Friday, August 22, 2008

Shrimp Pesto Orzo


If you liked my last post about pesto, then you’ll probably like this one too. This is the first dish I made with that batch of pesto – it was a total success! I’m actually kind of excited about the dish because it was better than I had expected.

I’m probably going to make a chicken variation of it this weekend. We’ve invited some friends over for dinner. They’re moving to a new city for at least a year and are currently in an empty apartment. Only problem is – they’re kind of fussy eaters. Health nuts. Plus, my one friend recently had an unfortunately run-in with a rock while kayaking. Let’s just say…the rock won. She has had to have parts of her teeth replaced and a couple of root canals, so she can’t eat food that is hard to chew.

Shrimp Pesto Orzo

final2

1.5 cups of orzo

6 cups of water (or soup broth)

1 pound of raw shrimp

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 zucchinis (1 green, 1 yellow)

3/4 red pepper (that’s all I had left)

1-2 lemons (optional)

1/2 - 2/3 cup of basil pesto

1/3 cup parsley

salt and pepper, to taste

Boil water/broth for orzo. Saute garlic for a minute and then add the zucchinis. When the orzo goes in to the water, add the shrimp to the zucchini.

rawshrimp

I added some lemon juice to both the orzo water and the shrimp mixture. I also added the red pepper around the same time as the shrimp. The exact timing will depend on your preferred texture of the cooked vegetables. I tend to like my veggies on the crispier side. Salt and pepper as you go.

midway

When the orzo is finish, drain and add to shrimp mixture. Then add pesto. I used the equivalent of about 3 cubes of pesto. Just mix the cube(s) for a while while it defrosts and blends.

addpesto

Once blended, add parsley.

final1

Delicious! R was so excited when he got to have the leftovers for dinner the next day too.

I’m submitting this recipe to Deep Freeze Summer Challenge 2 over at Mele Cotte.

deepfreeze

For this event, submissions must include at least one main ingredient from your freezer.

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19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Looks delicious!

Ivy said...

Sounds great but what do you mean with cubes of pesto?

Deborah said...

This is making me seriously hungry!

PG said...

Ivy - I'm not sure I understand your question...Check out the cubes of pesto that I froze in my previous post.

Laura Paterson said...

I am so feeling the orzo love right now!! In fact I could eat that whole dish up right now... drool...!

Oh no on the rock though... ouch

What's Cookin Chicago said...

Anything that includes shrimp is good eats in my book!

Neen said...

Love the orzo. I'm still figuring out how to cook with it, though I love the consistency and texture when it's done. Question, though: How do you deal with shrimp? Do you buy it pre-frozen? Do you have the fish dude devein and peel them, or do you do it yourself? I tend to avoid shrimp in general because of the hassle...

PG said...

Neen - I usually buy this stuff. It probably defeats some of the purpose of buying zipperback to peel the shrimp before cooking, but I know that R won't be happy having to deal with the shell when eating. The zipperback stuff is pretty easy to deal with because the vein is already removed and there is a slit down the back, so it makes it easy to peel the rest of the shell off.

Anonymous said...

What a great dish..WOWZER, now that's good eating. I love the idea of the pesto with the shrimp and orzo!

La Bella Cooks said...

This looks fantastic! I love the shrimp and pesto combo...it is one of my favorites.

Darius T. Williams said...

I love a good pesto - I made one with spinach and almonds! Good job on this.
-DTW
www.everydaycookin.blogspot.com

Adam said...

There is no way your guests would turn down that dish. Be careful though, because they might come over to eat every day afterward :)

Man, I want some shrimp now...

grace said...

i've seen pesto in lots of dishes, but never with orzo! excellent use for your cubes. :)

Anonymous said...

Orzo is such a fun pasta to use. I've been experimenting with orzo in different salads throughout the summer. I never even thought about combining it with basil pesto.

Heather said...

What a fun event and a delicious plate! I love shrimp, orzo, and pesto, especially with summer veg.

Beth (jamandcream) said...

Looks fantastic. Orzo is really hard to find locally, might have to substitute.

Chris said...

Yum! This looks like a delicious dish! I love orzo....and pesto. Great combo! Thanks for participating in the DFSCII!

Rosie said...

They really look so delicious!

Rosie x

Proud Italian Cook said...

That is so good looking! Orzo and shrimp and pesto? Oh yeah!!

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