Shrimp & Yellow Tomato Orzo

As I mentioned last week, the tomatoes have been especially great lately and I couldn't resist buying some of these adorable yellow pear-shaped ones last week. Since they're so sweet, I balanced them by creating a garlic-and-onion-y sauce. This recipe is basically a riff on my classic shrimp scampi but uses orzo (a small rice-shaped pasta) and a few extra ingredients. It's the kind of all-purpose, homey dish that I could eat every night of the week. Leftovers are also great eaten as a cold or room-temperature pasta salad.


Shrimp & Yellow Tomato Orzo:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil, season generously with salt, add in 1 c. orzo pasta, and cook until al dente.
• Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over high heat and add in 1 tbsp. olive oil and 3/4 lb. peeled and de-veined shrimp. Season with salt and pepper.
• Cook the shrimp for 2 minutes per side, or until just opaque, then remove from the pan and set aside.
• Add in a little more oil, 3 cloves of minced garlic, and 4 thinly sliced scallions and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until tender and fragrant but not brown.
• Add in 1/2 c. dry white wine and cook for 5 minutes, or until reduced by half.
• Drain the orzo, toss with a little olive oil, and divide onto plates.
• Add the zest and juice of 1/2 lemon and the shrimp. 
• Turn off the heat and stir in 2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley and 1 tbsp. cold butter.
• Check for seasoning, then divide the shrimp and sauce over the orzo and serve.

Serves two-three