Roasted Shrimp with Orzo

Last year I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to Greece to share in a good friend's wedding celebration!! It was a marvelous time of eating, drinking, dancing and friendship. It was such a great time and we still talk about it all the time. To celebrate our one year anniversary of our trip we decided to have a Greek potluck. This is especially special as we came up with the idea of having (somewhat) monthly potlucks with a different theme each time while we were on that trip. A while ago I saw this recipe from Ina and I knew I had to try it. It's not specifically Greek, but Greek inspired. I picked up some wonderfully fresh dill, parsley, cucumber, onions, and lemons from the Farmers' Market and I wasted no time bringing them home to prepare.

Roasted Shrimp with Orzo
(from Ina Garten)

Kosher salt
Good olive oil
3/4 lb orzo pasta
1/2 c freshly squeezed lemon juice (approx. 3 lemons)
Freshly ground black pepper
2 lbs shrimp peeled and deveined (tail off)
1 cup minced scallions (green onions)
1 cup chopped fresh dill
1 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1 Japanese cucumber peeled and medium diced
1/2 cup small diced red onion
3/4 lb feta cheese diced

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Fill a large pot with water, add 1 tbsp salt and a splash of oil and bring to a boil. Add the orzo and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until it's cooked al dente. Drain and pour into a large bowl. Wisk together the lemon juice, 1/2 cup of olive oil, 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper. Pour over the pasta and stir well.

Meanwhile, place the shrimp on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to combine and spread out on a single layer. Roast for about 5 minutes until shrimp are cooked through.

Add the shrimp to the orzo and then add the scallions, dill, parsley, cucumber and onion. Toss well. Taste and add more salt and pepper if desired. Add the feta and stir carefully. Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend, or refrigerate overnight. If refrigerated, taste again for seasonings and bring back to room temperature before serving.