Greek Shrimp… Tonight’s dinner draws its inspiration from a show I caught this weekend of Giada traveling in Greece. This particular meal came after a number of others where she chowed down on fresh feta cheese, assorted salty olives, and veggies marinated in an abundance of olive oil. These types of Mediterranean flavors are right up my alley, and although I’ve traveled extensively throughout Europe, Greece is one place I've yet to touch down. After watching her boat ride around Crete where a chef/friend made her a Dahlicious yet simple shrimp dish, I decided I would make a similar meal for Monday night dinner.
On The Menu:
Greek shrimp with garlic, onions, tomatoes, olives and feta, alongside veggie quinoa and roasted greens.
The Shrimp:
As per the show I am going to follow along with what I remember the chef doing, adding my own touches here or there. I’ve gathered the ingredients that I recall him mentioning and have added a few of my own…
- Some large shrimp
- 1 small red onion
- A few cloves of garlic
- White wine
- Lemon
- 14oz can of crushed or diced tomatoes
- Olive paste/olive tapenade (if you have whole marinated kalamata olives that would work too just give them a good chop)
- Feta cheese
- Pepper and herbs to taste (I’m going to forgo using much, if any, salt in this dish as the olives and feta should provide enough of that on their own)
Use a garlic press on a few cloves of garlic and sauté that over medium heat with a liberal pour of olive oil and the chopped red onion. Usually I give veggies a rough chop and keep the pieces on the larger side because they shrink when cooked, however I am going to suggest giving these red onions a fairly fine dice. Let the onions and garlic sauté for a few minutes, and then add in the shrimp. Let them cook for just a minute or two on each side until they are slightly pink/golden on the edges. Then add a bit of white wine and a squeeze of lemon. This is also when I would add some fresh black pepper and some crushed dried oregano or dried basil. Let the white wine reduce for a minute or two and then add in the can of tomatoes and a big spoonful of the olive paste/tapenade. Give it all a good mix and turn the heat down to a light simmer allowing the ingredients to meld together and absorb into one another. Add some more seasoning for taste, or white wine if you like. Then crumble a handful of feta and mix it in just before serving. You can also just top each portion with sprinkled feta if you prefer as well. The first option will create a creamier sauce but the second will add a nice bright pop of white on the red background of the shrimp in tomatoes.
 |
| Sauté the onions and garlic |
 |
| Add the shrimp and white wine |
 |
| TJ's green olive tapenade |
 |
| Add the tomatoes and let it simmer away! |
The Veggies:
Roasted Brussels:
Cut a bunch of brussels sprouts in halves and quarters, place them in a pyrex baking dish with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Pop them in the oven at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes. They'll be tender on the inside and crispy on the outside - Dahlish!
 |
| Roasted Brussels |
Asparagus Quinoa:
Sauté some chopped asparagus in olive oil and add pre made TJ's quinoa (once heated through) to the asparagus. Give a quick toss over low heat.
 |
| Sauteed asparagus & quinoa |
No comments:
Post a Comment