10 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium white onion, chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 pint cherry tomatoes
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
3/4 pound dry orzo pasta
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay – your choice!)
1 pound raw uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
Pinch ground red pepper (cayenne)
1/3 cup feta cheese crumbles
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place a Dutch oven on the stove over medium heat. Add 6 teaspoons of EVOO and all of the garlic to the pot. Let the garlic cook for one minute. Add all of the chopped onions and let cook for two minutes. Season the onions with 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, 1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper (heretofore referred to as FCBP), and 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes. Stir to incorporate that into the onions. After the onions have cooked for five minutes total and they have become slightly softened, add in the whole grape tomatoes. Sprinkle them with 1/4 teaspoon sea salt and 1/4 teaspoon FCBP. Turn the heat up to high and let them cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the tomatoes have started to soften, stir in 1 teaspoon of the chopped fresh oregano. Reduce the heat to medium and add in the orzo. Stir it into the veggies. Next, pour in the chicken stock and wine. Add 1/2 teaspoon of oregano and stir. Bring this just to a simmer, stirring regularly to make sure that none of the pasta sticks to the bottom of the pot. Once this concoction is simmering, remove it from the heat and place the lid on the pot. Place the pot in the oven on the top rack. Cook for ten minutes. While the orzo is cooking, prepare the shrimp. Place them in a mixing bowl. Drizzle with EVOO and sprinkle in 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon FCBP, and a pinch of cayenne. Toss to coat them in these ingredients. Once the orzo has been cooking for ten minutes, take the pot out of the oven and remove the lid. Set your oven to broil on high. Use a fork to search through the pasta for the cherry tomatoes. Use the tines to pop the tomatoes and then squish them so that the juices spill out into the pasta. Stir in the feta crumbles and then make sure the pasta is somewhat smoothed out on top. Dump the shrimp on the top of the pasta. Arrange them in a single layer. Place the pot back in the oven to broil the shrimp. This will take anywhere from five to ten minutes, depending on the strength of your broiler. Just check on them periodically and remove the pot when the shrimp have curled and turned pink. To serve, scoop large spoonfuls of the pasta and shrimp out of the Dutch oven onto your dinner plates. Serve hot and enjoy!