Shrimp and Orzo Pasta

This was another dish I tried for our Sunday’s Pasta that was a success at our home!
My husband said he would like to eat some sort of shrimp dish last weekend. And since he usually grills meat on Saturdays, I decided to make a shrimp pasta dish for our Sunday lunch. Both the husband and Matheus really like shrimp; it is amazing how many of these little sea creatures those two are able to gobble up in one sitting. Needless to say they both enjoyed this dish!
It was simple to make and very tasty, which is a huge bonus for me! I actually didn’t have Romano cheese, so I used Parmesan, and it worked quite well. Although I guess the saltier Romano would be even better here. The only thing is I didn’t measure my basil and I believe I ended up using less than I should, so next time I will pay more attention to that.
I omitted the crushed red pepper and added about ½ cup of white wine to my tomato mixture, letting it reduce a bit (cooked a little longer than the recipe stated, so it wouldn’t be watery at the end). I like the taste of white wine with shrimp sauces; I think it adds a lot of flavor to it.
Anyways, it was a really good and simple dish. If you like shrimp, odds are you might enjoy this one too!
Ana

Shrimp and Orzo with Cherry Tomatoes and Romano Cheese
(Adapted from Cooking Light – April/05)

1 cup uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup (about 1 1/2 ounces) grated fresh pecorino Romano cheese
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil

Cook the pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.
While pasta cooks, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/8 teaspoon of black pepper evenly over shrimp. Add shrimp to pan; cook 1 1/2 minutes on each side or until done. Remove from pan.
Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to pan. Add onion, garlic, and red pepper; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add tomatoes, and cook 3 minutes or until tomatoes begin to soften, stirring occasionally. Stir in pasta and shrimp; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat, and stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, cheese, and basil.
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 1/4 cups)