but don’t have the “week is halfway over” excitement that Wednesdays do. Tuesdays are just kind of there. This week I decided to try and liven Tuesday up with a tasty dinner. I think Shrimp Fra Diavolo translates to “shrimp of the devil” or something like that. And that is a pretty apt description given the heat this dish has going on.

I have made this particular recipe a number of times over the years, experimenting with it until I got it almost exactly where Jason and I wanted it. My first addition was the mushrooms. If you haven’t figured it out yet, Jason and I are big fans of fungi….we could pretty much eat mushrooms on anything. But I honestly think the addition of the mushrooms makes the dish a lot more interesting than it would be otherwise. Next I added the orzo. Jason and I are fans of another, more summery shrimp and orzo salad so I decided to see how the orzo would work here. Oh, it definitely works!

I’m thinking that next time around I might add some baby spinach (thrown in at the end) to give the plate some additional green and increase the nutritional value. But overall, I’d recommend this as a quick and tasty meal that is sure to spice up any day of the week.

Shrimp Fra Diavolo
Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients:
8 ounces of orzo pasta
1 1lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 teaspoon salt, plus additional as needed
1 teaspoon dried, crushed red pepper flakes (you can adjust depending on how spicy you like it!)
3 TBL olive oil, plus 1-2 teaspoons
1 medium onion, sliced
1 (8 ounce) package white button mushrooms, quartered
1 (14.5 ounce) can of diced tomatoes
1 cup dry white wine (get something you like so you can have a glass with dinner!)
3 garlic cloves, chopped
¼ teaspoon dried oregano or other herb mix (I use a Tuscan herb mix I got from somewhere)
¼ cup chopped basil
¼ cup chopped flat leaf parsley

1.Toss the shrimp in a medium bowl with 1 teaspoon of salt and red pepper flakes. I like to let this sit for 10-15 minutes (in the fridge) so the shrimp absorbs the flavors.
2.Heat 3 TBL olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and sauté until just pink, about a minute or two per side (If anything, you might want to let the shrimp be undercooked a little bit—you’ll add them back to the heat at the end and there is nothing worse that rubbery, overcooked shrimp!) Transfer the shrimp to a bowl or plate and set aside.
3.Add onion and mushrooms to the same pan (you may want to add some additional olive oil if the pan looks dry), sauté until soft, about 5 minutes.
4.Add orzo to a pot of boiling water and cook for 10-11 minutes (or as per the instructions on the package).
5.Add the tomatoes with their juices, wine, garlic, and oregano/dried herbs. Simmer until most of the liquid evaporates, about 12-15 minutes.
6.Drain orzo and set aside.
7.Add shrimp and any accumulated juices to the pan and cook for a minute or two until shrimp are heated through and flavors have had a chance to meld.
8.Stir in basil and parsley and check for seasonings.
9.Add drained orzo to the pan and combine.