Greek Shrimp With Spinach, Feta and Stelline

The Washington Post, May 11, 2011

• • Course: Main Course
• • Features: Fast

Summary:

Here's a casserole that's easy enough for a weeknight and good enough for company. Although the original recipe called for orzo, we liked the way stelline, small pasta shaped like stars, created a soft landing spot for tucking in the quickly seared shrimp. Leftovers taste great cold.

Serve with a cold asparagus salad.

4 or 5 servings

Ingredients:

• • 1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for the pasta cooking water
• • 8 ounces dried stelline pasta (may substitute dried orzo pasta; see headnote)
• • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• • 2 cups lightly packed baby spinach (may substitute stemmed, shredded chard leaves)
• • 3 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• • 3 ounces feta cheese
• • 2 medium cloves garlic
• • 1 pound extra-large (21 to 25 count) peeled and deveined shrimp, preferably American wild-caught (defrosted if frozen)
• • 14 ounces canned whole tomatoes, preferably San Marzano (not including canned juices)
• • 1/4 cup dry white wine
• • 1 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Greek
• • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• • Leaves from 6 to 8 stems flat-leaf parsley
• • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add a generous pinch of salt and the pasta; cook according to the package directions. Drain and return to the pot.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Use a teaspoon of the oil to brush the inside of a medium baking dish (glass or ceramic).

Coarsely chop the spinach.

Stir in 1 tablespoon of the oil into the pot with the pasta, then add the spinach and the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Crumble in half of the feta. Transfer the pasta mixture to the bottom of the prepared baking dish; cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.

Cut the garlic into very thin slices.

Heat a tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook for about a minute, stirring, only until they start to turn opaque; the shrimp will finish cooking in the oven. Nestle the shrimp into the cooked stelline.

Coarsely chop the tomatoes, reserving their resulting juices.

Heat the remaining oil in the same skillet used to cook the shrimp, over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Stir in the tomatoes and their juices, the wine, oregano and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, to form a slightly thickened sauce.

Coarsely chop the parsley, then stir it into the sauce. Remove from the heat. Taste, and season with salt and pepper as needed. Spoon the sauce over the shrimp and stelline.

Transfer to the oven; bake for about 10 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked through. Sprinkle with the remaining feta. Serve hot.

Recipe Source:

Adapted from "<a href='http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0807834653?ie=UTF8&tag=washingtonpost-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0807834653'>The New Southern Garden Cookbook: Enjoying the Best from Homegrown Gardens, Farmers' Markets, Roadside Stands, and CSA Farm Boxes</a>," by Sheri Castle (University of North Carolina Press, 2011).

370 calories, 15g fat, 5g saturated fat, 65mg cholesterol, 620mg sodium, 41g carbohydrates, 1g dietary fiber, 3g sugar, 17g protein.