Roasted Shrimp with Feta

First let me say that I'm oh so happy with Ina Garten's newest cookbook "Barefoot Contessa: How Easy is That?" My friend Liz preordered it for me for my birthday and it was a fantastic surprise. I didn't even know she had a new one coming! This is the first recipe that I've tried and we're definitely off to a great start! I tweaked it a little bit based on the ingredients I had on hand but it was still fantastic. Roasted or baked shrimp with feta and tomatoes is a classic Greek dish that I've had out a few times out in restaurants- this was my first attempt at home. Cooks Illustrated also published an article this summer featuring a few iterations of the recipe. Its great served with rice or quinoa as I did in this case or as an appetizer served over grilled bread. Ingredients: 1 and 1/2 cups medium-diced fennel 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1/4 cup dry white wine 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes 2 teaspoons tomato paste 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 tablespoon Pernot (or Oozo if you want to be more traditional, I skipped it all together) 1 teaspoon kosher salt (I used a bit less seeing as the feta is quite salty) 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 pound of shrimp (16-20 per pound), peeled and deveined 5 ounces of good feta cheese, coarsely crumbled 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs (I used 2/3 cup panko instead) 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley (I used 2 tablespoons of the fennel fronds instead) 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest 2 lemons Preheat the oven to 400 degree. I used a 12 inch heavy bottomed All Clad skillet. Ina recommends something oven proof so that you can do your saute and your roast in the same pan. Cook the fennel in a bit of olive oil over medium-low heat until tender- 8 to 10 minutes. Then add the garlic and cook one minute more. Next add the white wine and scrape all of the brown bits from the bottom of the pan as you stir it in. Cook it until most of the liquid has evaporated (2 minutes). Lastly add the tomatoes with the juices, tomato paste, oregano, salt and pepper to the skillet and simmer over medium low for 10-15 minutes to marry all of the flavors together- the liquid cooks down a bit. I added a splash of white wine to ensure we had lots of juices. Meanwhile, you make a breadcrumb topping. I used panko and I didn't have as much as Ina called for but it turned out to be plenty (and deliciously crunchy.) Toss the panko, the parsley (or fennel fronds-the green dill looking tops of the fennel), and the lemon zest in a bowl with a tablespoon of olive oil. When the sauce is done, lay the shrimp over the top and then sprinkle with the crumb mixture. Roast in the oven for 14-15 minutes or until the shrimp are just cooked through. Now how easy is that?? =) Squeeze lots of fresh lemon juice over the top (I used the juice of one whole lemon) and serve the shrimp over something that will soak up the juices, I used quinoa. I cook it per the package instructions using a blend of water and chicken stock (ratio 1/3 water to 2/3 chicken stock.)

One pound of shrimp wouldn't normally feed four but we easily made two meals of this- with a large arugula salad on the side, dressed with a balsamic vinaigrette.

Also, we paired a Veramonte Savignon Blanc with the meal and I think it was perfect. Very light and crispy- picking up the citrus notes and complimenting the zing of the feta. Food and Wine magazine featured it as one of the "best value" wines in the October wine issue this year. You can typically find it for $9 or so and its really fantastic. I like the screw cap too...

Thank you, Ina for another delicious addition to the repertoire- this one will definitely be a staple.